Best Pick

[sfphysics]

What is the best college in California to major in Philosophy, Cosmology, or Theoretical Physics?

[swansont]

There really isn't any such thing as a "theoretical physics" major. Any subfield of physics will have a theoretical approach, but you probably won't find a school where there's much specialization as an undergraduate. There's too much to cover. You major in physics.

[NTettamanti]

Although you aren't guaranteed to have the same resources/professors as the graduate school, the rankings for physics graduate schools probably indicate your ability to take those types of classes (plus, it will give you better access to graduate school). However, Swansont is right that you will simply major in physics.

 

However, graduate school rankings are easy to find, so I couldn't help myself. url="http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/astrophysics-rankings"]Astrophysics Rankings[/url]

 

Cal-Tech, Stanford and UC Berkeley are among the top three. Keep in mind though, undergraduate is a different beast than graduate school. I've heard an anecdote that there is very little difference between learning classical physics from a professor at UC Berkeley and learning classical physics from a professor at a community college.

 

Another piece of advice that I have heard is that you shouldn't let anyone elses rankings get int he way of your rankings. If you have the opportunity to, visit each of the schools and take tours, talk to students about their experiences and do some research to figure out which school fits your financial, social and geographic needs.

Edited April 28, 2011 by NTettamanti

[CaptainPanic]

Another piece of advice that I have heard is that you shouldn't let anyone elses rankings get in the way of your rankings. If you have the opportunity to, visit each of the schools and take tours, talk to students about their experiences and do some research to figure out which school fits your financial, social and geographic needs.

This is good advice.

 

I just wanted to say I completely agree!

[Marat]

Sometimes schools halfway between a community college and a major university can be good, since they are still large enough to have a good faculty but small enough to ensure more personal contact between professors and students. At very large, quite prestigious institutions, the downside for undergraduates is that the school is focused on graduate education and provides only second-rate resources for undergraduates. You might find yourself taught by not very impressive Ph.D. candidate grad students at a major institution, but at a second-rank insitution you would be taught by full professors.

 

That said, you also have to remember that the kind of funding you can get for your graduate studies and your fate in the competitive process of getting into a good graduate school can be heavily influenced by the reputation of the place where you did your undergraduate studies. This is often quite unfair, since in my own experience, grading and standards at second-rank institutions can often be tougher than at first-rank schools.

[sfphysics]

Thank you, Marat your advice is very useful to me. I truly appreciate your input.

 

Thank you, NTettamanti you have helped me greatly. I truly appreciate your input.