Getting In to Grad School for Physics: (or another physical science) by Vincent Klug (PDF)

Description

If you’re thinking about going to grad school for physics or another physical science, this is the book for you. It discusses: *whether you should go to grad school *how to choose prospective graduate programs *how to develop a competitive application *what to do after you’re admitted Written specifically for physics applicants, this book contains general information as well as very specific advice about writing essays, studying for exams, negotiating funding, and more. It even includes worksheets to help you stay organized. This book is perfect for anyone who is: *in college studying physics – grad school admissions are based on what you do in college, so you should learn the rules of the game as early as possible *about to start the physics grad school application process *wondering whether applying to grad school is a good idea *thinking of going back to earn an advanced degree in physics And not just physics! This book will also be invaluable to anyone interested in grad school for any physical science (math, chemistry, astronomy, etc.) since the application processes for those programs are nearly identical.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I just finished my PhD, and owe a lot of thanks to this book and its author for getting me there.This book has a lot of information and advice that you are unlikely to get straight from a professor. It is brief, but it is the best guide so far to graduate school in physics.I have recommended this book to every physics undergrad I’ve worked with, and if I were a professor would make it assigned reading for physics majors in a seminar course. It includes realistic advice about jobs after grad school, acceptance rates to differing programs, and degree completion rates, even with breakdowns for different subfields.If you are or know a physics major, definitely get this book. If you are a professor who works with undergrads, buy it and read it and I think you’ll also see how useful its advice is.

⭐This book is a must-read for anyone who intends to pursue graduate studies in the sciences. I really wish that I had come across it two years ago. The information that the author has garnered will probably save you a year of researching graduate schools and trying to understanding the delicate details involved.The following are some of the important details discussed:1- Knowing whether or not grad school in physics is right for you, and getting some idea of what it is like being in a grad school.2- Preparation for the Physics GRE: this book will not prepare you for the test, but it has a lot of invaluable tips and resources that you MUST know. I found those tips, quite frankly, superior to ones in actual PGRE prep books.3- Very helpful resume and SOP discussion (perhaps the SOP discussion is the only place where I found myself disagreeing with the author. There are some truly valuable details, but they are not enough. Statements of Purpose are deal breakers, and I completely agree with the author that you need a long time to write them, but you have to consult a book dedicated to the subject. {the book mentions an excellent reference, but you can find others as well on amazon})4- Deciding and understanding what to pursue within physics.5- Funding details.6- Recommendation letters and their etiquette.7- How many grad schools to apply for, what schools to apply for, and knowing your chances of getting accepted.Perhaps one thing that I wish the author would tackle (hopefully in the next edition of the text) is pursuing graduate studies in physics from an unconventional background (such as electrical engineering, mathematics, chemistry). People from these backgrounds make it into physics every year, but it is a lot more difficult to so. After consulting many graduate programs, I have learned the following: if you do not have an undergrad in physics, your application will evaluated differently. There is a lot more weight on the Physics and General GRE in this case. You need to score at least 60th percentile in physics, and you need to have at least 780 on the quantitative portion (probably 165/170 now). There are a few classes that are deal breakers as well. UT-Austin informed me that Quantum Mechanics I is a must-have class (the author will tell you this as well). UCSB informed me that Quantum Mechanics I and Statistical Mechanics are must-haves. If you have an undergrad in electrical engineering like myself, not having Griffiths electrodynamics is probably fine. Of course you still need to have at least three physics classes beyond introductory physics (I, II, & III). Doing research under a physicist is a must. Professors are a lot more picky if you don’t have (or are pursuing) an undergrad in physics. You can circumvent this by working with a physicist who is tackling problems related to your undergrad. For instance, if you have an undergrad in chemistry, you can work with someone on problems in spectroscopy. If you have an undergrad in math, you can probably find someone who does work in image processing. If you have an undergrad in electrical, you can probably find someone in image processing as well, nanotechnology, or solid-state. You should at least have something on your resume and SOP that says you’ve worked under a physicist (even if it is not exactly the field you want). Perhaps after a few months of that, you can transition into your desired field by having a better shot of working with another Professor in the same department. If not, you’ve at least tackled part of the problem when you’re applying to grad schools, and you are less likely to be rejected solely based on lack of research (even if you wish to pursue a different field).Overall, this book is dense with valuable details, and reading it will put you a step ahead of others when it comes to grad school.Good luck!

⭐Simply put: this book is a spot on description of what you will go through and what you need to do during the entire application process when you apply for a PhD in the natural sciences.There is so much here about the applications process that you’ll probably be curious about: from what criteria they look for in your application, to what topics you need to cover when writing your statement of purpose, to what level of GRE scores are the minimum, to what questions might be worth asking if they call you in for an interview, and even advice on what to do the summer before entering the program AFTER you have been accepted!I followed this books advice to the letter at each and every step, and in the end I got into a great program! Really, my only question is why the author chose to call this book “Getting In to Grad School for Physics (and other physical sciences)” and not “Getting in to Grad School for Science (and especially physics)”. The specific examples he chose for the score ranges and subfield descriptions are for physics to be sure, but if you are in another field don’t let that dissuade you from trying this book. I used it to help me with applying to molecular biology/biophysics programs, and practically all of the advice and the description of the application process was just as relevant there as it would be in physics.

⭐I purchased the paper version and sent it to my son, and bought the kindle version for myself. If he has additional comments, I’ll post those. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Previous posters were a bit harsh. Yes, it’s annoying that the author didn’t create a clean kindle version, but his information is thorough and very helpful. If you don’t get the paper version, I’d suggest reading this through and taking notes. I’ve taken his application tracking idea and turned it into a spreadsheet for my son’s use. I’m positive that much, if not all of this information is applicable to other physical science fields, and to mathematics. Remember that in applying to programs, you’re making a five to seven year commitment. Make the best decision for you, no one else matters!!Updated 9/14/2016. Now that my son is in the application process, the preparations he was able to make using the information in this book was invaluable. It helps that my son spent his first three years of college utterly focused on grad school, so he’s really ahead on the process. If you or your child are hoping to pursue an advanced degree in Physics, USE THIS BOOK!!! I honestly can not stress this enough.

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