I believe I need to teach myself QM and Thermo to a sufficient level to do well on the GREs.
Yes, that will be necessary to do well on the test. You should also be prepared to review classical mechanics and E&M. Having a good set of freshman-level physics textbooks is helpful, because many of the problems are at that level. I recommend the two-volume set by Resnick, Halliday, and Krane.
You should check out the physicsgre.com forums. You will be able to find a fair amount of advice threads for people in similar situations (lacking the full complement of upper-level physics courses, in need of research experience, etc.), as well as a lot of general advice about the physics GRE test. You can also try starting your own thread on that forum to solicit more advice. The consensus is that going to grad school in physics without the undergrad in physics is difficult and requires a lot of effort, but it’s not impossible if one is dedicated and takes the initiative.
In general, a career in physics is going to require a lot of self-study. Grad students often end up working on such specialized research problems that the only way to learn about the topic is to read lots of published papers, which are often much more difficult to understand than textbooks.
For quantum mechanics, I recommend Griffith’s Introduction to Quantum Mechanics. I am not sure why you haven’t been working problems all the way through, but if it’s because you don’t have the correct solutions against which to check your answers, the manual for Griffith’s textbook is easy to find. Unfortunately, I really don’t know of a good undergraduate-level thermodynamics textbook.
For the general GRE test, buy a commercial test-prep book (personally, I prefer Barron’s) and go through it cover to cover. Take the diagnostic test, figure out where your areas of weakness are, study them by working through the sections in the book that address them, and then take more practice tests. (Repeat if necessary.)
I think you would have an easier time finding a professor who would let you work in eir research group, or a college that might let you audit classes, if you were in an English-speaking country. The language barrier will be difficult to overcome for both of those activities. This would also help with the problem of loneliness. In addition, if you take the general GRE in the US, you can take it on the computer instead of on paper, which some find to be a more intuitive format. (At the least, it’s nicer for writing the essays.)
I am also looking at the terminal masters programs in the U.K. I know Cambridge has some.
That is a good option to get experience with research and coursework. Also, I think European schools tend to place less emphasis on the physics GRE than US schools, although there’s some variation in that.
Yes, that will be necessary to do well on the test. You should also be prepared to review classical mechanics and E&M. Having a good set of freshman-level physics textbooks is helpful, because many of the problems are at that level. I recommend the two-volume set by Resnick, Halliday, and Krane.
You should check out the physicsgre.com forums. You will be able to find a fair amount of advice threads for people in similar situations (lacking the full complement of upper-level physics courses, in need of research experience, etc.), as well as a lot of general advice about the physics GRE test. You can also try starting your own thread on that forum to solicit more advice. The consensus is that going to grad school in physics without the undergrad in physics is difficult and requires a lot of effort, but it’s not impossible if one is dedicated and takes the initiative.
In general, a career in physics is going to require a lot of self-study. Grad students often end up working on such specialized research problems that the only way to learn about the topic is to read lots of published papers, which are often much more difficult to understand than textbooks.
For quantum mechanics, I recommend Griffith’s Introduction to Quantum Mechanics. I am not sure why you haven’t been working problems all the way through, but if it’s because you don’t have the correct solutions against which to check your answers, the manual for Griffith’s textbook is easy to find. Unfortunately, I really don’t know of a good undergraduate-level thermodynamics textbook.
For the general GRE test, buy a commercial test-prep book (personally, I prefer Barron’s) and go through it cover to cover. Take the diagnostic test, figure out where your areas of weakness are, study them by working through the sections in the book that address them, and then take more practice tests. (Repeat if necessary.)
I think you would have an easier time finding a professor who would let you work in eir research group, or a college that might let you audit classes, if you were in an English-speaking country. The language barrier will be difficult to overcome for both of those activities. This would also help with the problem of loneliness. In addition, if you take the general GRE in the US, you can take it on the computer instead of on paper, which some find to be a more intuitive format. (At the least, it’s nicer for writing the essays.)
Many thanks. Good advice all. The resources you’re suggesting are particularly helpful.
I will hopefully have many of those books in the next few weeks depending on shipping to Beijing.
I am hoping that I can get into a program before leaving the country, but regardless I am committed to resigning and moving by middle of next spring.
I am also looking at the terminal masters programs in the U.K. I know Cambridge has some.
That is a good option to get experience with research and coursework. Also, I think European schools tend to place less emphasis on the physics GRE than US schools, although there’s some variation in that.