CPL.Luke Posted August 25, 2005 Posted August 25, 2005 I'm entering my junior year of high school now and have to go around to visit some colleges. (and think a bit more about which colleges that I want to go to) anybody know which colleges have good physics programs? I'm also kinda looking for colleges that have good programs but maybe aren't thte most prestigious of schools.
rakuenso Posted August 25, 2005 Posted August 25, 2005 I'm entering my junior year of high school now and have to go around to visit some colleges. (and think a bit more about which colleges that I want to go to) anybody know which colleges have good physics programs? I'm also kinda looking for colleges that have good programs but maybe aren't thte most prestigious of schools. May I recommend SNAFU? http://www.snafuuniversity.com/
5614 Posted August 25, 2005 Posted August 25, 2005 I think he want's a college and not a university... or is this some American thing??? In americanish (well it's not english!) does college = uni? CPL.Luke, you are in America right?
CPL.Luke Posted August 25, 2005 Author Posted August 25, 2005 yeah I'm in america, here we use the word college for both university and college, most people don't know the difference between the two until they start applying Edit: maybe soething a bit more prestigious then snafu
Klaynos Posted August 25, 2005 Posted August 25, 2005 yeah I'm in america, here we use the word college for both university and college, most people don't know the difference between the two until they start applying Am I correct on saying that in the US a university has postgraduates, whereas a college does not?
CPL.Luke Posted August 25, 2005 Author Posted August 25, 2005 yes you are, but when someone goes to do post graduate schooling (I assume you mean after your bachelors degree) we just call it grad school
swansont Posted August 25, 2005 Posted August 25, 2005 Am I correct on saying that in the US a university has postgraduates, whereas a college does not? Technically yes, though as CPL Luke implied, the distinction is lost upon some. Confusing the issue is you can have the "College of X" as a sub-part of a university.
Bio-Hazard Posted August 25, 2005 Posted August 25, 2005 It would help to list what type of experience you already have in physics and what your expectations and long term/short term goals are.
skuinders Posted August 25, 2005 Posted August 25, 2005 Am I correct on saying that in the US a university has postgraduates, whereas a college does not? No. For example, Dartmouth College in NH, US grants masters and doctoral degrees. Dartmouth is even one of the better schools in the US (and a member of the ivy league), but it keeps its "College" title for historical reasons. Most colleges in the US grand up to masters degrees, but not doctoral. My school recently changed its name from College to University just so that international students would not be confused.
CPL.Luke Posted August 25, 2005 Author Posted August 25, 2005 my current experience in physics is alot of independant work, the physics course at my school is only open to juniors (starting it this year). Although last year for the last quarter I sat in on the AP physics C class, I also taught myself calculus in order to be able to understand the mathmatical formulation of physical concepts. me and a close friend are currently planning to enter a project into the intel science competition next year. As for goals, I personally intend to start a career in physics (not entirely sure which field) and so am going to go through grad school and get a Phd. I also don't have the greatest grades of all time... so I am looking into both the prestigous universities and the not so prestigous. (and colleges) Technically yes, though as CPL Luke implied, the distinction is lost upon some. Confusing the issue is you can have the "College of X" as a sub-part of a university. yeah, Don't most universities subdivide themselves into "schools" or colleges? For instance my sister attends Tisch school of arts at NYU, Although I believe you could also call Tisch a liberal arts college. Its all really a conspiracy to keep europeans out of american schools through confusion.
Skye Posted August 27, 2005 Posted August 27, 2005 Most undergraduate programs are fairly similar, so my suggestion is to (also) think of things other than the academic side of the college. Can you get scholarships? Is it close to home? Where are your friends going? Is it close to the beach? There's not much point getting into a good school and then hating your life.
CPL.Luke Posted August 27, 2005 Author Posted August 27, 2005 Most undergraduate programs are fairly similar, so my suggestion is to (also) think of things other than the academic side of the college. Can you get scholarships? Is it close to home? Where are your friends going? Is it close to the beach? There's not much point getting into a good school and then hating your life. I agree completely, I would refuse to go to a school like MIT because of the way they work you (I have an uncle who went) (although I don't think Im in much danger of having to decline an invitation to mit). I also know however that I work very poorly when I'm not challenged, so I realy do want to get into a college with a good undergrad physics program.
Freeman Posted August 27, 2005 Posted August 27, 2005 What's your GPA? What atmosphere would you like? Do you want higher education?
CPL.Luke Posted August 27, 2005 Author Posted August 27, 2005 my gpa looks like crap, but there are a fare number of other factors, for 1 I have great recommendations, 2 I have a science project this year that should do pretty well in the competitions. So basicly I'm trying to find a good range of schools. As for atmosphere, in class I like work. Outside of class I would like there to be some social happenings.
mezarashi Posted August 27, 2005 Posted August 27, 2005 My opinion on this would be to look for a college/university with the kind of atmosphere or culture that you think you would like. Campus visits would be the best for this. At the undergraduate level, I doubt there's much of a difference in what you will learn. They are based on similar cirricula and aim to give you a foundation in your field of interest... quite different from at the masters level where you want to make sure the university is with faculty who can guide you in the direction of your desired research. Ultimately, what I'm trying to say is that, good students make for a good university and not the other way around. Harvard is "successful" because they attract good students who would have otherwise been successful even if they didn't go to Harvard. Similarly, whether a university (esp. undergrad) is good has little to do with apparent fame. It's how hard you work there, and maybe how good their teaching staff is.
j_p Posted August 27, 2005 Posted August 27, 2005 What state do you live? Some states have schools with decent science programs. You might want to contact a graduate programs, and ask them about what schools you should consider. You don't want to waste four years at a school that won't get you into a decent program.
Freeman Posted August 27, 2005 Posted August 27, 2005 Well...maybe an institute of technology would be up your alley. Maybe Georgia or Illinois IT?
ecoli Posted August 29, 2005 Posted August 29, 2005 http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/Archive/a-2001-09-10-4-1.cfm http://www.faqfarm.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_a_college_and_a_university These links should clear up the differences between colleges and universities in the united states. CPL Luke, did you want to stay home or go away to school?
CPL.Luke Posted August 29, 2005 Author Posted August 29, 2005 go away, prefferably to the west coast, which is the opposite coast to where I am. If anyone knew of non-us schools that would be a good thing to
Ducky Havok Posted September 1, 2005 Posted September 1, 2005 If you really want to go to the west coast maybe look at Harvey Mudd College? Link if you want to check it out, its one of the places I'm looking at (I'm a senior)
Pat Says Posted September 1, 2005 Posted September 1, 2005 I was wondering what sort of qualifications it would take to get into a physics program at a school like Cal Tech. I've read some average SAT/ACT scores but that can't be all the qualifications. Like if one isn't a good test taker could other traits easily/possibly outweigh the substandard test scores (good grades, advanced classes, etc.) Basically I want to see if applying would be a waste of time or not because I would rather concentrate my time on other schools if I don't have a realistic chance.
JPQuiceno Posted September 2, 2005 Posted September 2, 2005 I have a 3.9 gpa and I'm taking the SAT next year. I wan't to get into M.I.T for Theoretical Physics. Wish me luck!
ecoli Posted September 2, 2005 Posted September 2, 2005 I have a 3.9 gpa and I'm taking the SAT next year. I wan't to get into M.I.T for Theoretical Physics. Wish me luck! Hey good luck on the verbel section (want is not a contraction!)
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