So you've got your degree. Now what? Physics majors are a rare breed and thus have a good shot at standing out among the pools of applicants for jobs, medical school, or law school. If you've got your sights set on research, however, you'll want to start thinking about attending graduate school.

Graduate School

Haven't gotten enough of school? Like living off free food? Graduate school may be for you!

Gathering Information

In your junior year you should start thinking about where you would like to go for graduate school. Your best source of information about graduate schools is the faculty at Hopkins. Talk to your professors and research advisors about what you're looking for in a school and they will be able to give you some suggestions. They know the faculty at other schools and will be able to give you the kind of information that you won't be able to find in Princeton Review or US News and World Report. If you're interested in a specific field, try to find out which schools have faculty that are doing research in that field. If you're still not sure about a specific field, look for a school with a big department that has faculty doing research in a large variety of areas. In general, make sure that the programs you apply to are flexible enough for you to have several research options to choose from. Also consider other factors like location and the size of the school. Remember: you're going to be at this place for a number of years, so make sure you're going to like it where you are.

The General GRE

This test is like the SATs for graduate school. It's divided into three sections: Verbal, Math, and Analytical Writing. The Verbal and Math sections are both out of 800. The Verbal section is much harder, especially if you're a physics major. It helps to have a big vocabulary and to know some Latin roots. You can also get your hands on some "Hot Lists" of words that are most frequently seen on the test. The math doesn't go beyond the stuff you learned in high school, so with a little practice, you should be well prepared. The Writing section tests your ability to think and write logically. You have to convince the grader that you can examine a situation from various perspectives and also express your ideas clearly.

The most essential thing is to do a lot of practice tests. You'll get an idea of what kind of questions will be asked and it lessens the chances that you'll be surprised on test day. ETS will send you a CD with some practice tests on it. Kaplan also makes a CD with practice tests, which is pretty useful.

The GREs are actually getting overhauled in October 2006, so anybody reading this may be getting outdated information. Here's some information about the "new" GRE, direct from the source: Revised GRE General Test to Premiere in October 2006.

The Physics GRE

The Physics GRE is definitely harder than the General GRE, but it's still doable. The best thing to do is to review notes from all of your basic physics courses. The breakdown of the test (as given by ETS) is given here. To practice, ETS has released four actual past GREs. One of these is sent to anybody who registers for the test; the remaining three are available in this book, which is, unfortunately, out of print. You may be able to find it in a library or through an upperclassman. These four tests are the best practice because they are most representative of the kind of questions you're going to see when you sit down for the actual test.

The web is also a good resource. I recommend browsing through PhysicsGRE.com, not only for general information regarding the test, but for advice from people on the forum. Another useful site is this website, which provides explanations to answers for all four Physics GRE tests that have been released. The explanations are sometimes vague and not well explained, but for the most part, the site is very useful.

The Applications

Once all of your tests are done, you've got to put together some applications. Most schools ask for the same things, so once you've finished one application, you've pretty much got it set. Here are the basics:

Recommendations - The magic number of recommendations is three. If you've got a research advisor, he or she is an excellent person to ask. If you've got more than one research advisor, even better. As for professors, ask somebody who you had for a class that you did well in. But also try to ask a professor who you've spoken to one-on-one. That way the recommendation won't just be based on what grade you got, but also that professor's impression of what kind of student you are. Ask for recommendations about a month in advance. That's long enough so that your recommenders can take their time, but short enough so that they won't put it off and forget to do it. And remember to say thank you!

Transcripts - Transcripts are really easy to order. The place to do this is the basement of Garland, right next to the Student Employment Office. You can have the transcripts sent directly to the schools that you're applying to (this is the preferred method for some graduate programs) or you can pick the transcripts up yourself and send them in with your other application materials. Be sure to check if the schools want more than one transcript.

GRE Score Report - You may have thought you'd gotten free of the money-sucking entity that is ETS, but don't forget that you have to send a GRE score report to every school that you apply to. If you were smart (which a lot of us aren't) you would have filled out four schools already when you registered for both the General and Subject GREs. If you were smart, good for you. If not, it happens to the best of us. Regardless, you'll probably still have to fill one of these forms out. One is usually sent with your test results, and you can also find it online at the ETS website. It's $15 for each school, plus the cost of a stamp.

Personal Statement - Here's where you get a chance to tell your story, to express your interest in what you would like to study, and to explain any blemishes on your record. Talk about why you want to go to graduate school and what makes you a good candidate (research experience, academic successes, etc.). Be sure to talk yourself up.

Generally, you should concentrate on what you've done since you started college. Graduate schools aren't too interested in what you did in high school unless it was a life-altering experience. And even then, you should still concentrate on what you've done since college.

The Application - The application itself is usually just a bunch of mindless questions. It should go pretty quickly.

Disclaimer

Keep in mind that this information is based on the application process in 2005. Whether you're reading this in 2006 or you're having your robot read it aloud to you in 2163, some of this information may be outdated. Make sure you read all instructions carefully for all of the tests you take and applications that you fill out. And good luck!