Now that I got my B.S. degree and started working, I am beginning to think about graduate school. In a few months I'll start preparing for the GRE and in the meantime I'm toying with different ideas about graduate schools and the kind of degree I should get. I am very interested in persuing an M.S degree in physics, particularily astrophysics. This is a field that I find fascinating and is something I'd love to dedicate two years of my life to. In particular, I am interested in improving my "shape" in mathematics (I've literally stagnated in the past few years) and I think physics is something that will let me do just that. So, without further ado, I'll ask some of the questions that I've had for some time. - My B.S. degree is in computer science. Would that be a problem if I wish to purse an M.S. in physics? I don't mind learning undergraduate physics material on my own (and proving it by taking subject GRE), but what would grad schools have to say about this? - My undergraduate GPA is fairly low for reasons I will not go into. Most schools I've looked at talk about "exceptional cases" that they might consider with a GPA lower than 3.0. What sort of cases are those? Would a good GRE and subject GRE get them to give me a chance? Would they consider the fact that I've been fairly successful in CS industry? Can I present them with personal projects (perhaps do some physics simulations?) - What are good graduates schools for me to consider? I have no idea how to go about looking for a good grad school. I'm particularly interested in something on the east coast, preferrably very close to NYC or Boston but I'll consider different options if they're worth it. Thanks.

well this is what I found on the caltech webpage:
Should I apply in Astronomy, Physics, or Planetary Science?
Students interested primarily in planetary astronomy or geophysics should apply for admission to the Planetary Science or Geophysics option. Students interested in cosmochemistry may apply for admission either to the Astronomy option, or to the Geochemistry option, depending on their other interests. Students interested in space physics (e.g. cosmic rays) or the particle-physics/cosmology interface should generally apply for admission in Physics.

Students interested in theoretical astrophysics or in any form of observational astronomy may apply either in Astronomy or in Physics. Students in either option may work with astronomy faculty (many of whom have appointments in Physics). The primary difference between the two options is in the graduate courses required for candidacy. The Physics courses give a broad exposure to astrophysics, with emphasis on physical processes rather than descriptive astronomy. Students in either option are encouraged to take courses in the other. Historically, a slight majority of students in theoretical astrophysics, infrared astronomy, high-energy astrophysics, and gravitational radiation detector development have come from the Physics option. A larger majority of those in radio, millimeter wave, optical, and solar astronomy have come from the Astronomy option. Applicants should not pay much attention to these historical trends, however. Your choice of option should be based primarily on how certain you are that you want to be an astronomer/astrophysicist, the strength of your previous preparation in physics, and whether you feel you need more course preparation in astrophysics or in physics.

What should I have studied before coming to Caltech?
Applicants for graduate study in the astronomy option should be committed to a career in astronomy or astrophysics. Most incoming students should have a strong background in classical and quantum physics; previous exposure to astronomy is very helpful, but certainly not required for admission. We also encourage applications from students with weaker preparation in physics, but unusual backgrounds: recent graduate students in astronomy have included a chemistry major, a math major, and students who had worked in industry for several years before coming to Caltech. For those not native speakers of English: proficiency in English is essential. An exam in both written and spoken English must be passed before you can receive a teaching assistantship. You will not enjoy your courses or research if you cannot understand the lectures and seminars!

What factors are important in my application?
Everything you send is important; one or two outstanding items can outweigh several poor ones in our decisions. We look at any research work you may have done, your publications if you have any, letters of recommendation, your GRE scores, courses taken, grades, and your essay statement of purpose. Despite the limitations of standardized exams, your GRE scores (General and preferably Physics) are important. Especially for students from less well-known schools and foreign countries, they provide an important normalizing factor. Please make sure that your GRE scores reach us well before the closing date.
personally having worked with rocket scientist that have worked at NASA/JPL most of those guys just see computers/math as tools so your expertise with computers/math don't mean much.
I mean most of them use macs since they don't have time to be waste with viruses,registry problems,etc.
Actually if you know anything about mathlab that might help since that's one of the main tools they use all the time.
But yeah if your serious make sure you show how passionate you are about astronomy and do the best you can on your GRE.
Also knowing someone like my old physics professor that worked on
the rockets that got the US to the moon to write you a good recommendation is probably even better since that will count a lot more.

Coming from the UK I'm not familiar with the US education system and so can't help on the official side of things. However I have myself completed a 4 year undergrad master of astrophysics degree (2:1) and I think you'll be in for a hard slog with no physics foundations. We barely touched upon any of the good astrophysics stuff until the last year because there was too much core physics that needed to be understood first. I imagine any post grad masters astrophysics course will imediately jump into topics which require in depth knowledge of advance subjects such as nuclear, particle, quantum, and relativity as well expecting immediate recall of the many more basic topics such as thermodynamics, wave mechanics, and even basic chemistry. It took me many years of hard graft to learn all these subjects to a standard sufficient to tackle many of the astrophysics subjects and I'm not sure its possible to learn all this stuff quickly. With only a basic or incomplete understanding of such topics I think you'll be facing a one hell of a learning curve. However if you're determined and focused enough anything is possible but I'd recommend doing some reading up first, maybe even buy a couple of astrophysics related textbooks. This way you'll have an idea of the kind of challenge you're up against and might save yourself some disappointment. If the books are going over your head then you might want to consider a course in core physics first or simply put it off for a year or two and use the time to study up yourself.
On the plus side though your computing experience could give you a great advantage if you concentrate your efforts on computational modelling of physical systems (this is what I specialised in). Astrophysics offers plenty of opportunities to show of your coding talent. Personally my many programs written at uny included a galactic evolution simulator and a simulation of a stellar interior, both of which I found very satisfying and generated a lot of 'wow' factor among the examiners. With a background in computing I'm sure you'd be able to wipe the floor with my simulations :)
Personally I found astrophysics to be completely absorbing and if you share the same enthuesiasm I have for the subject I'm sure you'll find the willpower to get yourself through it. Good luck to you.

Anonymous Poster - At UMIST in Manchester. They've merged with University of Manchester again now to become an uber university. No I'm not Brian May (although I wish I had his money ...... and his guitar ...... and his job) :)


CoffeeMug -
PS: A word of warning though. Physics related jobs, especially astrophysics related, are extremeley thin on the ground. In order to be considered for a job you'll need lots of proffesional experience in a relevant field or be of an exceptionally high standard with a doctorate. Also there'll be lots of tough competition. At least this has been my experience of the job scene in England anyway. Thats why I got into coding. More jobs and I still get the opportunity to use my physics and math knowledge.

I recently went through the grad school admissions process (starting here in the fall). While I am in a different field (mathematics), I think I can give you a couple pointers.

Make sure to start early. The admissions process is very stressful, and takes deceptively more effort than it initially appears.

Get good letters of reccomendation. From talking to professors at my university, every single one said that letters of reccomendation were the things that weighed most on an application. Ideally the people you would get a letter from would be known in the field you want to get into, know you outside of a classroom, and be familiar with things you have done recently.

Pick a school based on what you want to learn. Since you already have a decent idea on the specialty you want, look at the faculty and their research interests. Make sure that if you would need access to specific equipment (such as lab equipment), see that the university has it, and would be accessible to grad students.

Standardized testing is not terribly important. At least in math, many schools require you to have GRE scores only as a formality and don't put much weight into them. For instance my GRE subject score was terrible (I believe I got the rows mixed up on the test form), yet I still got accepted to my second choice (unfortunately without funding, but funding is very tight and competitive). This is not to say they are irrelevant, but it is not the end of the world if the scores aren't amazing.

Overall the admissions process is pretty random. There is no one thing that will either get you into, or prevent you from getting into the school of your choice. You can't say that if you get rejected from a not so good school, that a very good school will reject you. The best you can do is make sure your application is thorough and complete, and be a little lucky.

Make sure to apply to several schools. I only applied to four schools, which is on the low end. Most other people I know applied to at least 6, up to 15.

Thanks everyone for your responses. For now I'll concentrate on practicing for GRE and doing the best I can. Because I have a low GPA I think this will prove to be a fairly important aspect. Once I'm done with that I'll try to develop some contacts with professors in the field. If anyone has any suggestions on how to go about that, I'd love to hear them [smile] Perhaps I could design some sort of a project, contact professors asking for suggestions and go through an iterative back-and-forth process before I ask for a recommendation? As my background has nothing to do with physics I see no other way to get recommendations from people known in the field. Hopefully this approach will help me kill two birds with one stone: get recommendations as well as obtain a research project I'd be able to show.

I did mine at St Andrews, but my experience was exactly the same as Motorherp's. Listen to the man for he speaketh wisely.