Advice for Undergrads

What I wish Someone would have told me as an Undergrad

One of my most difficult memories of being an undergrad was finding a place that would answer the questions I had. I found the resources would be extremely vague and not very helpful. Not only did this set me back, but I found I didn’t know what questions to ask until it was too late. How are you suppose find something if you don’t know what you are looking for? That is the goal of this page. To help you learn from my mistakes.

I thought I would do a simple question answer style section but I found that complex questions need complex answers. Thus, I have written articles about questions I think most undergrads ask or should ask. I have included my thoughts and opinions that I wish someone would have told me when I was a freshman.

Most Common Questions we get Asked

How do you know what major to choose?

I believe the answer to this question is unique to each person as it ultimately depends on you. I loved math, so I tried engineering. As I pursued my engineering degree I was required to take a physics course. To me, physics was so much better than engineering, as I was able to learn the “why” at a deeper level compared to memorizing equations. This excited me!

As I have talked to numerous people about choosing their major I have found there is ultimately 4 categories of why they choose it:

1)     I want a high paying job and this degree will get me that.

2)     I am not sure what I want but this degree seems safe for getting a job

3)     I love this subject. Either recently learned they loved it or always have.

4)     I need this degree to get this other degree I want (like med school).

So how do you know if you “love” a subject so much you want to get a degree in it? This answer is simple. Experience and immersion. Think of it this way, let’s say you wanted to a ride a roller coaster. I will use the same steps most people use in deciding on what major they choose.

1)     Money. How much will it cost vs. can I make money on the roller coaster?

2)     Is there a good chance I can ride it successfully? What does the data say?

3)     What steps do I need to take to get on the roller coaster?

4)     What is it like to actually be on the roller coaster?

I know this is pretty basic, but must people never think about question 4. As with a roller coaster, how do you actually know what it is like to be in a specified degree field without experiencing it? You can read article about it, watch YouTube videos, and even study the statistics—or even the physics! But do you agree this is not the same as doing it?

So how do you “experience” the major you choose? Obviously it is not as easy as going to a theme park. One of our goals in Women of Physics is to help you answer this question with as much support as we can offer. 

How important is a “good” GPA/How do you you get into research?

Growing up perhaps everyone has told you that you have to go to college to have a better life but no one tells you how to choose this magical degree that will make your life better. We hope this section can help guide you a little bit more towards realizing what you want in life.

The key to learning if a major is right for you is your willingness to step outside of your comfort zone. This can be the most difficult part for undergrads. I know it was for me. What I think most undergrads, including myself for most of my undergrad career, fail to realize is that it is not expected you know everything. If you knew everything why are you in college? Your undergrad university is a place for you to explore. This is one of the safest places in the world for you to fail. And you will fail and, to me, failing can be one of your most important experiences in deciding what you want in life.

To help with this point let me tell you about my first attempt at stepping out of my comfort zone in attempt to do research with a professor at my university. No one tells you how to go about this. How do you find a research adviser?

To begin, I started by looking on our department’s website. You should find that each professor has either a paragraph or two that describes what their focus is.  If this information is not on your school’s website, then you will have to seek it from the department directly. Physics is a very broad subject in itself and there is no way one person can be an expert at all of it, thus they choose one small thing to focus on. From small scale, like understanding how particles interact like in a collider at CERN, to a large scale, like studying black holes in space, there are many options. Your opportunities can be overwhelming, so try not to focus on that. Anyway, back to the story. I went through and clicked on each professor’s profile and read what they focused on. You know what I found? I did not really understand anything they did. It was way over my head. Great. What now?

So I tried another approach. I talked to other physics majors and asked what they did. As I did this I noticed most of them said they worked in the same research group and loved it. I thought, well if they like it, I will start there.

They key to this part of the story is talking. It will be your best tool at advancing successfully in this career. Talking to other physicists can be daunting though. Talking to other students is one thing, but talking to a professor intimidated me. I had no clue what I was even trying to ask, and I knew nothing about doing research.

Eventually, I forced myself to knock on his office door. I found myself sitting in his office with him asking me a very simple question “How can I help you?” At this point my brain broke. “Umm… I would like to learn about research.” He paused and then said a whole bunch of things about his research that I can’t remember because first, I didn’t understand, and second, my social anxiety spiked because I felt embarrassed that I didn’t understand him. But eventually, he asked a question I can remember “Do you have any experience coding?” I said “None.” He shook his head and said, “Okay, do you have any experience designing circuit boards?”

At this question my heart sank. What was I thinking! I have no clue what I am doing and he knows! With my heart pounding, I looked at him,decided to be honest, and said “Zero.” I began preparing myself for him to apologize and say he did not have a spot for me in his research group when something strange happened. He smiled. He actually smiled and simply said “I have the perfect project for you.”

Following this I would end up designing my first circuit board. I failed multiple times in this process and it took me almost 7 months to finish something he told me would take 2. A few things came out of this experience. I was able to get a research assistant job that was funded by NASA, I helped with a field exercise, and most importantly, I learned I did not enjoy this type of research and that was great news! I was able to learn about myself and move closer to something I did enjoy.

At this point I knew a few more people in the physics program and I learned of another research project that a new faculty member was starting up. I then knocked on her door and asked “Can you tell me a little about your research?” The work I would do with her would then essentially change my life forever. I went to conferences and was even offered a fellowship and a research assistant position in an Electrical Engineering PhD program because of the skills I learned from this research.

As I have graduated, gone to two graduate schools, and worked in two different fields using my physics degree, I came to the realization that while classwork is important—and it is important!—it is nowhere near as important as the skills you learn by working with faculty members as an undergrad in the science setting.

I am guilty of believing my GPA is what would propel me into a fantastic career/life. However, this is simply not true. It is easy to think you go to college as an undergrad to learn stuff in the classroom and that will get you a great job. The undergrad college experience is so much more than that. This is a fantastic place to truly learn skills needed to be successful in the workplace. If you don’t remember anything else from this article that is fine, just remember these two things: It is not what you know, but who you know. And Always be honest with yourself.

It is not what you know, but who you know. Let me break this down a little bit. You can get a 4.0 and be the biggest asshole to get this grade. By that I mean, you don’t get involved with other classmates or school research projects, you criticize others for not being as smart, and you show off your intelligence at any chance you get. No one likes this person—even in the real world, at a real job—no one likes this person or working with this person. You are probably wondering why I bring this up. As an undergrad you will make some of the best physics friends ever! You are meeting people that are going into the same field as you and know exactly what your skill set is. They will see you at your worst and at your best. This is important to keep in mind as you have no clue where everyone is going to end up 5 years after you graduate. These guys can be great resources when job hunting. This is called networking and you are building a base in your undergrad experience.

Not only will your fellow classmates help you, but your professors can be great references for you when you apply for graduate school or jobs. Their references can be the difference in getting the job or not. GPA’s and GRE scores are not as important as reference letters in my experience. My GRE score has been too low to get into most schools yet I was still accepted due to my research experience and references.

Now I am not saying to drop everything and solely focus on research. At least maintain a 3.0 GPA. That is a pretty safe GPA for most schools. If you do have a dream school in mind look into their minimum GPA though.  If it is competitive they might not accept you if your GPA is too low. Classwork is important and I will say to remember you are paying a lot of money to be in school so be honest about it. Which brings me to my next line: Always be honest with yourself.

It might be easy to trick a professor as you cheat on a homework assignment or test. It may seem convenient to memorize answers, but at the end of the day, the only person you are hurting is yourself. You are there to learn and better yourself. So I ask you when you do something to stop and ask yourself, “Do I feel proud about that action?” If you are proud of it you don’t care who knows what you did. If you are not proud it sits inside of you and drains you. You might not notice it at first. I know because I have been there, looking up answers on the internet or texting someone to give me the answer at 2 am and I would tell myself “It is okay. As long as I get a good grade it will be worth it.” I can tell you from experience it is dumb to lie to yourself like that. Your goal should not be to get good grades but to learn how to effectively solve any problem that is given to you. Do you think there is a textbook with the solutions in it when you are in the workplace? If you have solely relied on cheating to get answers, then you have only hurt yourself and it will show when you leave school.  At both of my jobs I have seen this happen. People hired fresh out of college and can’t answer simple questions about classes they got an A in at their University.

Being honest with yourself doesn’t only mean doing honest work, it also means choosing something because you believe in it and not because you feel others want you to do it. Once you start choosing things that will make you happy despite what others think your world will change. At the end of the day you are the only one living your life, so why do it on other people’s terms?  No one else can choose what makes YOU happy.  No one else can choose how you work hard. No one else has to experience the consequences—positive or negative—of your decisions.  It’s been said many times, in many ways, but it is YOUR LIFE.  How you live it is up to you—and your attitude about it is up to you and ONLY YOU.