<p>Hi all!
I am currently participating an astronomy essay competition and firmly believe I can pull an honorary mention at the least. I am interested in this major too, so I wanted to know which Ivy League Universities offer good Physics and Astronomy majors. I would also like to know how competitive admissions into these majors are.
Thank you!</p>
<p>A friend of mine said Cornell is the best deal for and astronomy and phy major!</p>
<p>@rew2402: Thank you very much. I have been considering Cornell seriously but do they offer good financial aid options?</p>
<p>Why don’t you look at Caltech? It’s ranked first.</p>
<p>@Ppaayas, Tata scholorship for Cornell is the best option you have unless you qualify for need-blind… I have never come acrossed an Indian who got scholorship at Cornell expect the TATA scholorship which is given to indian students…</p>
<p>Thank you people. I will consider your advice.</p>
<p>here is a list [United</a> States Astronomy Schools - Colleges and Universities With Astronomy Degree Programs in the US](<a href=“http://space.about.com/library/weekly/blusschools.htm]United”>Astronomy 101: The Basics of Learning Astronomy)
<a href=“http://www.brighthub.com/education/college/articles/88476.aspx[/url]”>http://www.brighthub.com/education/college/articles/88476.aspx</a>
The UCs, especially Berkeley has a great astronomy program.
[Leuschner</a> Observatory | The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence at UC Berkeley](<a href=“http://seti.berkeley.edu/leuschner]Leuschner”>http://seti.berkeley.edu/leuschner)
If looking for ivies specifically, harvard and cornell. Dartmouth to some extent.</p>
<p>I don’t know why no one has mentioned Georgia Tech till now. Astronomy at Georgia Tech is one of the most sought after major.</p>
<p>Edit: Never mind, I just realized that OP is interested in 300 year old universities that form a peculiarly named athletic consortium.</p>
<p>Tizil</p>
<p>I can imagine why you would remember Georgia Tech, you first essay…</p>
<p>Seriously I agree Georgia Tech is one of the great places whatever your major, in terms of weather, food, location, University size, diversity, affordability…</p>
<p>Lol Tizil7! I loved that phrase, yes I am because I am not to certain of my major and want to learn with people from different walks of life. Thank you, I will read through the GTech site too.</p>
<p>Also as an indian student, consider the city and diversity. Try to engage with international students in those colleges. Also there are other websites where you can check for reviews of colleges. Do your research in terms of marketability when you finish college. If you have friends/family in the USA, ask them for help in narrowing down colleges. What I am saying is= there is more to college selection than just a USNews ranking.</p>
<p>Yes fall2016parent. I am really thankful for all the help you guys give. I am considering lower key schools too, but Harvard is still my dream school(maybe because I have been fascinated by it since grade 8). Are you aware of what a home schooled student could do to better his chances. I can pull off a 2300+ at the SAT, I have a GPA of 4.0 in my Home School Assessment and 3.8 on Cambridge exams. My EC’s are few but I have the depth, was recruited by an International magazine to write columns, and yes I have a very compelling story to tell. Do you think I can get into a good school because finances are a problem too!</p>
<p>^Unfortunately, no one can predict chances for HYPMSC. Remember 95% of folks are rejected. Only thing we can say is if you are competitive enough to even apply. Yes, if you have a great SAT score and from what you have written, you are competitive but no one can say for sure. That’s why people will apply to equal number of reach,safeties and matches. How do you compare yourself to the extremely talented pool from India…people who have won international olympiads/competitions and are #1 in their schools. The india CC folks who were nice enough to share their HYPMS acceptances were pretty much #1 in school with outstanding ECs and (almost) perfect scores.</p>
<p>I am participating in an Olympiad next year, but that will not help my application in any way because it will be after the decisions.</p>
<p>Since you seem obsessed with Harvard, here is a post for you
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1204253-what-not-so-great-about-harvard.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1204253-what-not-so-great-about-harvard.html</a>
Remember no college is ideal. It is what you make of it. I have seen people who work with me who went to small state colleges and are doing extremely well, and I have seen people from the so-called Ivy leagues still trying to find their way around.</p>
<p>That was interesting but I think I fit the stereotypes. Anyway, I am going to work and let the decision rest with the adcoms.</p>