Anybody here at (or recently admitted to) a "top 10" graduate school in physics?

[JDDavis]

16. From my personal knowledge, MIT values musician applicants very highly

Last edited Sun Nov 23, 2014, 07:42 PM - Edit history (1)

No I didn't get a PhD in any field, but have more than a casual relationship with admissions committees for undergrads and grads there.

A somewhat accomplished/aspiring musician among grad students is not a rare sight. Some areas of physics, (e.g.: acoustics), are closely related to music. The Boston/Cambridge area welcomes many grad student musicians/singers/performers into dozens of opportunities to keep up their musical practices and performing while in grad school, (at MIT/Harvard/or a dozen other grad school programs.. B U, BC, etc.)

At MIT, (as I am sure is true for many other graduate science universities), transition from a four year undergraduate program directly into grad school is NOT true for all incoming grad students; some spend a year or more out working before matriculating into the PhD program. A year or two of work or teaching or research (or even research-related travel) can open even more doors to more grad schools. Not all first year Ph.D. students at most places are 22-23 year olds; a very few even enter as old as 30-32.

Negatives to being at a "top school" to consider down the line once the Ph.D. is obtained: limited job opportunities for some in very esoteric areas of research; few jobs in America opening up for the "top" grads, even in teaching or research. Some Ph.D.'s from the "top schools" find themselves "overqualified" or simply unable to find the exact line of research work they desire. Once the Ph.D. is achieved, right now, in this labor market, opportunities in the US are somewhat limited for some specialties. Some European nations offer research positions, but only where near fluency in that second language is required,and has been where some of our brightest may wind-up, at least for a while, usually at a smaller than desired salary. In the US, an MIT Ph.D. will often get you an interview anywhere, but not always at the job one desires.

A second negative to MIT's Ph.D. candidates; very very long hours, and the isolating conditions that it imposes upon one's lifestyle; some people spend 70-80 hours a week working on a project for a year or two. Even though Cambridge is a fascinating place to be, spending long hours in a lab or on a project somewhere is not really enjoying the great lifestyle and many cultural diversions of the Boston area. Some of the research MIT does is done at the four corners of the planet, too, so Antarctica or Greenland might be where a Ph.D. candidate spends a year or two.

All the above my opinion only and won't appear at the Institute's official web site. Don't quote me on this to the admissions folks.

Another suggestion: since your daughter is already in New England for her undergrad work, she might try to be in touch with grad students at a few of the places she is considering, even finding a way to meet up with a few of them, say, in her junior year or so, on a vacation break. There are grad students around MIT about 24/7/365.. somewhere on campus. Maybe there's a way she can get to meet a few at the schools she is considering.

And, by the way, a Harvard Ph.D. in physics is still possible, even tho the campus is half a mile or more further down the Charles River, (silly comment, sorry). Seriously, while an MIT Ph.D. in physics would be more likely oriented toward climate research, or engineering, or biophysics, or medical research, a Harvard Ph.D. in physics is more oriented toward pure research, research methodology, or theoretical physics, although both campuses do theoretical physics to "beat the band", (music?) and compete only with some of the other top ten on her list.. (I won't even name them!)