u/Puzzled-Worry9930

Hi, I didn't know where to ask this question, but here it goes:

I studied Physics in Germany at the bachelor's and master's level and feel that I have gained some foundation in maths and physics. However, as you guys might know, Germany tends to be too much academic focused and theoretical. So, usually the education here seems to be more oriented for academic careers rather than going to industry to be useful in various tech sectors.

Lately I have been questioning the purpose of me having studied physics here. I would like to use these knowledge to contribute to society. It can be mechanical engineering like building robots or space ships. Electrical engineering for circuits and Microelectronics. Or it can be also some other engineering.

If I go into PhD, it's going to be even more academic focused and I would only be able to do job in research / academia. However, I would like to use my knowledge to build something (technology) and contribute to society in a good way. I feel that engineering disciplines offer exactly this.

I have come to the conclusion I would like to pursue a second master's or even bachelor's degree in engineering, and not just in Germany but also other countries like US. Would it be a good idea for me to transition from a strong physics (solid state) background towards engineering by doing a second degree program in engineering? Is this something you guys have done or considered in the past?

Thank you in advance.

Hello,

I graduated from German university, both Bachelor and Master degrees.

For my Master's thesis, I wanted to do it at a research institution, expecting that I would also do my PhD there. I successfully completed Master's studies. However, the PhD offer they offered me was a "Wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft" one, which is not a lot and is limited to only 19 hrs per week of working.

With this contract, I went to the Ausländerbehörde to switch my visa from student one to a working visa. But they basically rejected it and gave me a job seeking visa.. is this a normal thing? Has anyone else experienced it? This is frustrating because I studied here and was quite invested into working in the group, and now I can't even stay here anymore. I feel let down by the supervisor (even though they still liked my working style) and feel disappointed by people I trusted.

Hello everyone, this is my first Reddit post.

I am an international student who finished Master's Physics studies in Germany. As I used to live in the US attending school, I was looking to do a PhD in the states.

I was aware that most graduate schools in the US have the December deadline. At the end of March, I found an interesting professor whose research fits well with my interests. So I contacted him and he responded to me by saying we should do a video call. During the video call, he asked me to present on my previous research experience and he introduced more about his research group. And then he said he would ask the graduate school coordinator of the department to ask whether it's still possible for me to apply. A few days later, he emailed me saying that I can still apply for the Fall 2026 admissions even though the deadline was back in December, 2025.

So I was very excited and went on to apply to the central graduate school. The only missing application document was TOEFL exam. Even though I explained that my studies were entirely in English and I graduated from secondary school in the US, the central graduate admissions office was adamant that I take the TOEFL, since I am not a citizen from an English speaking country and my undergrad wasn't in the states (even though it was taught in English). So, I took care of that in April. I had to take TOEFL and submit the scores to them. So it took a while for my application to be complete and it was complete at the end of April.

To ask when I might learn about the result, I asked the professor by email and he said it could take another month from now that they can make admission decision - due to uncertainty in federal research funding (I'm quoting him). The Fall semester starts in August and I would need i-20 and visa to study there, so the timeline seems too tight even if they accept me.

From my understanding, most applicants apply by December and get their decisions by February or March, and April 15 is usually the deadline to inform the school whether you will attend or not. So, my application now is well beyond this point and I don't think I'm competing against other applicants. The professor enabled me to apply to their graduate school and I applied. Now he is saying there is uncertainty in federal research funding and this delay in admission decision, I don't understand. Has anyone had similar situations before, where you applied outside of the usual application period?

My field is in Materials Sciences and Engineering. What do you guys think about this situation? It's uncertain and I have faced a lot of rejections in the past from Europe PhD positions (which are basically like applying for jobs). So, I don't have the same enthusiasm anymore as I used to and am just tired of applying for PhDs at this point.. I'm thinking about not even pursuing PhD now.

Hello everyone, this is my first Reddit post.

I am an international student who finished Master's Physics studies in Germany. As I used to live in the US attending school, I was looking to do a PhD in the states.

I was aware that most graduate schools in the US have the December deadline. At the end of March, I found an interesting professor whose research fits well with my interests. So I contacted him and he responded to me by saying we should do a video call. During the video call, he asked me to present on my previous research experience and he introduced more about his research group. And then he said he would ask the graduate school coordinator of the department to ask whether it's still possible for me to apply. A few days later, he emailed me saying that I can still apply for the Fall 2026 admissions even though the deadline was back in December, 2025.

So I was very excited and went on to apply to the central graduate school. The only missing application document was TOEFL exam. Even though I explained that my studies were entirely in English and I graduated from secondary school in the US, the central graduate admissions office was adamant that I take the TOEFL, since I am not a citizen from an English speaking country and my undergrad wasn't in the states (even though it was taught in English). So, I took care of that in April. I had to take TOEFL and submit the scores to them. So it took a while for my application to be complete and it was complete at the end of April.

To ask when I might learn about the result, I asked the professor by email and he said it could take another month from now that they can make admission decision - due to uncertainty in federal research funding (I'm quoting him). The Fall semester starts in August and I would need i-20 and visa to study there, so the timeline seems too tight even if they accept me.

From my understanding, most applicants apply by December and get their decisions by February or March, and April 15 is usually the deadline to inform the school whether you will attend or not. So, my application now is well beyond this point and I don't think I'm competing against other applicants. The professor enabled me to apply to their graduate school and I applied. Now he is saying there is uncertainty in federal research funding and this delay in admission decision, I don't understand. Has anyone had similar situations before, where you applied outside of the usual application period?

My field is in Materials Sciences and Engineering. What do you guys think about this situation? It's uncertain and I have faced a lot of rejections in the past from Europe PhD positions (which are basically like applying for jobs). So, I don't have the same enthusiasm anymore as I used to and am just tired of applying for PhDs at this point.. I'm thinking about not even pursuing PhD now.