Graduate School Guidance. I want to be a cosmologist

[nabeel17]

I had a lot of trouble in my early undergraduate career and had received some really bad grades. I retook a lot of courses and after 6 years, I am finally graduating with good marks in my third and fourth year courses and I believe I have an overall good understanding of undergraduate physics. I applied to two universities in Canada for graduate school (I am Canadian) and was accepted into one of them. The problem is, I've been accepted for research into something I am not fully interested. The research I will be doing is about quasar spectra and black holes (which is interesting in its own right) but I am very interested in theoretical cosmology and particle physics. I don't want to decline this offer because I have nothing else going for me but at the same time I wish I could go into an exact field of my interest. I'm not sure what to do and what my options are. Is it possible for me to accept this and still go into cosmology? How does one even become a theoretical physicist? Thanks for any advice or help

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/so-you-want-to-be-a-physicist.240792/

How long is the research for?

 

[nabeel17]

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/so-you-want-to-be-a-physicist.240792/

How long is the research for?

It is for 6 terms and I have been offered aprox 50k for it which seems decent. I don't know what to do. I don't want to regret my decision later. I suppose since it is my only offer, its my only choice? But I feel like theoretical cosmology is all I want to do now..

 

[e.bar.goum]

Doing research you aren't interested in is a recipe for failure in physics. The only reason to do it is passion for the subject.

I don't know how grad school works in Canada, is the money/offer tied directly to the project, or could you do something else at the same university?

 

[micromass]

Doing research you aren't interested in is a recipe for failure in physics.

Right. This is very good advice!

But it isn't clear to me whether the OP is interested in the project or not. Sure, he has something that he is more interested in (theoretical cosmology), but maybe he finds the current project interesting too. In that case, I would definitely go for it.

Of course, you could have the option of applying again, since you only applied to two universities, which is a bit low. But there's always a risk involved...

 

[cristo]

It is for 6 terms and I have been offered aprox 50k for it which seems decent. I don't know what to do. I don't want to regret my decision later. I suppose since it is my only offer, its my only choice? But I feel like theoretical cosmology is all I want to do now..

I second the comment above - is your acceptance onto the PhD program dependent on you undertaking research in this area, or will you be free to move? Which university are you accepted into? (Or, if you don't want to answer, does the university you've been accepted into have faculty undertaking research in theoretical cosmology?)