/sci/ - Science & Math » Thread #10964940

210KiB, 3004x2333, mfw posting this thread.png

View Same Google iqdb SauceNAO

Graduate School

Anonymous Wed 11 Sep 20:39:41 2019 No.10964940 View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>10964959 >>10964980

Hey there /sci/, I know there are plenty of Gradfags here to ask about this.
In general, how are STEM grad school admissions? Can anyone and everyone with a degree in STEM get into grad school for it? In general, what kind of GPA should an undergrad looking to go to grad school have? How does /sci/ pay for their grad school? How long did /sci/ wait after their undergrad career to apply/go to grad school?
Are admissions into grad school more lenient based on how far you are trying to go (masters vs phd)? Give me the red pill on grad school.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 11 Sep 2019 20:44:56 No.10964959 Report

Quoted By: >>10964968

>>10964940
>Can anyone and everyone with a degree in STEM get into grad school for it?
technically sure
>In general, what kind of GPA should an undergrad looking to go to grad school have?
over whatever is required, which is usually 3.
>How does /sci/ pay for their grad school?
PhD program, so it's fully funded, first year I TA'd, currently on a government fellowship. Don't pay for a masters, if anything go for a PhD and just master out. Never join a PhD program that is not fully funded with a stipend.
>How long did /sci/ wait after their undergrad career to apply/go to grad school?
0 time
>Are admissions into grad school more lenient based on how far you are trying to go (masters vs phd)?
Master's will be more lenient usually, PhD is 4+ years of having a job so they care more about consistency of showing up to work than anything.
Letters of rec mean more for your application than anything. Then statement of intent, then GRE, then GPA id say, but all of those 3 dont really matter compared to letters of rec. Grad school is a job, they want assurance from someone established that you are able to 1. show up (this is the biggest) 2. tenacious 3. actually interested in the subject.
I'm home and have jack shit to do for this evening so I'll be around to answer shit. Field is mol bio

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 11 Sep 2019 20:49:15 No.10964968 Report

Quoted By: >>10965001

>>10964959
I currently have a 3.1 GPA and I major in Chemistry & Math. I want to study applications of higher level math (topology, differential geometry, etc.) in quantum mechanics & physical chemistry. Is 3.1 sufficient for a masters? Or phd if I want to go that far? What should I aim for to *realistically* get into a decent grad school (GPA wise, I shouldn't have trouble getting letters of rec and my writing is decent enough to write a good enough statement of purpose.)

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 11 Sep 2019 20:55:42 No.10964980 Report

Quoted By:

>>10964940
>Can anyone and everyone with a degree in STEM get into grad school for it?
No, you need to pass the required entrance exams, and have the required letters of recommendation.

>In general, what kind of GPA should an undergrad looking to go to grad school have?
Depends on your specialty. 3.2 or higher is generally excepted for most degrees. But don't forget you'll need to stand out from the rest of the applicants.

>How does /sci/ pay for their grad school?
I just know if you choose a degree like a physics PhD, you don't have to worry about paying, it's generally covered through stipends. But I don't know how other degrees work.

>How long did /sci/ wait after their undergrad career to apply/go to grad school?
You should not wait more than 2 years, because you need the letters of recommendation. I tried applying within 2 years.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 11 Sep 2019 21:00:40 No.10965001 Report

Quoted By:

>>10964968
Your GPA doesnt matter as much as having solid letters of rec, a good cohesive and well written statement of intent, and required GRE scores. I would absolutely apply with that GPA to graduate programs, PhD specifically (because I would just plan to master out after a year or two but while being paid for it).
I wouldnt worry too much if you have strong letters of rec and can write well. Half the battle is just applying, it's an artificial hoop to jump through just to see who does. The applications are a fucking bitch too, each takes like 30m-1h. But the dumbest thing you could do is to apply to only reach programs, I would highly suggest to apply to about 10 (if you can afford), 3 "reaches", 4 "good" schools, and 3 "fallbacks", im sure you know what i mean.
If you're gonna go to graduate school out of interest in research, dont stop at master's, you'll never be satisfied at that level. Hell im actually considering trying to become an assistant professor so i never have to actually grow up

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 11 Sep 2019 21:23:49 No.10965073 Report

Quoted By:

>In general, how are STEM grad school admissions?
Once you're past GPA and GRE cut-offs, it's about research experience, letters of rec, written statements, etc. (GPA usually 3.0, don't remember GRE scale because I took it in old format back in 2013.) Like the other guy says.
>Can anyone and everyone with a degree in STEM get into grad school for it?
No, you'll need at least one year of solid research experience plus letters of rec.
>In general, what kind of GPA should an undergrad looking to go to grad school have?
Easy answer is high as possible. If you have a 3.5+, great. Don't worry about it. What is more important is what to do if you have a low GPA (around 3.0 - 3.3). I took a few years off, worked as a lab tech in some high-profile labs, got big-name PIs to write me solid letters of rec. Got in to my first choice.
>How does /sci/ pay for their grad school?
STEM PhD programs are fully funded. How that funding comes about, whether it be TAing, NSF or NIH fellowship, or your own PI, can vary.
>How long did /sci/ wait after their undergrad career to apply/go to grad school?
Three years. I switched into science major later in undergrad and had a lower GPA for grad school apps (around 3.0 - 3.1), so I needed a few years of tech experience and some good letters of rec. This varies by school and programs. Some want students a bit older (25+) with research experience.
>Are admissions into grad school more lenient based on how far you are trying to go (masters vs phd)? Give me the red pill on grad school.
Masters programs are, more or less, ATMs for grad schools. They don't require much, maybe an undergrad degree and a 2.0 or 2.5 GPA. I did my PhD at a program affiliated with a med school, and some PhD programs had masters programs folded in. There is no shortage of "pre-meds" who failed gen chem or orgo with low-GPAs and will shell out $30k for a masters degree to show they've matured as students or whatever.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 12 Sep 2019 12:03:25 No.10966854 Report

Quoted By: >>10967844

Is it worth it to apply for phd if you graduated for more than 7 years?
Will it lower your chances of acceptance?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 12 Sep 2019 20:10:50 No.10967844 Report

Quoted By:

>>10966854
Are you talking about if you graduated more than 7 years ago? Yes, I think it is worth it to apply for a PhD. And no, I don't think it will lower your chances of acceptance. You will need to identify what you've been doing for the last 7 years, and perhaps you may want to explain why now, after so many years out, you want to pursue a PhD. You will probably stand out in the applicant pool, and I think you can present yourself in a way that is unique from most people coming straight out of undergrad or with maybe a year or two of tech experience. If anything, I would think that your odds of acceptance would be greater, because you should be more mature and better prepared to do research compared to people just out of undergrad who have a year or two of experience part-time (taking classes full time and all that) and maybe an REU.

Capcode	All Only User Posts Only Moderator Posts Only Admin Posts Only Developer Posts
Show Posts	All Only With Images Only Without Images
Deleted Posts	All Only Deleted Posts Only Non-Deleted Posts
Ghost Posts	All Only Ghost Posts Only Non-Ghost Posts
Post Type	All Only Sticky Threads Only Opening Posts Only Reply Posts
Results	All Grouped By Threads
Order	Latest Posts First Oldest Posts First

Your latest searches