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I'm a senior undergraduate physics student who hoped to attend graduate school starting next fall, but who was unfortunately not admitted to any in this admissions cycle. I remain very interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in the future, as I truly love conducting research and would like the opportunity not only to pursue such work professionally but also to learn to be better at doing so. Applying to these programs, however, is not only time consuming but also incredibly expensive, and I would thereby like to do whatever I can in the meantime to make my case for admission stronger.

I've asked around for advice, and I've received a lot of conflicting information. There's quite a bit of advice available out there for those with specific "weak spots" (e.g. those who haven't had research experience, access to advanced classes, or who struggled academically), however to my knowledge there are no glaring issues with my experience or academic performance. The most common pieces of advice I've been given and seen around can be classed as one of the following:

  1. Pursue a software development/quantitative research/finance/etc. job in industry: I've been told variously that pursuing e.g. an entry-level coding job would be looked upon positively, negatively, or neutrally by doctoral programs. Moreover, I've applied for 100 or so such jobs over the last year and (where feedback was given) I have been told that, even though I have substantial coding and data science experience, I am outcompeted by computer science/data science/economics/etc. majors who specialize in these fields. I expect that it could take some time before I am able to find such a position.
  2. Pursue a post-baccalaureate research position: Many of my STEM major friends in other fields have been recommended (typically year-long) post-baccalaureate research positions. There seem to be quite a few available in e..g biology and chemistry, however I'm struggling to find any in physics. Moreover, many research/research assistantship positions and REU programs require that one be a student or admitted to a graduate program (presumably due to some funding-related restrictions), and all of the PIs that I have reached out to have been reluctant (or unable) to take on a recent graduate who will not be pursuing a graduate degree in the near future.
  3. Pursue a "bridge" program: Some schools offer a "bridge" program, aimed at students interested in pursuing a doctoral degree who would need more research experience or education to do so. I've asked around about a few such programs, and have more or less been told that I do not make a compelling case for admission as I have several years worth of research experience and performed well academically on paper. I applied to two, and was rejected by both.

I'm not quite sure where to go from here. While I know that the forum cannot offer highly-individualized career advice, I'd like to ask generally: What can a prospective physics doctoral student such as myself do with their life in the 1-5 years after college that will most favorably impact their case for admission, where there is no obvious issue with their experience/academic performance?

There are obviously a number of other factors that I need to take into account (e.g. just getting food on the table), however I'd like to do what I can to pursue a path that will help me in achieving my long-term career goals.

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  • Academic research jobs in physics after the PhD are far more rare than PhD positions themselves. It's likely that, if you applied broadly, some of the schools you applied to will have zero successful applicants go on to one of these jobs.
    – Bryan Krause ♦
    Commented Mar 16 at 16:56
  • @BryanKrause Thanks for the advice. While I know that academic research positions (particularly in physics) are incredibly rare, it remains something that I am willing to undergo the 5-6+ years of a PhD program in pursuit of. I feel that I would harbor a lot of regret later in life if I didn't at least give it a solid try.
    – 10GeV
    Commented Mar 16 at 17:03
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    @BryanKrause I feel as though my grades are okay (not perfect, however I have a 3.6 overall GPA, and a 3.8 in physics/math). I'm at a small (but reputable) LAC that lacks a grad program, however I have pursued "grad-level" topics (e.g. QFT) via independent study. My rec. letters came from the PI of my research group (who is at another nearby uni. with a highly-regarded physics program), my academic advisor in the physics dep., and a math prof. I have taken several classes with. The former two reviewed my essays and spoke favorably of them, and my PI expressed his surprise at my rejections.
    – 10GeV
    Commented Mar 16 at 17:51
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    So you applied to 20 schools and didn't get into any of them? That seems very strange given your qualifications. Any idea what went wrong?
    – cag51 ♦
    Commented Mar 16 at 19:00
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    I don't know your field well, but a big change in mine from when I applied to now is the expectation of publications. It's not so much that it should be a requirement or the absence is looked at poorly, it's that such a high percentage of applicants have something published that it is kind of an easy way to separate applications that are otherwise difficult to differentiate. Remember they're not admitting people who are merely qualified, they're admitting the top N applications vs peers. Some friends of mine had failed application seasons followed by success after their papers were published.
    – Bryan Krause ♦
    Commented Mar 16 at 23:09

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Actually you sound like a good candidate for admission to some R1 university in the US. But the higher ranked the institution is, the tougher the competition, and in some cases the smaller then entering cohort.

In the next cycle, I suggest making a broader search, covering universities down to at least the 50th ranked, maybe a bit more. You don't need to limit yourself there, but include some. Note that if you are rejected by some place then you are more likely to also be rejected by very similar places. State universities tend to have larger entry cohorts than some others, also.

In the interim, make sure you keep contact with those professors who now support you. If you lose contact they will start to forget your merits.

If you don't need an income, such as with family support, see if you can take on some informal research project with the aim of writing a paper. Even a survey paper for some sub field will give you some practice, though it might not be publishable. It is harder if you need income, since there aren't many jobs that you are qualified for. My daughter, in a different field and for different reasons, got a job in an academic library to fill some time, earn some money, and keep her "academia adjacent" for a year or so while she made decisions. She is now a professor.

But, keep active if possible, keep close to supporters, cast a wide net.

Good luck.

Of your three suggestions, the first doesn't seem very good in terms of your current goals. The others are better, but it might be hard (late) to get connected to one of them. You won't get much research experience in a year, but you could get a better idea of what research is really like. If you are near a major university and can take advanced courses as a non-matriculated student it might let you learn a few things.

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