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/sci/ - Science & Math

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2556875 No.2556875 [Reply] [Original]

Ask someone who got accepted into Harvard's PhD physics program today anything.

>> No.2556881

Proof or it didn't happen

>> No.2556883

You think I could kick your ass?

>> No.2556886

How do we keep a massive solar flare/CME mix that hits earth from destroying all technology?

>> No.2556914

>>2556883

I doubt it. I light weights 4 times a week. I don't really know how to fight though so if you have any martial arts experience then maybe.

>> No.2556923

>>2556914
How did you get accepted by Harvard if you can't spell "lift" correctly?

>> No.2556928
File: 74 KB, 1024x768, ryanatwood.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
2556928

>> No.2556929

>>2556881

I only got an email so far so that's the best I can do as far as proof but here it is.

Dear ____,

Congratulations! We want you to pursue your PhD in physics at Harvard.

The formal offer of admission comes from our Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and you should receive that letter very soon. We are a serious and vibrant community of world-class scholars in both experimental and theoretical physics. Furthermore, our Department has strong ties to allied disciplines such as astronomy, engineering and the life sciences.

We think you’ll find the greater Cambridge/Boston area to be an exciting and stimulating environment in which to spend some of the most exiting years of your life.

The best way to learn more about the Harvard Physics Department, our facilities and the many attractions of life here, is to visit us on Tuesday and Wednesday March 29 and 30, 2011. We will schedule lab tours and visits with professors, feed you and arrange that you stay with graduate students. We especially hope that you will attend the reception we will give in your honor on Tuesday, March 29 at noon in the Physics Research Library, Jefferson 450. If you cannot visit us at this time, please do get in touch with us via ________________.

To help us make your visit most effective, please fill out the visit information form you will find at _______________

We hope that you elect to join us here at Harvard.

Sincerely,

Melissa Franklin
Chair, Department of Physics
Harvard University

>> No.2556933
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2556933

>>2556914
>physics program
>I light weights

>> No.2556935

>>2556923

That's a good question. I don't have an answer to it. My brain works in strange ways.

>> No.2556936

>>2556914
>lift weights
>good at fighting

>> No.2556952

>>2556936

I explicitly said that I'm not good at fighting. But a strong person who's not good at fighting could easily beat up a weak person who's not good at fighting.

>> No.2556957

>>2556875
Is Harvard's physics program any good?

>> No.2556969

>>2556957

Yes. It's ranked #1 in the country along with CalTech, MIT, and Stanford.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/physics-
rankings

>> No.2556971

Can you explain the Hutchingson effect?. Lots of eggheads cant.

>> No.2556977

>>2556971

I've never heard of it.

>> No.2556997

Gratz op. I expect a unified theory of everything from you within 30 years or you can expect to receive a unified firebomb in your house.

>> No.2557004

>>2556997

Sorry, but I'm most likely going to be an experimentalist.

>> No.2557024

Start studying for the qual, man.

>> No.2557034

>>2556929

Screencap the email or it didn't happen.

>> No.2557035

>>2556971
As in John Hutchison? That's... that's not real, you know.

>> No.2557033 [DELETED] 
File: 31 KB, 400x480, blues.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
2557033

why is physics at all important? why not go for history?

>> No.2557044

>>2557034

It did happen. I don't feel like screen capping it because then I'll have to spend time blacking out a bunch of crap and I don't see how a screen cap would be anymore proof.

>> No.2557057

What made them accept you? How did you get there? What does it seem like Harvard looks for?

>> No.2557074

Where'd you do your undergrad?

>> No.2557079

>>2557057

I don't know. I'm honestly a little surprised I got in. But, I have a pretty high GPA and did well on the general GRE as well as the physics GRE. I also did research with a professor for 2 years at my undergraduate institution.

>> No.2557086

OP, I'm a physics major, leaning towards theorist
you probably know a lot more than I do, so what are some of the pros/cons of the experimentalist/theorist path?

>> No.2557089

>>2557074

Not going to say which school but I will say that it's a small school that you may or may not have heard of.

>> No.2557099

>>2557086

For a long time I thought I wanted to be a theorist but then I realized that theorists spend a huge amount of time just doing really ugly and messy math. Also, there aren't really many options for employment outside of academia for theorists and it's extremely difficult to get jobs in academia (especially if you're a theorist). I want to have other options outside of academia when I graduate.

>> No.2557110

harvard's good but they don't really top anything
what specifically is you're field?

>> No.2557118

>>2557110

Yes, they do. They're ranked number one in the country for Physics. They're tied with Cal Tech, MIT, and Stanford but still number one. I haven't decided for sure yet but probably atomic physics.

>> No.2557120

>>2557099
the thing is I really enjoy math, and I wouldn't mind working in academia as long as it's interesting, but I also want to go out and smash protons and actually see the results of my theories.
I suppose it's impossible in this age to do both :(

>> No.2557123

>>2557099
you're doing a phd and then you're not going to do physics
seems like a waste of time and money to me

>> No.2557133

>>2557118
what i meant was they don't top any field
that table thingy even says so
they just don't really have much of a reputation for any particular field in physics

>> No.2557137

>>2557120

You don't really have to decide until early in grad school. But, when you're applying to grad school it's easier to get into top schools if you're applying as an experimentalist. I love math too but some of the stuff that theorists do is just too much for me. I don't know how far along you are in your physics degree but if you haven't gotten to upper level quantum mechanics and E&M yet you'll understand what I'm talking about when you get there.

>> No.2557146

>>2557123

It's not a waste of money because I'm going to be getting paid to go there. I don't have to pay a thing. In fact they will be paying me about $30,000 a year. Also, I didn't say I wasn't going to do Physics. There is plenty of Physics to be done outside of academia.

>> No.2557147

>>2557123
Ph.D. programs (at least in physics) generally pay you, and it's not a waste of time if you find it interesting. At least that's what I tell myself. (not OP)

>> No.2557154

>>2557120
no a lot of particle physicists work on both theory and experimental verification now
but you really have to be in academia to get anywhere near a colider unless you want to be a tech

>> No.2557167

>>2557146
30,000 ??

is u serious

>> No.2557168

>>2557133

They don't have a reputation for anything in particular because they're good at everything.

>> No.2557170
File: 31 KB, 500x322, 1276038315756.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
2557170

>>2556875
Harvard is ok, they pay there students shit though. They also treat there students like shit.

Enjoy your 80hrs a week, being treated as a slave. Do you even get a stipend/scholarship/fellowship? how much is it? how much is tuition? cost of living?

Enjoy living like a fucking pauper!

>> No.2557173

>>2557168
jack of all trades master of none?

>> No.2557174

>>2557167

Yes. I haven't gotten any financial info from them yet but I did some research on the internet and found that in past years the stipend for Physics PhD students has been about $30,000.

>> No.2557176

Did you squeal like a girl when you found out?

How much will tuition be? Or are they waiving it for the PhD thing? I know some colleges do that.

>> No.2557178

>>2557173

No. More like master of all trades.

>> No.2557181

>>2557176

I stared in disbelief. They're waiving tuition. $30,000 stipend.

>> No.2557183

>>2557170
>I'm obviously very jealous of you but instead of congratulating you I must single out and exaggerate the worst of your future experience.

Also OP, what were your GPA, undergrad, extracurricular, etc.

>> No.2557185

>>2557178
and now you've turned in to a fanboy without any substantial proof of acceptance
other than an email you could have got from anywhere

>> No.2557186

>>2557181
> $30,000 stipend
Fucking... fuck you dude, seriously. I get just over half of that much...

Fucking fuck.

>> No.2557191

>>2557183

My GPA was 3.88. I didn't really do any extracurriculars besides research with a professor. Physics grad schools don't really care about extracurriculars the way undergrad does.

>> No.2557198

so any other applications op

>> No.2557200

>>2557185

The e-mail was from a harvard.edu address and I seriously doubt that there is someone at Harvard trolling me into thinking I got accepted there for grad school.

>> No.2557201

>>2556929
>the most exiting years of your life.
Lying on the internet. Very impressive.

>> No.2557202

>>2557198

Yes, I'm still waiting to here from Stanford, Berkeley, and a few others.

>> No.2557205

>>2557200
Your reading comprehension is terrible.

>> No.2557207

>>2556875
How much are ur parents paying in yearly tuition?

>> No.2557210

>>2557201

Even people from world class universities are capable of making typos. I got an e-mail from Stanford a few weeks ago saying that they had received my application for the Stanfod physics program.

>> No.2557214

>>2557202
>to here
That's, what, four times now? Are you ok?

>> No.2557216

>>2557207

Nothing. Harvard is paying me.

>> No.2557219

>>2557210
You expect me to believe that a world class university will regularly issue out acceptance e-mails rife with typos? Take a picture of your e-mail.

>> No.2557220

No, I'm tired and trying to diagonalize matrices and I'm bored.

>> No.2557221

>>2556875
OP, I really am jelly.
Are you one of those people who don't study yet do amazing on exams?

>> No.2557223

>>2557216
and u lost all your credibility right there...
MOVE ON GUYS NOTHING TO SEE HERE

>> No.2557224

>>2557219

There was one typo in one e-mail. That's hardly regularly sending out e-mails rife with typos.

>> No.2557227

op screen shot the email blank out the important bits and show the date and the last part of the email address
either you can do that that or you're a teenager lying on the internets to be cool

>> No.2557228

>>2557221

No, I wish. I study a shit ton.

>> No.2557232

>>2557227

I don't feel like taking the time to do that. And I don't really see how that would be anymore proof than just the text of the email.

>> No.2557236

>>2557224
Is a picture too much to ask for? You're already celebrating with 4Chan, so you might as well go the distance.

>> No.2557239

>>2557224
i doubt they would send out a standardised response like that without checking it
screen shot now

>> No.2557241

>>2557232
>>2557232

no need to get defensive Op
unless of course you are a lying bastard
in which case u have every reason to get defensive.
faggot

>> No.2557244

>>2557239

Well I'm sorry to inform you that even Harvard physicists make typos. Have you ever met a physicist before? Most of them are very absentminded people.

>> No.2557245

meh.

if u were engineering or something id be jealous.

>> No.2557252

>>2557244
I wasn't aware tenured physicists wrote acceptance e-mails. Surely a secretary, whose job it is to make these things presentable, composed and issued out your e-mail.

>> No.2557253

>>2557232
troll detected
fuck off op come back when you're old enough to go to uni

>herp derp i can't be bothered, i don't understand why some random text didn't prove my case

>> No.2557254

>physics

good luck physisiying

>> No.2557259

>>2557252

It was written by the chair of the physics department who is a physicist.

>> No.2557264

>>2557259
yes because the chair of the physics department reply s to phd applicant
yeah right

>> No.2557266

>>2557264

You think the secretary of the physics department is the one who decides who gets in?

>> No.2557271

>>2557266
yes, yes i do

>> No.2557274

>>2557266
no but the chair of the department probably wouldn't either but they definitely wouldn't write the response

>> No.2557279

op care to explain what physicists actually do (if anything)?

>> No.2557283

What response? It was simply an e-mail saying I got accepted. And I don't think it was written personally to me. They probably sent the exact same e-mail to everyone that got accepted.

>> No.2557289

What type of research did you do as an undergraduate and was the professor a notable physicist? Also, where did you go as an undergrad?

>> No.2557290

>>2557283
yes but in that case someone would have noticed the typo

look op the whole i can't be bothered proving it isn't working do it or piss off

>> No.2557291

>>2557279

They study how the universe works. Many of them are professors, some work for the government, some work for high-tech companies.

>> No.2557293

>>2557290

I don't really care if you believe me or not. I know that I got in.

>> No.2557305
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2557305

You're all idiots.

1. It's a copypasta letter, everyone gets pretty much the same thing, it just gets sent from the chair.

2. Getting a stipend/tuition waived as a Ph.D student isn't unheard of, far from it. Very few people actually end up paying for that kind of thing, because colleges use Ph.D's as cheap labor while they're in the program. Also, Harvard has a gigantic endowment anyway so it's not like they're worried about cash.

Entire thread is dicks, someone bragging about an achievement and expecting people not to want to make him prove it.

>> No.2557306

>>2557223
PhD stipends are the norm. The student will go out and perform research with the influence from his professors at that university. There's a great example of this effect: Two early psychology professors working on a theory each come up with two different ideas. One is found to be correct, but the other has more grad students, and so his ideas get written in the books for a hundred years.

Stipends are smart business.

>> No.2557314

>>2557305

I don't really have anyway to prove it right now. When I get the actual letter in the mail I can scan it and upload it. I don't see how a screen capture of my e-mail would be anymore convincing than the text of the e-mail.

>> No.2557316

>op posts hahvad coat
>expects a non-skeptical response to this thread

>> No.2557320

>>2557289
answer this question and I'll be convinced.

>> No.2557322
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2557322

>>2557314

if you dont understand that then you arent belonging in harvard

>> No.2557327

>>2557320

I did atomic physics. It was at small college so I'm not going to say which. As far as I know the professor isn't very well known except in his small subfield.

>> No.2557334

why is this even a big deal? I've heard of people on /sci/ who go to trinity. I think trinity is a better school than harvard. Harvard is a spoiled brat's liberal arts school and I hear its full of ugly people. Bravo

>> No.2557336

>Gloating on /sci/
It's like beating up autistic first-graders. Do you really need this to feel fulfilled? Go out and get hammered or something. You done good, kid.

Polite sage for attention whoring.

>> No.2557345

>>2557336

Yes, I haven't told many people in real life because I don't like to brag in real life but I don't mind doing it on 4chan.

>> No.2557347

>>2557327
be more specific than that. What exactly did you do research on. And now, since you wont tell me which school you went to, I'm very very skeptical... How about, which state at the least.

>> No.2557348

>>2557334

I don't even know what trinity is.

>> No.2557352

>>2557347

I did spectroscopy. If I told you much more you'd easily be able to look me up. The research is something that not a lot of other people do.

>> No.2557366

>>2556875
honestly, im not jelly at all. If you are smart enough to get into harvards phd physics program, then you are smart enough to be a billionaire, or live any lifestyle you want.

but instead, you are going to be working your azz off for the next 5 years. and then working your azz off so you can get some kind of job, the whole time wondering if you might have been better off doing something where you have a life.

>> No.2557375

>>2557348
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_College,_Cambridge#Notable_fellows_and_alumni
>>2557352
Ahhh. That's still pretty general.... jeezzus kid. With a penchant for secrecy like that, you can't blame people for being a little skeptical(and also the fact that you've never heard of Trinity).

>> No.2557379

>>2557366

This is a fair point. I do have some reservations about grad school but I didn't want to give up this opportunity and always wonder what could have happened if I'd done it. It's not costing me any money or anything to do go there so if I hate it I'll just drop out and do something else.

>> No.2557386

>>2557375

Well I've heard of Cambridge, I just had never heard of Trinity College.