Questions tagged [undergraduate]
On providing academic services (such as teaching, advising, and research mentorship) specifically to undergraduates. Questions about undergraduate-specific issues that could not apply to graduate or post-graduate academicians are off-topic here and will be closed and deleted. Questions about coursework, etiquette, and other academic issues that apply to both undergraduate and post-graduate students should not be tagged [undergraduate].
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Seeking Advice on Transferring Foreign Exchange Credits and Degree Completion
I'm facing a bit of a unique situation regarding my academic credits and would appreciate some guidance.
Background:
I was a foreign exchange student in the US for one semester. Upon returning to ...
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How to become a competitive candidate for grad school after a ruined integrated master's degree?
I am 22 years old, about to graduate (delayed by one semester because I failed in two courses) with a dual major (one of which is an integrated Master's degree in a Physics, and the other a Bachelor's ...
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Can two people write one letter of recommendation?
I have two cofounders who I've worked with in a similar capacity. Can they write a joint letter of recommendation for me?
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Should I copyright my figures in my report?
I am writing a report for an assignment in which I have used Tikz/LaTex to make several plots, block diagrams and figures in general. Due to the hard work that has gone in to making them I do not want ...
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How do PhD letter of recommendations actually get sent?
Is there usually a person at the undergrad university that handles it? Or does my recommender have to fill it out for every single program? Or something else?
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Joining three labs in the same university on the CV for a grad school [duplicate]
I am a sophomore. I have joined two labs now as an undergraduate. At the first one I joined, I had an interest in science but my supervisor was not good with me and she created a very competitive ...
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Should I switch labs to work on a topic that interests me more or stay with great current PI?
I am doing research now as a sophomore majoring in molecular biology and biochem. I am in a lab and my current PI is awesome and she is so supportive. However, I do not like the science practiced in ...
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Is it better for a statement of purpose for a physics PhD program to be straightforward as opposed to attempting to make the style interesting?
Consider a statement of purpose of a physics PhD program.
Some people say that the statement of purpose does not matter, but a horrible one can hurt you. So, all that is necessary is to write a decent,...
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What is "Total Possible" in Undergraduate Grade Point Average
While working on a university application, I found the following, please see the image below. Here, what should I write in Total Possible field? Could you briefly explain with an example? Thank you.
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Advantage In Delaying Physics Grad School Application For Senior Undergraduates
I am a senior math/physics major at a T20 American private university who aspires to pursue a PhD in physics. I became involved in undergraduate research position with a non-tenured faculty member (a ...
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Undergraduate university gave out too much scholarship money. I now know years after I graduated. What could happen?
Long story short, I was not a responsible young adult and I didn't know how much I had taken out in student loans for my bachelor's until well after it was over. I recently asked my undergraduate alma ...
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Feasibility of a Makeup Exam
I'm currently a TA for a first-year math course (at a US university), and one of my students wasn't feeling well on the day of the midterm exam for this course. They emailed the instructor their ...
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Should I go to an average university for summer research
I am an U.S. undergraduate in math and computer science at a university that is very good (top 5 in some rankings) in electrical engineering and computer science. I am planning to apply for PhD at ...
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Is doing undergraduate research during an ongoing semester worth it?
I have been interested in pursuing undergraduate research opportunities and have been going to experimental chemistry labs since my freshman year. However, something bugs me quite a bit. The fact is ...
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How to get started on doing a research internship or a project in Mathematics?
I am an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics at an Indian University. I want to get involved in a research internship, or a project in Mathematics.
I don't know where to ...
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What to do if a professor with whom I have worked with for a long time is unable to provide a letter of recommendation for medical reasons?
I have been working with a professor for almost 2 years of my undergraduate degree and shared a nice bond with them. The work done under this professor is the soul of my Statement of Purpose and how ...
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I feel so overwhelmed by my professors' work. When and how to approach them for undergraduate project?
I am a 3rd year Undergraduate Student looking to work on mini-Projects/Projects under professors in my department. I am interested in Signal Processing and Communication Systems, and while I have done ...
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Should I mention in CS PhD apps that I was accepted into Math PhDs?
I am applying to CS graduate programs, coming from a background in mathematics.
As an undergraduate I developed research experience and a strong background in mathematics and was accepted into math ...
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Is LaTeX an implicit prerequisite in Undergraduate Mathematics?
I am expected to start my first semester in college next spring as a math major. While preparing for undergraduate studies I heard from my peers that I should study this language/program called LaTeX ...
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Is it too pretentious for an undergraduate student to have their own personal page?
I am an undergraduate student from Brazil. I am not a mathematician yet because I've never published an article. I am very close to starting my master's degree and would like to have a personal page ...
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How does getting an undergraduate minor instead of a major affect graduate admissions in the same area?
I'm currently a second year undergraduate student at UCSC well on my way towards a double major in Computer Science and Chemistry. I'm interested in either pursuing a graduate degree in Chemistry (...
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How to apply for a first ever physics research internship in the 2nd Year of Undergrad?
I am a 2nd year student studying physics in the UK. I am very interested in securing a research internship at the end of my 2nd year. However, I have not done any research internships in my 1st year, ...
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The exact meaning of the term *Alma Mater*
More often than not, the term Alma Mater is applied to one's place of undergraduate studies.
Would it be reasonable of me to apply this term to a university where I received my doctoral degree?
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Is there any clear evidence that private universities tend to be better than public ones?
I keep hearing from Americans that on average, private universities tend to be better than public ones.
This study by Klafke et al. concludes:
A recurrent problem reported by the students, especially ...
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How to handle a reflection exercise if a student skips the initial assignment?
For the next semester, I'd like to give students a reflection exercise after their first assignment -- specifically to confirm that they can access the feedback I leave in the online homework system. ...
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What is the research on taking a gap year between undergrad and medical school (or PhD)?
I have some studies (below), but was wondering if anyone knows of any that I'm missing.
Studies I've already read:
2020 study: “In multivariate analysis, gap years were independently associated with ...
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Math REU and grad admission [closed]
I find myself particularly drawn to the subjects of analysis and linear algebra. Although I am currently a rising Sophomore and unsure about the specific field I'd like to pursue for my graduate ...
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Is it common/acceptable practice for a PhD student to be on an undergraduate thesis committee?
I am currently a PhD student and have been advising an undergraduate student on their thesis, which will eventually contribute to part of my own work. Their committee currently consists of my faculty ...
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Undergraduate with research partner issues/concerns
In the Fall I will be completing my last year of undergrad. Once I graduate I want to get my PhD, and so grad school applications are approaching.
I’ve been doing research with a professor at my ...
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How far an Internship is helpful for Graduate School Admissions?
I am an undergraduate student currently enrolled in a 3 year Bachelor of Science Mathematics Course. I am a non-US citizen and student.
I have an ambition to study in Ivy Leagues and other prestigious ...
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When applying to a second master’s degree , can my first master compensate a low undergraduate GPA?
I have a 3.31/5 GPA in mechanical engineering undergrad but got work as a software engineer, 4 years have passed since then, i have had promotions in my work as programmer and I also Will graduate in ...
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What is the proper etiquette when declining a professor's Capstone project offer after I myself applied for it?
In my department, every undergraduate (including me) has to do a Capstone project with a professor in order to graduate.
Students need the professor's consent prior to declaring that the supervisor ...
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Conflicted on authorship possibly not included in journal publication
Approximately a few months ago, I was an intern in a research institute. One of the supervisors in a department became a PI of a project which seems to have huge implications. He needed help in ...
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I have a bunch of incomplete degrees. Any chance to get in decent Masters?
I have a bunch of incomplete degrees. I nearly finished one bachelor's but the 16h work days made me focus on work instead of academia. Then I tried with other degrees but never got far in any of them....
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What’s a university’s policy for late paper (lab papers) in case of technical issues? [closed]
I faced an issue where a large amount of my lab papers got deleted near the completion of the semester. Some of those reports where combined and data collected in multiple weeks. Paper lengths were ...
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Your best advice for exam anxiety [closed]
This may be a question that does not belong here, but...
What advice would you give someone who is preparing for exams and cares about grades. What advice do should I follow during the exam and after ...
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What to do when a professor does not provide an explanation for grades and does not respond to emails? [duplicate]
I am currently a fourth-year undergraduate at a prestigious university (top 10) and am finding myself in a difficult situation with a professor and do not know how to proceed.
For context, I was ...
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Is it okay to debug for student?
I am an assistant professor at an R1 university. I am advising an undergraduate student whose major is mechanical engineering. He tried really hard but cannot figure out how to do a python code (~300 ...
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Is it right for a professor to assume every CS student has a laptop?
I'm an undergraduate student in computer science, and my university has a rule of prerequisite that one should have a sufficient computer (exactly the same word my university uses) to work outside of ...
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Is it worth doing a second Bachelor's degree?
Currently, I am studying for a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Finance in Australia. Although I find my program enjoyable, I have a particular interest in mathematics, particularly on the ...
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Publishing undergraduate research
I am an undergrad physics major and I have been involved in something that I (and my supervisor) want to get published (I am the first author and my supervisor is the only other coauthor). This is a ...
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USA undergraduate seeking advice for PhD from Europe [duplicate]
I am hoping someone reading this can help me in this area. I am an Applied Chemistry undergraduate and I want to earn my PhD, however ,the PhD programs in the US are very long spanning about 5-7 ...
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Is it appropriate to give a student a "negative grade" (fewer than zero points) for a small portion of the overall grade?
I teach a course where attendance is required. The syllabus says "Every unexcused absence will result in a deduction of one point from the attendance grade". The total number of points for ...
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How can I evaluate whether a school has developed a poor reputation?
I'm a father trying to help my son understand his college options.
My son is looking at a liberal arts school in the United States that used to be quite competitive. From the college statistics web ...
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Website/forum about reviews for universities
Is there any website/forum that people share their experiences or personal opinions in their university?
I find it hard to get reviews other than rankings made by large companies that provide useful ...
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What is a college essay?
I have been reading about potential impacts of ChatGPT on education, and one thing that came up time and time again is something referred to as "college essay" or "undergraduate essay&...
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Compensating for a bad undergraduate record so as to get into a good graduate school [duplicate]
I am currently a final-year undergraduate student of economics. I am among the top ten of my class. I am in Europe so my degree program would usually take me 3 years; I am going to complete it in two. ...
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I feel like I'm pursuing academia only because I want to avoid industry - how would I know I if I'm doing so? [closed]
I've posted a few questions regarding research and I'm trying to make my progress on a project more fruitful, and while the answers/comments have been quite helpful, it still doesn't seem like I am ...
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Asking another professor about a research idea
I am working as an undergraduate research assistant for a professor in the mathematics department, on a specific project. Looking at the project I realized that there may be connections to a different ...
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What should I do in this grading appeal situation?
The grade I received for Fall 2022 semester was not the grade I feel like I deserved so I emailed my professor as soon as I saw it. The professor did not respond to my email or any follow-up emails ...
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