What can I do to become a physicist? Especially in Cosmology? Please guide me.?

Question

Cosmological Physicist is the one who wonders how all things came to existence.How to become it?

Answer 1

Research schools with a good undergraduate physics program and pursue a physics major. It would be a big plus if they had an astrophysics graduate program there too. Even though you'll only be an undergrad, you'll still have opportunities to work with the grad students and professors there. Study all areas of physics with equal vigor since the all come together in cosmology, and you need to be strong in all areas to pursue a PhD thereafter. You won't pass the PhD qualifier otherwise. When I was a grad student, I witnessed the sad, sad case of another grad student only really interested in General Relativity. After failing the quals twice, he got the boot.

Answer 2

The first thing to do is realize that the decisions you make today will have fruition many years from now.

If many years from now you woould like to be a Cosmology Physicist, then there are steps you can take.

Typically there are generally two types of physicist,....experimentalist and theorist,....and sometimes Universities are good for one but not the other.

If I were you, I would look at the nobel prizes the last 30 years and see if any were in cosmology (I believe some of teh recent ones were). Find out which Universities they came from.

Then attemp to enter thier Undergraduate program in Physics. Make sure thier graduate school does not discourage thier undergraduates from applying to the schools graduate program (some do).

When you reach your senior year you will have the ooportunity to work on some directed research programs if you so desire (assuming your other requirements are completed). Try to do a directed research program under the professor that you might want to do graduate work under. This will provide you with a supportive voice when applying to graduate school, specializing in Cosmology.

Once in Graduate school find out as much as you can about fellowship and scholarship programs that will allow you to work in an experimental facility (like some telescope facility) and get your advisor to help you apply for these programs.

When you finally graduate with your PHD (11 years (4 undergraduate and 7 average for PhD), you will have some experimental experience and be assoacited with a Nobel known Cosomology school, this should aid you in obtaining that post doc that will start your career.

remember that with great grades...your competitive and have no real obsticals that you have control of,...with bad grades you will be spending the rest of your life trying to explain why, and have to compete with those whom don't have to explain why.

Good luck.

Answer 3

- Be insanely smart.

- Have extraordinary study skills.

- Love to read, question, and wonder.

-Start reading, questioning, and wondering now. Find books on cosmology and keep track of the authors. All of the good books are written by top reasearchers. It wouldn't hurt to send correspondance. The club of cosmology scientists is very very tiny, so a tiny bit of networking now can pay off big in the future.

- You'll want to do your graduate work with these authors researchers, and they will be at the top research universities with massive budgets for research.

- Your undergrad degree should be in Physics. You'll want to get guidance from one of your profs as to which junior/senior classes the university offers will do best for you. Depending on the school, they'll have several tracks for physics majors depending on which arena you want to work in, and you'll want to make sure you are on the right track.

- Get all A's.


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Answer 4

Not sure where you are at in schooling, but this is what I am becoming right now.

Step one: Do your undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics. If you want the best school with a great cosmologist on staff go to Embry Riddle in Daytona Beach, FL. (I co-wrote a paper with Dr. Vuille on the equation of state of a Neutron Star). Make sure to take Astrophysics with Dr. Fleck (you'll love his flip flops and T-shirts). In your junior year there, get with Dr. Sivjee and go with him to the South Pole to conduct experiments that help you understand modern physics in real life situations (leads to a better understanding of Cosmology). (Note: I did all of this).

2. Graduate with a minimum of a 3.5 GPA and take your GRE immediately (need the general as well as Physics). (Note: my GPA was 3.79)

3. Apply to the best university for Cosmology -> Johns Hopkins University. But, before applying go and visit the campus and apply for a job with them as an adjunct or a full time employee at their Applied Physics Laboratory (gets you a free ride to your PhD). Better yet, start sending your resume two months before graduating to the APL. (Note: I work for the APL and am getting a free ride to my PhD)

Answer 5

Get thru high school and go on to a good college or university with a strong science/astronomy department.

Take all the courses in calculus, physics, and astronomy that you can. (and understand them/pass them!)

Take the GRE and get into grad school at a research institution.

Write a lot of research papers and theses about the cosmological stuff you are researching (and get them published!)

If you get thru all that, you should be able to work/teach at a university and be a cosmologist.

Good Luck!!

Answer 6

First of all, to get accepted into the program you have to take college math and physics.
Youalso have to understand it, to be able to grasp the concepts which are the pillars of this science.

If you have a wild immagination, and love math, physics and find some logic behind abstract concepts, check out theoretical physics.
Do a google search.
Good luck.

Answer 7

Go to college and get a physics degree. This requires lots and lots of math.

Answer 8

Go to UCLA and act strange. They'll just assume you're an astrophysics major and put you in class.