Summer Break

>>8249493
the 'modern physics' as third semester university physics won't be very difficult

it's just more "Halliday/Resnick" tier stuff

>>8249493
Have you done linear algebra?

>>8249493
You're supposed to use this time to do research if you want to go to grad school, or an internship if you want to work. It's a break from coursework, it's not supposed to be downtime.

>>8249507
>the 'modern physics' as third semester university physics won't be very difficult
I struggled pretty hard with electromagnetism. But looking back it does seem pretty simple. In fact, I think it was winter break that screwed me over. I got off to a slow start and couldn't catch up. Still got a B in the course though.

>it's just more "Halliday/Resnick" tier stuff
that feel when neither of those names ring a bell

>>8249510
I know that's the worst part. Technically in the eyes of my major I'm going into my junior year.

How do I apply for research (I did) with little knowledge in the subject? Seriously I barely know basic EM shit, how the fuck would I do research? Still, I applied but never heard anything back. I really want to do research, or get my foot in the door to do research. I hate summer break because I feel like a worthless sack of shit.

>>8249509
Nope. Taking that this semester: "Linear Algebra and Differential Equations"

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becuz summer happens to be my favorite time of year

if i had my way, itd be hot all the goddamn time

;)

>>8249511
just a widely used book for the 3 term sequence, there are some differences across editions
http://bookzz.org/book/507433/a4b121
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-EHEP002531.html
https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Physics-David-Halliday/dp/1118230647

>>8249512
Talk to professors you take courses from (and did well in) about opportunities. Sending emails blindly is a gamble, and you should have read their latest papers and understand at the very least the terminology that's used. You can apply to other schools as well. I believe Americans have something called REUs, look into that.

>>8249517
I was planning on doing this after this semester, as all my courses are pretty much physics/math courses now.

I'm taking an honors physics course with a professor that is huge into the research department, so I was hoping that could be my "in".

My university was recently upgraded to a tier 1 research university which is cool (UW-Milwaukee)

>>8249512
You gotta get lucky with REUs plain and fucking simple. They have funding incentives to get "underrepresented" in as well so if you are white or Asian and male you have the odds stacked against you. You can try asking professors within your department but many go elsewhere in the summer or won't be willing but you may as well try.

>>8249493
Homodidact, (You) are.

>>8250189
Yeah I'm a white male. Where is all this privilege I was promised?

>>8249522
Second year physics undergrad here. UW Milwaukee was my backup school, currently UMN Twin Cities. Is UW Milwaukee a good school? I know some moderately dumb people who go there. Also any general undergrad physics advice you would be nice.

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>>8251147
The addition of the new research building (pic related) I feel will ultimately make it worth it.

1. There are a lot of dumb as shit kids here (30,000 students, what do you expect?)
2. There are a lot of smart kids here (30,000 students)

I can't say if it's a good school or not, since I have only been here. But form my experience most professors seem like they care for the students and will help if you take the initiative. That being said, there are also some hard to understand because of their accent (more prominent in STEM majors) professors that inhibit the learning process.

Overall I like the school. People have a lot of pride here for some reason, don't know why. We don't really have any sports teams that are good so that always confused me.

MKE is also becoming quite the city as long as you're East of the river.


You mentioned you are second year, so does that mean you are about to take Physics 1 & 2 with calculus? Don't skip class. Hammer in concepts. Go to office hours.

>>8249512
>How do I apply for research (I did) with little knowledge in the subject? Seriously I barely know basic EM shit, how the fuck would I do research?

Depending on what kind of role you'll be granted, your work will go one of two ways:

You'll be a lab monkey where you'll either be writing code or putting together experimental stuff you don't fully understand that the prof doesn't want to do. This sounds kinda shitty but hey, you get paid to work with stuff you like.

The second way (which is around what I did this summer) is where the prof assumes the role of advisor and gets you to build a paper out of nothing from the literature. You read papers, not knowing much of anything until you get used to the words. You then start trying things (I was building programs in matlab from the papers) until you either get enough results to publish experimental results or come up with something new. I still only half understand anything I'm talking about in my paper but I'm getting it done and so can you.

Two (or 3?) years ago my uni was scheduled to start "welcome week" during Yom Kippur (or whatever Jewish holiday falls on late September). Jews flipped their shit and got classes to start a week into October, giving us a four month summer break.

Classes didn't even start during that week, it's just four days that they hold concerts and activities and fairs for the freshmen. To make up for the missed time, our winter break was shortened from 3 weeks to 2. That pissed me off.

>>8251267
Fucking Jews are at it again :^)