My Undergraduate Stats

[@seer1966]

Andrew, That was brave of you to share your GRE scores. This is a great service you have done. It helps people who have good grades but lower GRE scores understand that Physics GRE score is not the be all end all to get into Grad schools. THANKS!!

[@Literallyeveryonealive]

Thanks for the content dad

[@AndrewDotsonvideos]

welcome my son

[@noorbhatia1200]

Literallyeveryone Alive who's ur mom

[@ninthusiva7546]

@@noorbhatia1200 Kelly ofcourse 😎😂🤣

[@shanemendoza4498]

Hey Andrew, Terrence Tao from UCLA math department said this about generalized testing: "There’s a great observation called Goodhart’s Law that basically says any metric becomes useless once you start using it for control purposes. So the SAT, for example, is a good general test of academic aptitude. But since it’s used so much for admission to college, kids are trained and coached. They spend lots of time and effort, specifically to improve their SAT score at the expense of a well-rounded education, to the point where [the SAT] may not be such a good guide to general academic excellence, even though it used to be before students started optimizing."

[@johngrey1074]

Interesting observation

[@mohammedrashid8250]

That's a heartwarming and motivating idea. Unfortunately, research has shown that the SAT correlates heavily with college GPA. It's well documented, that's why the SAT is used so much.

[@shanemendoza4498]

@@mohammedrashid8250 Hmm.. I guess you're right, and Terrence Tao, perhaps the brightest mathematician in this century is wrong.

[@cantcommute]

@@mohammedrashid8250 Ye turns out people who are best at gaming the system do well in the system that is called 'higher education.'

[@fergochan]

@@mohammedrashid8250 interesting observation and raises the question of whether GPA itself is an accurate measure of academic aptitude. I feel like it's likely to correlate in a similar way to SAT scores: the best scores usually go to those who best know how to game the system.

[@Goku17yen]

Those GRE scores really hit home, god damn do I hate standardized testing

[@TurdFurgeson571]

For those of you upset by your score, like our physics boi was, consider that the GRE physics subject test has the highest number of participants of all the subject tests. There are so many test takers because many are relying solely on their scores to get them in, and this field is so goddam demanding that people must retake and retake this test to score higher and higher. What happened is, people who improved their scores did so by getting better at _test taking_ and not necessarily by improving the breadth and depth of their physics knowledge. Between 2014 and 2017 as many as 7% scored a scaled score of 980 (you don't get higher than that). There were so many high scorers that there was essentially no 99th percentile, but only a 93rd percentile. Crazy. "Oh no I'm not physics boi no more!" *Wrong.* These high scoring people are not geniuses that you're competing with, they are people who sat for the test multiple times and spent good money on prep books, prep courses, tutors, and practice exams. Standardized testing does not often evaluate one's subject mastery, but more often one's socioeconomic status. Good schools understand this, and know that a 3rd percentile score _on its own_ is not indicative of failure to master material or likelihood of failing a graduate program. "Good" schools (Ivy league) can be picky because of their name recognition and prestige, so they keep their GPA and GRE scores high for admitted students (and yes these students are smart), which in turn feeds back into the notion that they are prestigious; unfortunately this gives the public the notion that these scores are all that matter. This is not correct, you have to be more than a test score (and ya boi Andrew is proof of that). I hope a KZbin comment by a guy with a funny name has brought you some healthy perspective. Chin up.

[@seanspacey4452]

beautifully summarized.

[@snakecodm7249]

Heart warming

[@ChristAliveForevermore]

Standardized testing culture is the death of Academia.

[@TurdFurgeson571]

@@ChristAliveForevermore Death? I'm not a fan of standardized testing, but I'm not sure it's that bad. We still manage to complete spacewalks, optimize software, discover new theorems, and all sorts of other stuff. And we don't really have anything better that we can widely accept as an effective measure for who will be a good fit for a given field. The truth is that it's more nuanced than whether STs are good or bad. They are merely a tool. Many schools are even moving away from even accepting test scores like the GRE. I even heard rumors that medical schools expect to move away from the MCAT. That would be monumental. Everyone realizes the flaws, but many also know there is a utility to STs.

[@carlng8438]

I really respect your honesty and your grit. That is a tough and disappointing situation and sharing this to your supporters means a lot I think. I'm not doing physics in university but like your videos a lot. Best wishes

[@AndrewDotsonvideos]

Thanks a lot!

[@theevilkoala9250]

Was shocked at first when you said your gpa was 3.5, cause here in Australia, our gpa is a score out of 7, not 4 😂

[@jorisd6584]

Yeah I had the same thing, in the Netherlands we do out of 10 lol

[@MaeV808]

It's usually 4.0 GPA in universities found in America. Some high schools have a 5.0 GPA for AP/honors/"gifted" tracks.

[@btsandtxtloverstraykidzfan3486]

In India it's out of 10

[@favour7406]

seriously i was lyk wow this is a pass in my country and no job coz it's over 5

[@Arthur-xe3pu]

here in Taiwan we are scored out of 4.3, A+s are worth 4.3, As 4.0 etc (not sure if it is the same as the US system

[@user-pq9tp4rd1k]

I appreciate your honesty. Takes some balls to tell the internet your scores, especially if they aren't the best! Glad you got in though!

[@thiagotube4211]

Someday you could make a video explaining how the admission system works in the US, for those who aren't americans. What is the GRE, what is a major GPA, etc. Greetings from Brazil

[@Aimgawd]

Thiago guimarães gpa is where all your grades are listed for the classes that you took. GRE is a normalized Test to see your knowledge Major is your subject that you study

[@thekimjongillest1112]

the GRE is a standardized test that most grad schools have applicants take in order to be admitted. Different schools have different grading scales, so the GRE is a way to put everyone on the same level and makes the admissions process much easier since every applicant takes the same test as others in the same field of study. So if your gpa isn't that high, you can make up for it by scoring high on the GRE and increase your chances of admissions

[@elvis_mello]

So, from what I understand, GRA is the equivalent to the 'IRA', which stands for 'Índice de Rendimento Acadêmico' in Brazil's universities

[@josephvazquez2487]

The GRE is a two-headed standardized testing system for American grad programs. There's the general GRE, which encompasses quantitative and verbal reasoning and analytical writing. The quant section is secondary-level math (basic algebra, reading graphs, etc.), the verbal reasoning section is vocabulary, reading comprehension, etc.; and the analytical writing section gives you (I believe) one prompt for evaluation of evidence presented in an argument and one argumentative prompt. There are also two quant sections and three verbal sections. The total test time is about 3.5 hours, including the 10 minute break after your second non-writing section. This is usually done on a computer but can also be done on paper The big boi is the subject GRE. This is only given three times a year. It can range anywhere from 90 questions to 130 or so. For physics, it is 100 questions. You have exactly 2 hours and 50 minutes with no breaks to finish the exam. Astronomy and geophysics programs seem to be the first in STEM to get rid of the physics GRE requirements (in fact the NMSU Astronomy dept has removed requirements for both the general and physics GREs, which is rare but was recommended by the American Astronomical Society), but take it anyways so you can keep your options open. GPA is Grade Point Average. Every class you take has an amount of credits attached (which in my school is anywhere from 0.5 to 4.0). Likewise, every grade (A, A-, B+, B, B-, ....) is also assigned a grade point multiplier, which goes as follows: (4.0, 3.7, 3.3, 3.0, 2.7,...) all the way to 0 for F. You multiply this number by the amount of credits you've taken. For example if in one semester I had the following classes: Class: PHYS 302 Credits: 3.0 Grade: B+ Class: MATH 331 Credits: 4.0 Grade: A- Class: PHYS 362 Credits: 3.0 Grade: A I would calculate the GPA as: GPA = ((3.0)*(3.3) + (4.0)*(3.7) + (3.0)*(4.0))/(3+4+3) = 36.7/10 = 3.67

[@Charlie-jp6cc]

Thanks, this is a great time for these grad school videos. I just finished applying to my 10 last Saturday so these are super relevant for me!

[@Ryan_Perrin]

Good luck! It's an interesting procedure.

[@robertdavis1783]

I really appreciate this type of candor, and I’m glad you made it where you’re at. I can commiserate as far as feeling somewhat ashamed of my scores (though I didn’t have to take the PGRE). I applied to electrical engineering programs within applied E&M/photonics with a GRE quant of 68th percentile. Basically every school expected above 80th as a starting point, and everyone I talked to had around a 90. Experience and LoR really do matter, as I ended up getting into 2/6 PhD programs, plus a masters from another. I’m pretty well convinced that ETS just wants to make money, rather than find good grad students.

[@robertdavis1783]

Preston Avery Rogers Thanks man, and I completely agree. Finding good researchers is a different ballgame than finding good standardized test takers, and it’s unfortunate that we’re stuck with the current system.

[@mitcha6525]

Thank you so much for sharing this. I am taking on the herculean task of switching from biology to physics...after finishing my degree in biology 😑 and this gave me so much encouragement. I'm still going to try my best on the physics GRE, but it is good to see that it is not the be-all-end-all

[@duncanw9901]

Madd mood ya boi just got rejected from MIT today

[@quarksgluons]

For physics?

[@duncanw9901]

@@quarksgluons undergrad :P

[@AndrewDotsonvideos]

sorry:(

[@parkerhays2841]

It’s crazy that I’m a freshman in physics at the University of Illinois and just finished my first semester, and when I start my PhD you’ll still be working on yours. That’s sweet. Thanks for all your help and advice and such

[@jshao22]

oh shit another uiuc freshman planning going to grad school thats pretty cool to see.

[@Diaming787]

Currently a second year at UIUC physics major, also looking forward for a PhD. Who are you? :)

[@parkerhays2841]

Diaming787 lol what’s up, I’m Parker I’m currently taking 326 and 435 if you’re in either of those

[@Diaming787]

@@parkerhays2841 I'm also taking E/M 435 as well, on top of 486 :)

[@mikuculus3720]

Niceee I live in Illinois I’m going there soon

[@eyesofphysics97]

Hey Andrew! That's really brave and kind of you to share your numbers. As a senior who just applied to 16 schools (well, I've submitted 14 applications so far) It's good to know there are other ways to get where you want besides the first round of applications. If anyone in high school/college has questions about the application process for a PhD in physics or astronomy, or how to prepare for it, reply and I'll try my best to answer it!

[@physicsguy877]

This takes some guts, publicizing your scores, and I admire that. FYI, I'm also a physics grad student, and did fairly well on the GRE. Not amazing, but not too shabby, so I'll share what I found helpful: Firstly, there is absolutely no substitute for tons of practice, so lets get that out of the way. Next, with the physics GRE, there seems to be a huge divide between those who understand how to take the test and those who don't. Those who don't seem to be under the impression that the test is about working through each problem from start to finish as fast as possible. It's not. Getting fast at solving problems is certainly helpful, but it's honestly out of reach for most undergrads who have to balance coursework with studying. Many questions can be answered with dimensional analysis and limiting cases. Besides that, looking at the answer choices first can be hugely helpful in informing how you approach the problem. For example, if all the answers have the same pre-factor but different powers of T or something, just focus on what power of T should come out of the calculation. This can be a big time saver because you need to juggle less stuff in your head. To be concrete, say you know you'll have to take a certain number of derivatives and you know with what power T enters the equation. Then this approach turns actually solving the problem into simple subtraction which you can do in a few seconds. Even if there's no shortcut, looking at the answers first is the way to go because it can help to jog your memory of the solution method, and also let you know if you're going off track (aka these steps I'm doing cannot possibly lead to one of the answer choices). It's also useful to understand how to solve "prototypical problems", so the basic block on inclined plane, projectile motion, Boson vs Fermion symmetry condition, etc. Then you can start to see how other problems are riffs on those more basic problems. Andrew alludes to this last point in this video. Lastly, not all problems have a shortcut, so you do need to be able to remain calm and just work through it quickly. There is no substitute for lots of practice for this. The only regret I have about the application process was not studying way more for the GRE. Seriously, if you can commit to studying a certain amount each week for a few months, it'll make all the difference. Finally, I'll share what my undergrad advisor told me about the GRE: "it will get you into nowhere, but it will keep you out of places". I understand that this could be construed as a bit discouraging, but it's the truth, as far as I can tell. But it's also encouraging (it was to me) from a certain perspective. Schools know that the GRE doesn't really measure whether you know physics or not, hence it will get you into nowhere - you'll need some actual demonstration of ability like coursework and research. However, many schools do use it as a filter, in a sense saying that people below a threshold are not worth taking a gamble on, even if some* of those people do in fact know physics. What I'm saying is: don't think that if you score badly you don't know physics. You might* not know physics, but it's honestly just a (very) weak correlation between scores and ability. Lastly, something unabashedly encouraging: I have not met a single person who was even somewhat good at physics who could not get a respectable score just by studying a lot and employing the right mindset and tips. So work your butt off, take study tips to heart (especially from people who did really well - aka not me or Andrew), and you'll do great!

[@josephvazquez2487]

Got 19th percentile on the PGRE. My other stats/General GRE scores/LOR are nearly identical to yours (except writing, got 57th percentile). The fact that you still got into 2 grad schools is super encouraging for me and keeps me going.

[@travisrogowski8725]

Just finished my last final of my first semester of my phd physics program today, wish I would have had this video a year ago, because I was in the same boat, great GPA, great undergrad experience, very poor physics gre scores. Also, so funny that math and reading on regular gre we both did well on but awful in writing lol, but I was feeling really down about myself and my understanding of physics, my goal has been to research and teach till I die and I felt that I must not be good enough. But for those of you who were in this same position as Andrew and myself, you are good enough. You know physics , you just, know it a little differently than the rest of the 95% know it ;) good luck to all on your applications and final grades coming in soon 🙏

[@michaelastwood264]

your beard is magnificent today andrew

[@AndrewDotsonvideos]

omg ty

[@someguy3987]

ILY Andrew

[@AndrewDotsonvideos]

ily2

[@Ryan_Perrin]

When I was applying to Grad schools last year I preemptively sent information to a school and got back a "your test scores aren't very strong, you might still get in somewhere but yaddah yaddah." Two months later they said I was one of the top applicants. Test scores can't matter too much. It's experience and GPA. Get research experience! Also I lectured for Algebra and Calc based physics, one semester each, so that helped me. But research is a great boost in your application

[@Valay_73]

7:02 , what you said, real traits of a physics, you born for physics ma boii !!

[@navyferris3416]

Thanks for this video!!!! I have been horribly stressed about the first c I got in classical mechanics, and I'm glad to hear that there is still enough time in my undergrad for improvement to be considered. That semester was an incredibly high stress time for me with 19 hours and the first set of "real" classes for my math degree. Personally I think standardized tests are kinda wack. In my experience they've always been more for test taking skills than really understanding material. I tend to be good at them just because I can usually read the pattern for the test, not necessarily understanding what's being tested. Thank you for sharing, applications seem far more manageable now!!

[@Entropize1]

Mid 30th percentile on the math GRE here. It's a really rough test that relies on you knowing alot of tricks, and it's all actually lower level math so if you've been in upper levels for years like I had, you forget alot. There are also thousands of Asians taking subject test prep courses overseas with access to banks of thousands of questions and solutions, which we don't have here. It didn't help that I was 97th in analytical, 92nd on qual, and 99th on writing on the regular GRE, so I thought the subject test would be easy and studied for a grand total of 0 minutes. I now have a PhD and a job, and I feel the same as you: screw the subject test.

[@NirousPlayers]

As a first semester Junior Physics student, this is a good insight in how to get into Gradschool (i'm aiming for Ph.D.). Thank you, Andrew. Apreciated it.

[@evanschmitz305]

Yo A-Dawg, thanks for making this specific of a video. As someone who is currently stressed the fuck out and in the middle of applying to graduate schools, seeing someone else’s experience has really put things into perspective for me, as well as other students undergoing the same things I’m sure. I found this video to be extremely helpful and has given me a little more confidence about the entire application process. Also, nice beard broski

[@JoshLV08]

Really appreciate this vid dude

[@nc-broadcast]

This was really brave and resonated with me a lot. Thank you

[@someperson9052]

Nice name

[@deconfinedQPT]

Don't worry about any of those standardized tests. I would highly recommend you to take a look at Sean Carroll's blog about the whole PhD process in general. He sort of remarks how gre scores means nothing, or any other standardized tests for that matter, and he says that those tests tell nothing about the long run in one's scientific career. You should definitely have a loot at it. Wish you the best!

[@akarshmishra3462]

What I feel is that the standardised tests are more a test of your problem solving ability in. constrained time environment.If you scored that low I can only think of three reasons 1)Your undergrad assignments were very easy plug in the formula limited scope for out of the box thinking types 2)You get nervous while giving an exam 3)You understand stuff but haven't solved enough problems of the type that force you think for more than hour or so. So you have fewer patterns in your brain.Given unlimited time you may get a full score on that paper but due to lack of practice,you did not have enough patterns in your head to solve all of them quickly

[@Dimetor7937]

Everyone forgets to give their midichlorian count, damn it!

[@joehudelson2610]

Getting ready to submit my PhD apps, and this really really helped. Thanks a lot man, hope one day we can burn ETS down to the ground together.

[@nostalgia_1439]

I was super embarrassed about my math gre scores tbh, granted too the physics gre is considered harder than the math gre too. Anyway, props on your hard work and dedication Andrew! Oddly enough my gre analytical writing scores were also bad (like 3/6) even though all of my professors say I'm a good writer, I don't really understand it but I don't care. I've also heard from a professor (a pretty legit one, not saying too many details) that some schools will be de-emphasizing the gre's, I hope so.

[@motab9907]

Thank you for sharing. Im .5 way through grad school and i remember going through a similar process.

[@biamenezes7801]

I feel like I'm completely mediocre being a sophomore in undergrad physics. I don't even know what an A is anymore and what should correspond to GPA in my uni... I've got 71/100. I also don't know if I want to follow into academics anymore, but what kind of worries me is if I'd be able to if I wanted to.

[@biamenezes7801]

@Tanah my marks are better (not hugely, 75/100 is the average now), I'm expected to graduate in december/2021 or january/2022. I'm not great because... well, pandemics... who is great, really? But I'm thinking of following Medical Physics because I don't think Academia is for me, but this applied physics field interests me and gives me a good perspective :)

[@biamenezes7801]

@Tanah I had research experience from half my sophomore year 'till now and it's been great for motivation, although I know now that I don't want to follow in this field... Having a goal in front of me made my college experience better, for sure. Now it's all about graduating and getting into a different field, having experiences... I think Medical Physics could be a really great thing depending on what you want for life, it certainly can provide something more stable than academia in my country at least... And it's a great way of applying the physics knowledge we acquired :)

[@biamenezes7801]

@Tanah I'm from Brazil. The scenario here is quite different. There is little funding for research, so chosing to go into academia after graduating is choosing to be poor for at least 4-6 years, then maybe in a postdoc position the researcher can be a little less poor, but no garanties. Medical Physics professionals here require only a Physics/Medical Physics bachelor degree + residency (you don't need to have a masters to get into residency, you need to go through an exam and they'll also evaluate your CV/experience) and I think a specialist title, though I'm not sure it's required. It's not a big field in Brazil yet, we have less technology too, and I'd say it's quite easier to get into compared to the US, although there are also less positions. Anyway... In terms of academia, it's really bad here right now, and I'd only follow it here if it was truly a passion of mine.

[@possiblepilotdeviation5791]

I'm applying now, and I get the feeling that our "stats" are comparable. I am applying to 10 schools, 4 apps already submitted. I starting to stress already, but still have a few months to wait for responses.

[@jessicatsao92]

Man, if you got that GRE score, I can only imagine what score I would get. :( This girl here hopes she can become an astrophysicist or researcher for NASA, though I might just be pipe dreaming and not truly looking at those jobs for their conditions. After all, someone did say to me that working at NASA for a low wage isn't worth the colossal effort.

[@ariusmaximilian8291]

what universities cared about the gpa of the first two years?

[@sidneyboakye4662]

Nice profile picture. I thought I had already commented LOL.

[@ariusmaximilian8291]

@@sidneyboakye4662 I was prolly into space sciences when I set the profile LOL///I should change it to a physicsy thing now lol

[@michaelmurphy6285]

Body count?

[@JoseWui]

Michael Murphy (free) body count

[@michellewang111]

prob 1, i think he has a gf

[@nysewerrat6577]

I got a bad grad in one of my professors class and asked him to write me a letter of recommendation. Lmao, he accepted.

[@mrthugamer7603]

I don't think this percentile system is that effective..: suppose there are 100 students, your score is 75 on the test. That's not great but it doesn't say you don't understand the physics at all. But now, take the percentile system: suppose you got the same score (75), but there are a lot of students who got 76. Does that mean you don't understand physics as well as they do? No, big chance is you forgot to write something down or made an extra mistake. But you don't get the nuanced results, you only get the info; your score is lower than x% percent of the class. But you don't get how big that gap is.. is it 10 points? Is it 30? No one knows. (But that's my opinion)

[@homejonny9326]

You don't succeed GRE studying physics. You succeed GRE solving a lot of their past problems.

[@curiosityzero2151]

Exactly

[@markephraim7349]

Hi Andrew! It's quite brave of you for sharing your undergrad stats, especially your GRE scores. I was embarassed of my GRE scores as well until I got into grad school and realized that there were some in my cohort who did just as bad. Honestly, I think the GRE isn't predictive of grad school success at all. It's just another hoop for applicants to jump through so the admissions committee can see who would be willing enough to go through the grueling experience of taking that god-forsaken exam...

[@el_chivo99]

imagine your physics TA scoring third percentile on their entrance exam. THAT’S some scary shit

[@ericgrant2670]

You mentioned your score for Analytical Writing was in the 17th percentile and how you’re apparently not a very strong writer, is that something you will try to improve upon? Not necessarily taking the exam again but more along the lines of during your studies?

[@AndrewDotsonvideos]

I think I'll need to get better while working on my thesis in the future.

[@JonLG490]

that 1 dislike gotta be hater

[@domenechuerta7209]

It is sad to hear all of that because normally when a teacher corrects an exam he know indeed what marks it deserves but because of this sistem they are forced to mark it differently :c

[@ayham2000ify]

I love the likes to dislikes ratio of your videos , it should be way more tho , best of luck :D

[@globulidoktor1733]

standardised tests are the worst way to assess ones Physics knowledge its more about knowing the test format and patterns

[@alexh8652]

Have you heard of Alexander Rudolph and his research in the correlation of these stats and getting into physics and astronomy grad schools? It’s sort of interesting. Interesting in that the PGRE has absolutely no correlation to how well students do in grad school and that a lot of these other stats like GPA for instance have some correlation but still not much, concluding that really your success in the field comes down to your ‘grit’. He came to my department and spoke and I thought it was really interesting. I hope they one day completely phase out the PGRE because it’s dumb and means nothing

[@BasicallyaboutBasil]

I was very surprised he was 3rd percentile. To me I feel like Andrew is at my level or higher in physics and I got 75 percentile. Very surprising to me. I did have a very methodical study strategy that focused on starting with core concepts and slowly built up to more intense fast past calculations as I got closer to the exam. I had two professors who were physics education researchers whom coached me in studying for the exam.

[@curiosityzero2151]

I just took the test in the September and got 69% :( Idk what schools I should be applying for with this score

[@xiaowangwang5457]

I know standardized test doesn't necessarily mean your level in physics but its unacceptable that you are doing so bad in it. The third percentile means your raw score is 7-8 out of 100. Since the GRE physics is multiple choice with 5 choices per question with no penalty for wrong choices you should at somewhere near 20 out of 100 if you are purely guessing. You can indeed be at high level in physics and only score 50 our of 100. But 7-8 out of 100 shows you have problems even with the basics.

[@KoustubhBhattacharjee]

This is the problem. American students would not resort to guessing. And I'm not an american student. I have worked with them..one thing you can trust with them is that they are brutally honest with their education..unlike the rest of the world.

[@xiaowangwang5457]

@@KoustubhBhattacharjee Of course most of them do, just like students in the rest of the world. Guessing is fair game in the physics gre and in any test without penalty for wrong answers. When you tutor them or give them practice tests they probably won't guess because it has no point. But in a real exam they already assume you would guess and it would be dump not to do so.

[@abdullahalharbi973]

Hey Andrew, and other physics bois. I've recently switched my major from geology to theoretical physics. I love physics and all of it's deep thinking and philosophies but I do feel a little concerned about my future in physics. The thing is that I know that I understand math, and I try to practice as much as I can but for some reason I keep failing calculus, even though I'm passing my physics classes with fairly good grades. I do love both physics and math but should I worry that maybe I'm not cut out for a physics degree, or should I keep powering through. I'm kind of lost at the moment in what to do. Any advice?

[@physicsguy877]

I would never tell someone who I don't know that they "aren't cut out" for anything, since I don't know the details of your situation. What I can do is offer some perspective and minimal advice. I started undergrad doing very poorly in physics and math due to a variety of reasons (not the least of which was my complete ignorance of what physics actually is and what was expected of me), but I improved and am now getting a PhD in theory at a top 15 school in the US. I want to stress a few things here: you need to be your own critic while simultaneously NOT focusing on "am I smart enough" type questions. These questions will only distract you from actually improving. Trust me, I can speak from experience. I've spent countless hours of my life worrying about whether I'm smart enough to be a physicist (even after I managed to score at the top of my physics courses later in undergrad), and it's gotten me exactly nowhere. In fact, I would go as far to say that these questions have the potential to become self-fulfilling prophecies. If you think you'll never get it, then that will both demotivate you and increase your anxiety, and both of those things will wreck your ability to learn. If I took my initial performance in undergrad as an indicator of my future prospects in physics, I wouldn't be being paid now to study theory (yes, they pay you in grad school). However, in all aspects of school *besides* these self-defeating areas, you need to be your own critic in order to improve. Question yourself, and be honest. Is your background perhaps not as strong as you thought, and you need some remedial coursework? After all, you are new to physics. Are your physics classes truly testing your proficiency, or are they just the easier physics courses? It would be *very* helpful for you to talk with a professor *in physics*, someone who knows what they are talking about. Every physics department (in my experience) has a few professors who are genuinely interested in helping undergrads. Ask around and find these people, and ask them for help regarding your situation. Tell them you're interested in physics and are therefore committed to improving. Be open to what they have to say, even if it's hard to hear. The reason I stress this is I'm concerned when you say that you keep failing for "some reason". There's always a reason. For me, it was a combination of poor study skills, poor emotional skills, and complete ignorance of what was expected of me in physics. You need to find your own culprits and work on them. Good luck!

[@elistein5859]

I'm currently doing undergrad admissions and hoping to major in astrophysics. These videos have been so helpful not just in showing what a collegiate physics experience is like, but in helping me understand the hard work required. I'm sure that the SAT and GRE are pretty different in terms of stress levels, but I wanted to say I've been through similar stuff where I felt like my standardized test score was not reflective of my academic achievemnet. I've been privileged enough to retake those tests and score well, but I remember what its like. Glad to see it all worked out.

[@lancepants7648]

Can’t wait to see you in the next avengers movie papi

[@lnhostetler]

I believe the PGRE does not quantify your physics ability or potential, but rather is just a measure of how much you studied for the PGRE. I think scores above the 30th percentile are not even really possible unless you seriously prepare specifically for the test... and I mean seriously as in starting a year before the test. And this is not necessarily because the test is so bad at quantifying inherent physics ability, but rather that it has been "corrupted" by the fact that 90% of takers will prepare long and hard for it. Either way, it's a worthless metric. Don't just take my word for it. Science also says it's worthless: DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat7550

[@OscarMtz88]

Being from a country that doesn't use the GPA system can be so complicated, I'm kinda lost, I did in an online calculator my GPA and tells me its 3.3 which for the looks of it looks ok-ish yet im so confused in what is the difference between acumulative and major. :(

[@j.b.snicket1245]

So the major GPA is simply the average value for just classes in your major, so if you're a physics boi only physics classes count. Cumulative GPA is the average GPA from all classes you've taken.

[@arunaher7487]

What's your stipend per month and in which University you doing your PhD.....This video consist really helpful information.

[@myname-pe2pe]

Do you think that an internship at Fermi or NASA would be better?....I basically have a choice of either or

[@danguy665]

I was a physics major in undergrad (although i did go to industry) but it really depends what you want to do. NASA would be great if you're looking for something along the lines of aerospace. Personally i think fermilab is better since it's a research institution focusing on mainly that, where as NASA also focuses on engineering. As for which one looks better on resume? NASA but closely behind would be fermilab. Hope this helps

[@okoyoso]

How do you take graduate classes as an undergrad?

[@Ryan_Perrin]

You can sit in on any class you want. I suggest asking the lecturer, but it's an acceptable thing to "audit" a course

[@okoyoso]

@@Ryan_Perrin Then how did he receive a grade?

[@Ryan_Perrin]

@@okoyoso he is taking graduate courses as a graduate student currently. He may have been enrolled in courses offered to both undergraduates and graduates as well.

[@Ryan_Perrin]

@@okoyoso it is possible to take these courses but you have to pay for it as a graduate credit and have approval from the department, advisor, etc

[@theflaggeddragon9472]

At my school you can just sign up so long as you have the prerequisites. I took two this past semester and I'm taking two more next semester. I'm a sophomore and that's quite rare, but very often juniors and seniors take a one or two graduate courses in a semester. Some more.

[@brianestrada2259]

Sry for being late, but how Many points out of 170 did yo get for quant and verbal?

[@alijassim7015]

Can I contact you for an advise?? I nearly have the same GPA as yours but have a bit of a larger problem applying for grad schools. Hope you read this comment.

[@dribblet]

Hey congrats getting into your PhD program! Any advice to someone who has a low(ish) gpa and is thinking about grad school within the next year? I am very embarrassed due to my gpa.

[@dribblet]

Jacob Votava currently a 3.1. I feel like a failure. Graduating in two semesters with a bs in physics

[@dribblet]

Preston Avery Rogers I appreciate the advice! I’ll keep it in mind when I’m looking at graduate schools!

[@swarnavobasu9283]

Were you able to make it to a grad school?

[@dribblet]

@@swarnavobasu9283 thanks for asking! I was accepted to one PhD program and one Masters program. I chose the PhD program and I am currently in my second semester fully funded as a research assistant.

[@swarnavobasu9283]

@@dribblet That's good to know! :) Especially because I myself am an aspiring physicist without a stellar transcript :P I hope you do some cracking research and enjoy the journey!

[@pjafnemanus8678]

Yeah, you forgot to tell us which mobile phone you do use.

[@robinsuj]

Okay, can someone explain for the sake of us not from the US what GPA and GRE are?

[@jxchtajxbt53]

Feynman got 100% on his GRE

[@AndrewDotsonvideos]

No he didn't.

[@jxchtajxbt53]

@@AndrewDotsonvideos Von Neumann - maybe?

[@ToHoUSA1]

Andrew, I get decent grades in AP Physics 1 but I feel that I really don't truly understand much. I feel that when the AP test comes ill do terrible. Am I screwed for college?

[@Ryan_Perrin]

I wouldn't suggest trying to test out of any college physics course. So regardless of what you do, you should take that course.

[@smashgambits]

If you mean for college acceptance, no. They don't really care about your AP scores, except as far as it let's you skip classes. That said, unless you're sure that your high school education was harder than your intro college education (it actually was, in my case), you shouldn't skip important classes. Feel free to test out of history, English, etc if you're a STEM major, but it will be good to make sure you're on the same page as everyone else on your in-major classes.

[@charredmars2659]

Most colleges I researched when I was applying to a bunch would not take AP 1 or 2 as anything other than an elective credit since it was algebra-based. However, it could be different for your potential colleges. I relate to you though because I got A's in AP 1 and 2 and got 3's on both AP exams. I took Honors University Physics 1( the calculus-based equivalent) here at Mizzou, and I got an A+ in the class, and when I went back and took an online AP 1 practice exam, I got a 5. So to answer your question, no you are probably not screwed for college if you do poorly and if you want to do well the key would probably be doing old exams instead of relying on your teacher. This is not an attack on your teacher, but I have found that since they recently split up AP Physics into two courses, the exams that accompany the course are much more conceptual while the class is usually taught as more computational. Hope this helps and best of luck when May rolls around and you gotta sit in there for 3-4 hours. :)

[@renevillela129]

Do you think that people who got their undergrad degrees from "top" universities are more likely to get accepted in graduate programs regardless of their scores?

[@ekotar1]

Yes. A 3.7 at Berkeley or Princeton is more competitive than a 3.7 from Old Dominion. The actual rigor of those programs may not be different, but schools know how to evaluate grades from "elite" programs.

[@Ryan_Perrin]

I think it is pretty useful to come from a top university. But at my grad school I'm equal to someone coming from U Chicago and I came from a no name state school.

[@curiosityzero2151]

And I will be applying from a college in Nepal. I got no chance lol

[@RockieAtlas]

Do you know how to convert a 4.3gpa scale to a 4 scale?

[@manuelito2172]

(your score in the 4.3 scale)/4.3 × 4

[@RockieAtlas]

@@manuelito2172 Thank you! And also on a US scale is there an A+ or is A the highest?

[@mikasaackermann8736]

ok but for real I have a crush on you now. i like you.

[@rahulbball9395]

What about eren?

[@alexandreramos8484]

How well I have to do to get into Cornell for grad school?

[@sparklinglily101]

You need 900-990/990 physics score

[@sidnas6652]

Do you have to pay for a physics PhD program?

[@michaeldavis7885]

What is the gpa out of? And is it the same for every school in the us?

[@extrastuff9352]

out of 4 for all universities

[@allisgreatownz]

Honestly, I heard a lot of schools in the US will inflate their grades. This doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad education or that their students don't know physics, but that compared to other countries it could be misleading. So keep that in mind when you browse other people's profiles online. It would be better to know what the class average grade is, and how you stand in comparison to your peers.

[@davidhoopsfan]

@@allisgreatownz i do know that harvard is notorious for grade inflation. typically, elite state schools don't inflate grades very much, but cal i think is inflating grades a bit now (such as in the eecs department). i understand that very smart individuals tend to study eecs, but this is something that i heard from my cal friends

[@allisgreatownz]

@Right from Wrong That's true, I didn't mean to imply otherwise. the original comment asked about scores from the US which is why I mentioned it.

[@BennettAustin7]

So did you go from undergrad straight to PhD?

[@caatlas]

Wait you took a year off mate?

[@loganjames7736]

I doubt ranking in the third percentile for the physics GRE is something to laugh at considering you're being compared to all the geniuses in the country who have a strong passion for physics and are among the smartest 1% in the world or something. If everyone in the world were to go for a physics major and take the GRE, I can guarantee that your score would look very very different. I don't really know because I'm still just in high school (lol) but that's my thought process.

[@_Nibi]

Logan James not to dis Andrew, but a 3% is pretty damn bad. Who cares if he’s smarter than non physics majors, that’s not his competition.

[@_Nibi]

David Pike Productions yeah, I never said Andrew was dumb, I said it was a surprisingly bad score.

[@KoustubhBhattacharjee]

The Physics GRE is taken worldwide. I had to take it while applying for US universities. My assessment of the Physics GRE is this, it's a speed test. You either know something or you don't, you don't have a lot of time to think. Quality wise, even Indian tests like JEST rate much higher than the physics GRE. Also as far as i remember, it had NO negative points. This is ETS's mistake of releasing MCQ exams outside america(where I believe students are waay more morally correct) without negative points. I am sure most would resort to simple guessing in the end and that skews the overall score. It makes literally no sense that someone as smart as Andrew got a 3 percentile. That's on ETS and the exam system, not him.

[@zacharymiller2422]

Hey Andrew, how much did you study for the PGRE each time you took it?

[@noorbhatia1200]

0:00

[@shaheerziya2631]

cool.

[@davidkippy101]

What grad program did you get into?

[@natelietlaw9853]

Are you doing PhD? What about Msc?

[@Ryan_Perrin]

Many schools give a master's en route. He will be a full blown PhD student once he has passed the qualifying exams

[@allisgreatownz]

Most schools in the US don't require MSc to apply to PhD. It's different in other parts of the world, for example in Canada you pretty much have to get MSc unless you're undergrad was truly outstanding (like top 1%)

[@AshSong]

omg 3 percentile... that is... how...

[@JoseWui]

Standardized testing is stupid. You have to study the test itself, not the content :/

[@itsyaboylo6060]

1st?

[@shambles55]

I hate my gen ed classes ( f English)

[@achillesdota2820]

Stop speaking American. Rule Brittania.

[@johngrey1074]

Interesting. Your scores indicate that you lack a core understanding of physics and that you lack mathematical reasoning abilities. Low-ranked doctoral programs in physics must have pretty low standards for admission. Pretty scary to think that you could one day be entrusted with the task of teaching students physics at a community college.