Q&A for How to Become an Astrophysicist

There are many books like, "A Brief History of Time" or "The Theory of Everything" by Stephen Hawking, or "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan. Books by Brian Cox are inspirational too. Study astronomy texts and books to learn all that you can about planets, the solar system, stars, the galaxies and the universe. Also study plenty of physics, chemistry and biology. They are all needed to be a good astrophysicist.

The knowledge is more important, getting good marks may pass you the exams but you won't be that good in your work whereas having a strong knowledge in the field will help you a lot, you can provide revolutionary ideas or theories to the world. You will need good marks to get to university though, so balance things out.

You should try for a 4.0 GPA. You'll be more likely to be accepted to a higher quality college/university if you can prove that you're exceptional.

Read books related to space and astronomy and watch movies like Interstellar or The Martian. This will provide knowledge and inspiration to you and you're never too young to start learning all that you can about space. Be aware that many movies about space are scientifically inaccurate, so be sure to research that aspect after enjoying the film.

In the US, a PhD is 5 years (typically), while in Europe is usually 3 years. In some places to graduate you will need to have published 3 articles as a first author (in astrophysics the order of the authors in an article is important), in other places you will have to write a PhD thesis.

Challenge yourself with science and math courses, and read all about space and the universe that you can. Try to enroll in a club or astronomical society (such as ABAA in Bangalore), and attend relevant summer camps.

Look for a university with a four-year program in the field and research where prominent astrophysicists went to school to make your decision.

You can study the books like A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking and Cosmos by Carl Sagan. Watch movies like Interstellar, the Martian, etc. Research and other self-work is very important in this field.

Not at all. You don't really even have to decide for sure until you've been in college for a year or so. Most people apply to colleges in their senior year with a tentative major in mind, but many people end up changing their minds after a while of being in college.

Of course you can become an astrophysicist for nasa though you are of another nationality. Your role at NASA depends upon your ability to understand and your skills. It's definitely more competitive, but not impossible.

Enroll in a university and pursue a degree in the field, focusing on science topics.

Possibly, but it depends on his specific background and how much he has studied physics, math and other related subjects.

An astrophysicist should have at least a Bachelor's degree in the subject, but many pursue Master's and Ph.D.s in the subject.

Seek a path of study in astrophysics. This program will center largely on physics, math, astronomy and the natural sciences.

It's not as costly as you may think, as long as you apply for any and all scholarships available to you as a junior and senior in high school or attend universities with great financial aid programs. One university to think about is Princeton, as they are known for having an excellent financial aid program. You're pretty much guaranteed to get in as long as you're smart enough and have the grades for it.

Yes.

Quite possibly. You need to be extremely positive that this is something you want to do with your life though because it will take a fair amount of effort to do so. Assuming your degree is not relevant to astrophysics, you would need to return to school and undergo the ten or so years it takes to get the degrees necessary, and then the five to six years for the jobs/fellowships/research work before beginning your own work. You would likely be at least fifty years of age by the time you were an established career astrophysicist. That's only if you go for your PhD though. You could even go to NASA with only a Master's degree.

You will need to choose a college that has the option for an astrophysics major.

Practice mathematics. There are plenty of online resources about mathematics in physics on the internet. You'll need to be strong in this area as well to become an astrophysicist.

Nobody can answer that except for you. Try to figure out which career path would bring you the most satisfaction and fulfillment. Also, consider the time and monetary investment into each path.

Yes, you should be able to find work even with a felony conviction, but it may prevent you from working for certain organizations, like the government.

Technically yes, but it would take a very long time. Medical school alone is 4 years of undergrad, followed by 4-6 more years depending on specialty. Consider which job would you do as a career, because both take up a lot of time, effort and energy.

A recent Astrophysics grad said she took as much math and science as possible. Take the highest AP Calculus available. Physics learning benefits from multiple exposures, so take multiple levels of Physics (Honors, Physics w/o Calc, Physics with Calc, etc.). Use AP review books while taking the courses. Computer Science courses will also be helpful.

Take as many advanced mathematics and science classes as you can.

"Brief History of Time" and "Theory of Everything" by Stephen Hawking; "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan.

Most likely. CS offers skills that go far beyond just a computer screen, and can be very helpful in nearly any career, including astrophysics.

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, National Technical University of Athens, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Ioannina and University of Crete all have internationally-praised physics programs.

That is one type of qualification that might be considered by those recruiting. But it is by no means a shoe-in, as you have to undergo a raft of tests and training to become an astronaut, many of which test things like fitness, resilience, mental strength, etc.

You don't need to unless you want to, as biology is not required. However, you will need a strong study background in physics and maths. These two subjects are to be focused on. If you have the spare capacity and interest in biology though, by all means add it, as it never hurts to understand the living organism side of things.

Institutes like MIT, Stanford University, Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Australian National University, etc., are some of the best choices. If you are from south Asia or just Asia, IIA would be a very good choice.