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harmony5
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I'm a graduating a senior at a major American university.I applied to five PhD programs in physics and got rejected from all five of them. I had a 710 on my physics GRE and a 159 on the math section for my regular GRE. I did not study for both of those exams. My GPA was 3.63. I had a REU and got five strong letters of recommendations. I got a A in advanced classical mechanics a B+ in Statistical Physics, A- and B+ in E&M 1 and 2. However I'm taking quantum mechanics now and my grade for quantum mechanics did not appear on the transcripts I sent to the PhD programs. I would like to reapply again for next year. My current plan of action is to graduate with a B.S in physics this semester and still continue to do research at my undergraduate university. I'm very close to having a paper published with me as first author and my advisor as second author. I also plan to retake both the physics and general GREs. Can anyone offer any advice in what I should do from now till the end of this year so I maximize my chance of getting into a PhD program in physics for spring or fall of 2016?
I made a thread before where I uploaded an actual copy of my transcript and asked if it would be considered competitive for admission into a PhD program in physics. However it was taken down because it probably violated some policy. So instead of posting my transcript I'll just type out the grades.
Fall 2011
College Writing Workshop EN 1013W-H 3.0 B+
Multivariable Calculus A MA 2112-D 2.0 A
Multivariable Calculus B MA 2122-D 2.0 A
Physics: The Genesis of Technology PH 1002-A 2.0 A
MECHANICS PH 1013-B3LC 3.0 A
Spring 2012
FIRST-YEAR WRITING SEMINAR HUSS 1023W-P 3.0 AELEMENTS
OF LINEAR ALGEBRA I MA 2012-K2 2.0 A
Ordinary Differential Equations MA 2132-G2 2.0 A
Complex Variables I MA 3112-K 2.0 B
INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS LABORATORY I PH 2021-B2 0.5 C
ELECTRICITY, MAGNETISM, & FLUIDS PH 2023-A2LC 3.0 AFall 2012
Data Analysis I MA 2212-DOFF 2.0 A
Analytical Mechanics PH 2104-A 4.0 A
SOCIALIST THEORY POL-UA 140-CAS 4.0 B
POLITICS OF THE MIDDLE EAST POL-UA 540-CAS 4.0 AAHRSSpring 2013
A BOOK FORGED IN HELL: SPINOZA'S
INCENDIARY TREATISE AND MODERN
JUDAISM
HBRJD-UA 107-CAS 4.0 A
INTRODUCTION TO MODERN AND SOLID
STATE PHYSICS
PH 2344-A 4.0 A
MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS I PH 3603-A 3.0 A
AMERICAN CONSTITUTION POL-UA 330-CAS 4.0 B+
Fall 2013
Independent Study HBRJD-UA 998-CAS 4.0 A
MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS II PH 3703-A 3.0 A
SPECIAL TOPICS IN PHYSICS PH 4602-A 2.0 ADYNAMICS
OF PARTICLES & THEIR FIELDS
Special Topics in Physics PH 4603-A 3.0 AINTRO
TO COSMOLOGY
QUANTUM MECHANICS I PH 6673-A 3.0 AEthics
and Technology PL 2143-C 3.0 ASpring 2014
Physical Chemistry I CM 2614-A 4.0 B+
Data Analysis II MA 2222-E3 2.0 W
DISCRETE MATH 1 MA 2312-LEC 2.0 C+
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS MATH-UA 263-CAS 4.0 B+
Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics PH 4124-A 4.0 B+
QUANTUM MECHANCIS II PH 6683-A 3.0 B+
Fall 2014
Introduction to Senior Project in Physics PH-UY 4902-BKLN 2.0 S
Senior Seminar in Physics PH-UY 4912-BKLN 2.0 B+
Dynamics PHYS-GA 2001-001 4.0 B
Communism POL-GA 2140-001 4.0 A
Spring 2015
THERMODYNAMICS ME-UY 3333-A 3.0 A
General
Physics Laboratory II PH-UY 2131-D 1.0 B
Fundamentals of Applied Nuclear Physics PH-UY 3103-A 3.0 A
Electricity and Magnetism PH-UY 3234-A 4.0 A
Guided Studies in Physics PH-UY 3803-BKLN 3.0 B+
Senior Project in Physics PH-UY 4904-BKLN 4.0 AMy overall GPA is 3.659. I know there's a lot more to a graduate school application then a GPA and a transcript but I'm specifically want to know if I have a competitive transcript. I want to go into either QFT, General Relativity or Nonlinear dynamics. Hope this this thread does not go against any guidelines. Thanks.
I made a thread before where I uploaded an actual copy of my transcript and asked if it would be considered competitive for admission into a PhD program in physics. However it was taken down because it probably violated some policy. So instead of posting my transcript I'll just type out the grades.
Fall 2011
College Writing Workshop EN 1013W-H 3.0 B+
Multivariable Calculus A MA 2112-D 2.0 A
Multivariable Calculus B MA 2122-D 2.0 A
Physics: The Genesis of Technology PH 1002-A 2.0 A
MECHANICS PH 1013-B3LC 3.0 A
Spring 2012
FIRST-YEAR WRITING SEMINAR HUSS 1023W-P 3.0 AELEMENTS
OF LINEAR ALGEBRA I MA 2012-K2 2.0 A
Ordinary Differential Equations MA 2132-G2 2.0 A
Complex Variables I MA 3112-K 2.0 B
INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS LABORATORY I PH 2021-B2 0.5 C
ELECTRICITY, MAGNETISM, & FLUIDS PH 2023-A2LC 3.0 AFall 2012
Data Analysis I MA 2212-DOFF 2.0 A
Analytical Mechanics PH 2104-A 4.0 A
SOCIALIST THEORY POL-UA 140-CAS 4.0 B
POLITICS OF THE MIDDLE EAST POL-UA 540-CAS 4.0 AAHRSSpring 2013
A BOOK FORGED IN HELL: SPINOZA'S
INCENDIARY TREATISE AND MODERN
JUDAISM
HBRJD-UA 107-CAS 4.0 A
INTRODUCTION TO MODERN AND SOLID
STATE PHYSICS
PH 2344-A 4.0 A
MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS I PH 3603-A 3.0 A
AMERICAN CONSTITUTION POL-UA 330-CAS 4.0 B+
Fall 2013
Independent Study HBRJD-UA 998-CAS 4.0 A
MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS II PH 3703-A 3.0 A
SPECIAL TOPICS IN PHYSICS PH 4602-A 2.0 ADYNAMICS
OF PARTICLES & THEIR FIELDS
Special Topics in Physics PH 4603-A 3.0 AINTRO
TO COSMOLOGY
QUANTUM MECHANICS I PH 6673-A 3.0 AEthics
and Technology PL 2143-C 3.0 ASpring 2014
Physical Chemistry I CM 2614-A 4.0 B+
Data Analysis II MA 2222-E3 2.0 W
DISCRETE MATH 1 MA 2312-LEC 2.0 C+
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS MATH-UA 263-CAS 4.0 B+
Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics PH 4124-A 4.0 B+
QUANTUM MECHANCIS II PH 6683-A 3.0 B+
Fall 2014
Introduction to Senior Project in Physics PH-UY 4902-BKLN 2.0 S
Senior Seminar in Physics PH-UY 4912-BKLN 2.0 B+
Dynamics PHYS-GA 2001-001 4.0 B
Communism POL-GA 2140-001 4.0 A
Spring 2015
THERMODYNAMICS ME-UY 3333-A 3.0 A
General
Physics Laboratory II PH-UY 2131-D 1.0 B
Fundamentals of Applied Nuclear Physics PH-UY 3103-A 3.0 A
Electricity and Magnetism PH-UY 3234-A 4.0 A
Guided Studies in Physics PH-UY 3803-BKLN 3.0 B+
Senior Project in Physics PH-UY 4904-BKLN 4.0 AMy overall GPA is 3.659. I know there's a lot more to a graduate school application then a GPA and a transcript but I'm specifically want to know if I have a competitive transcript. I want to go into either QFT, General Relativity or Nonlinear dynamics. Hope this this thread does not go against any guidelines. Thanks.
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