So you want to be a physicist...

Francois, a student at McGill University in Canada, writes:

Good afternoon, I am presently enrolled in an undergraduate physics program at university and have a little less that two year before to complete my degree. Right from the start I found out that I was the right place, I was enjoy most of my courses and especially laboratory work. I had the chance to talk with graduate student supervising our lab work and got excited by idea of becoming one day a grad student myself. The only problem is that I have no idea what I want to do. I seem to be enjoying several fields but cannot pin point my favourite subject. I think I am more an experimentalist than a theorist but even that raises questions. How can we know where we belong in the world of physics? Following that train of thought how do you pick a grad school? Is it better to stay in the same University you did your undergrad? I know those are a lot of questions, but I figure I am probably not the only one with those queries since they are at the back of mind pretty much everyday since my arrival at university. But there is one good point in my story: I WANT TO BE A PHYSICIST!!

Great to see such enthusiasm from an undergrad! Knowing that you prefer experimental work over theoretical work is a big step towards deciding on a sub-field. Of course it is still possible to combine the two. The best physicists have a good understanding of both sides of the game; though, in reality, these days few do active research in both theory and experiment.

It's very difficult to know what subfield you would enjoy most before your last year of undergrad. Usually, you don't get to take courses in "modern" physics (i.e. physics in which research is still currently done) until your final year. I had no idea what area of physics I wanted to pursue until my fourth (last) year. A fantastic particle physics prof made me see the light!

As far as a choice in subfield goes, you have to choose what interests you most. Talent in a particular area is nice, but what matters most is passion for the subject. You don't get paid big bucks to do physics, so you better love what you do!

How do you pick a grad school? My strategy was first to decide on a field. Once you decide on a field, find out what universities have good groups involved in your field of choice. You can do this by talking to profs in your department. Of course, they might be tempted to tell you that their university has the best groups... I also looked at the size of groups at various universities. My reasoning was that if I went to a university with a large group in my field of interest, my odds of finding a good prof whom I liked would be better than at a university where my choices were more limited. This seems unfair to smaller groups, but when you choose a grad school, you have to look out for yourself first and foremost. This strategy worked out well for me as I was very happy with my supervisors for both my MSc and PhD.

I recommend switching schools for grad school if you can. Experiencing new environments is usually very stimulating. Variety is the spice of life! Spending all your time at one place can make you less appreciative of the different ways that things can get done.

Hope these answers help! Best of luck in your future studies.

Cheers,
David