I'm having a bit of an existential crisis, haha. But seriously, I've always wanted to pursue a career in physics research, and I keep hitting dead ends. I don't know if I'm being delusional, so I'm hoping to
get some perspective from people with more experience.
Here's my situation: I'm based in Lebanon and graduated high school during the financial crisis, which meant my only real option was the state university (LU). It took me a bit over 3 years, but I finally got my BS, my GPA is very average. The problem is I have zero research experience, the topic never really came up during my degree.
Studying abroad for a master's isn't financially realistic right now, though I'm still applying to a handful of French universities. I also applied to AUB (American University of Beirut) and got rejected, but I plan to try again.
Otherwise, my most likely path is a master's at LU next year. I understand a PhD is the actual goal, and that it likely has to be abroad, but I'm afraid a master's from LU could undermine my chances rather than help them.
I've seen a few of my peers either switch majors, go into medical physics, or quit outright. I really like physics and don't want to give that up.
So here's what I actually want to know:
- If I end up staying at LU for my master's, is a PhD abroad still a realistic path? If so, how?
- If a PhD genuinely isn't in the cards, what would the master's even be for? I've never seen a job posting anywhere asking for a master's in physics specifically.
I just want to make the best of whatever's actually available to me.
Thank you!