How reliable will funding be going forward? If the program is supported by government grants I wouldn't feel very confident that they will continue to be paid.
Ask HN: Physics PhD at Stanford or Berkeley
31–40 of 86 posts
Re: Ask HN: Physics PhD at Stanford or Berkeley
#32Re: Ask HN: Physics PhD at Stanford or Berkeley
#33At least in astrophysics Berkeley had a reputation for grad students taking a very long time to finish. At most schools grad students would get a PhD within 5--6 years. At Berkeley it was regularly taking students 10+ years to finish, which is pretty unheard of at most other institutions.
My knowledge is about a decade out of date now, though, so things could have improved. I'm also not sure if that was also happening in other fields of physics or if it was just limited to astro. But it would be worth looking at the average time to graduation for the departments and schools you're interested in.
Re: Ask HN: Physics PhD at Stanford or Berkeley
#34Put your career into the right hands.
Re: Ask HN: Physics PhD at Stanford or Berkeley
#35Physics PhD from Berkeley. If things are more or less equal, choose the private institution. Berkeley is still the most corrupt organization I’ve ever been associated with.
I'm interested in hearing more.
Hey @aj7 and @novia.
I am very interested on this as well, feel free to reach out, email in profile.
I am actually advocating against abuse and corruption in academia, that's a swamp that really needs to be drained.
Re: Ask HN: Physics PhD at Stanford or Berkeley
#36They're both excellent programs. The schools have different vibes: Berkeley is much more urban and closer to SF in culture while Stanford is more of a bubble.
If you are interested in Academia after graduation, then your primary advisor is going to have a lot of influence on where you end up and the trajectory of your career. Their reputation and their network will have a lot of influence since you will be seen as a protégée of Prof X. The school tends to be a bit less important. If you're interested in industry and startups then Stanford is probably closer to that culture.
Re: Ask HN: Physics PhD at Stanford or Berkeley
#37I don't know much about what it's like to do a PhD in physics at Berkeley, but many years ago I did a PhD in physics at Stanford starting out working in experimental quantum optics. I wound up doing something completely different, and felt supported in changing what I worked on. Stanford felt small in a good way, the grad student admin staff was wonderful. Stanford definitely has a different more suburban isolated vibe. Summers felt like you worked at a country club or something.
Who you work with really matters (obviously) and different PIs and labs can have very different cultures which you may or may not feel comfortable with. That alone can make your decision if you are very sure about what you want to do and who you want to work with.
Outside of that, I would say Stanford is a really great place to do graduate work, especially if you're not entirely sure what you want to do.
All of this is with the obvious caveat that my experience is from quite some time ago.
Re: Ask HN: Physics PhD at Stanford or Berkeley
#38PhD in experimental quantum optics here, but out of the field for 7 years. Message me if you want to discuss specifics about research areas / groups.
Re: Ask HN: Physics PhD at Stanford or Berkeley
#39I went to Princeton for my PhD, but I was at Stanford for my undergrad, and knowing a few experimentalist grad students, it seems for whatever reason the completion time was usually 7 years (or more), longer than usual. Might be something to consider. Anyway, if you don’t have a specific advisor in mind (well you wouldn’t be asking if you do), my advice is go to the open house in both departments and talk to the actu…
If its an integrated MS/PhD, seven years doesn't seem long for experimental science. If you already have an MS, which normally takes two years, then its maybe another 4-5 years.
Re: Ask HN: Physics PhD at Stanford or Berkeley
#40At least in astrophysics Berkeley had a reputation for grad students taking a very long time to finish. At most schools grad students would get a PhD within 5--6 years. At Berkeley it was regularly taking students 10+ years to finish, which is pretty unheard of at most other institutions. My knowledge is about a decade out of date now, though, so things could have improved. I'm also not sure if that was also happenin…
Are you counting the MS portion, or only the portion after masters is awarded?