this is a response to a comment on the previous post:
So based on your statement above, that "[ I am] not judged on [my] past but rather on [my] potential, though the easiest way to determine potential is past accomplishments," my potential and my past accomplishments, however few they may be in the realm of physics, are irrevocably inseparable in the minds of the admissions committee.
So let us take a moment to discuss what they will be looking at with my application:
GPA -> which isn't stellar but it’s decent. Straight A's this (final) semester will help. They will also see by my transcript that I spent the first three years of college goofing off and am working my ass off now. So that could go one of two ways in their mind, (1) "she has the potential to goof off" or (2) "she's grown up, gotten all of the goofing off out of her system, she's a hard worker now".
GRE -> subject related or general. This exam like all other standardized exams, does not measure how well you know the information, only how well you take that particular standardized test. It is unreasonable to be expected to recall ALL minute details of four years of physics for 100 problems within three hours. We don't even have to do that when we're researching or taking classes, we are encouraged to have resources around us where we can look up our questions so we can be positive in the direction our work should take. The admissions committee will not know that I took the physics GRE on the Saturday after finals week, gee, there is not stress related to that at all. They also won't know that I haven't taken a course in three of the 8 topics we were tested on. They only see the score.
Letters of Recommendation -> most graduate institutions require three. I have two professors in mind that I can ask but finding a third in the department will be difficult. Most of my professors don't believe in perfection, therefore A's are almost impossible to earn, so I can't go to a professor and say "hey I did really well in your course, could you write me a letter of recommendation attesting to that." Most don't believe women belong in physics. So how do I ask these men to write me letters of recommendation when they don't believe I should even be in the field?
Statement of purpose -> "I want to learn and I want to teach." However, this should be thoughtfully expanded into 500 words. Honestly, I don't know what I want to do with my life but I do know that I want someone (an institution) to pay for my graduate degree and my postgraduate degree. So maybe it is my fault for not having a clear idea yet of my future goals. Grad schools only really want to know whether it will be better to use me for teaching or researching while I'm there and they want to know that I will complete my degree. So why is it so taboo to just say "I don't know what I want to be when I grow up but I do know that I want to continue my education and I want to teach so I can pass on my love and understanding of physics to my students." I seriously doubt that would fly.
My resume -> nothing stellar. It just shows that I've received my fair share of scholarships and "honors" and that I choose to keep jobs where I'm teaching.
So potentially, I could get a letter back from the institutions I'm applying to that will tell me to seek a degree from the college of education and that they don't need another wanna-be teacher in their physics department.
I have this semester to display outstanding grades, get real lab research experience, and to try to get published. So lets hope I get some of these things done so I will have a better chance of getting in where I want to go.
( This was written before my first cup of coffee so I hope I was able to convey my thoughts well enough )
So based on your statement above, that "[ I am] not judged on [my] past but rather on [my] potential, though the easiest way to determine potential is past accomplishments," my potential and my past accomplishments, however few they may be in the realm of physics, are irrevocably inseparable in the minds of the admissions committee.
So let us take a moment to discuss what they will be looking at with my application:
GPA -> which isn't stellar but it’s decent. Straight A's this (final) semester will help. They will also see by my transcript that I spent the first three years of college goofing off and am working my ass off now. So that could go one of two ways in their mind, (1) "she has the potential to goof off" or (2) "she's grown up, gotten all of the goofing off out of her system, she's a hard worker now".
GRE -> subject related or general. This exam like all other standardized exams, does not measure how well you know the information, only how well you take that particular standardized test. It is unreasonable to be expected to recall ALL minute details of four years of physics for 100 problems within three hours. We don't even have to do that when we're researching or taking classes, we are encouraged to have resources around us where we can look up our questions so we can be positive in the direction our work should take. The admissions committee will not know that I took the physics GRE on the Saturday after finals week, gee, there is not stress related to that at all. They also won't know that I haven't taken a course in three of the 8 topics we were tested on. They only see the score.
Letters of Recommendation -> most graduate institutions require three. I have two professors in mind that I can ask but finding a third in the department will be difficult. Most of my professors don't believe in perfection, therefore A's are almost impossible to earn, so I can't go to a professor and say "hey I did really well in your course, could you write me a letter of recommendation attesting to that." Most don't believe women belong in physics. So how do I ask these men to write me letters of recommendation when they don't believe I should even be in the field?
Statement of purpose -> "I want to learn and I want to teach." However, this should be thoughtfully expanded into 500 words. Honestly, I don't know what I want to do with my life but I do know that I want someone (an institution) to pay for my graduate degree and my postgraduate degree. So maybe it is my fault for not having a clear idea yet of my future goals. Grad schools only really want to know whether it will be better to use me for teaching or researching while I'm there and they want to know that I will complete my degree. So why is it so taboo to just say "I don't know what I want to be when I grow up but I do know that I want to continue my education and I want to teach so I can pass on my love and understanding of physics to my students." I seriously doubt that would fly.
My resume -> nothing stellar. It just shows that I've received my fair share of scholarships and "honors" and that I choose to keep jobs where I'm teaching.
So potentially, I could get a letter back from the institutions I'm applying to that will tell me to seek a degree from the college of education and that they don't need another wanna-be teacher in their physics department.
I have this semester to display outstanding grades, get real lab research experience, and to try to get published. So lets hope I get some of these things done so I will have a better chance of getting in where I want to go.
( This was written before my first cup of coffee so I hope I was able to convey my thoughts well enough )
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