Theoretical physics to be more precise
This site from U.S. News, which pertains to undergraduate research opportunities, includes MIT and Columbia: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/undergrad-research-programs. Note, however, that if you were to consider this information, there’s no evident need for you to concentrate your attention on just a few schools.
1 Like
Thanks, I will definitely check it out. As I said, I’m looking for a more research-focused university with professors more involved in research. I just mentioned Columbia and MIT because I’ve seen some lectures online that were more research-focused and also know some of the professors who give lectures there, and they are more research-focused
With respect to student opportunities for mentored undergraduate research, you may want to familiarize yourself with the American Physical Society and the Apker Award: LeRoy Apker Award - Wikipedia. More subjectively, this post includes a few specific college suggestions: Where to undergrad in physics if grad school (PhD) is the goal? - #11 by merc81.
2 Likes
I will definitely check them out.Thanks a lot.
This will help your applications quite a bit.
You can get this at quite a few universities.
At the most famous and highest ranked universities such as MIT and Columbia, there are a very large number of research opportunities. However, there are also a very large number of very smart students. It is hard to stand out.
I have a daughter who attended a small university in Canada. Since it is both small, and in Canada, you have probably not heard of it. She was one of the stronger students, and quickly got to know her professors. This helped her to get very good research opportunities. After graduating she returned to the US, and relatively quickly had three job offers. Because she was interviewing during the pandemic her interviews were via zoom, so I actually got to hear a few of them from the next room. They got into a great deal of detail regarding what she had done while doing her research in university.
Also a lot of universities offer coop and internship options, where you might for example work at a company or work at a nearby research facility over the summer or while taking a semester off.
So there are research opportunities at a wide range of universities, both in the US and in other countries.
This does lead to the question of how you judge the extent of research opportunities at each university. I am not sure that I have a good answer to this question.
If you are the strongest student in your high school, then applications to MIT and Columbia makes sense. However, you definitely need to apply to universities where admissions is more likely.
2 Likes
Well, by research, I mean gathering content and engaging in discussions with people who may have ideas or frameworks they’re building. It’s not necessarily about conducting ‘experiments’ and ‘tests,’ although that would be great too.
1 Like
This approach may align with certain branches of philosophy at least as much as it aligns with the field of physics. Consider the contributions to the philosophy of science of Karl Popper, for example.
Yeah, sure, I suppose so as well. After all, physics originated from philosophy in a way, I suppose.
I apologize if I didn’t quite get what you meant, and I’m kinda confused right now. Many people are telling me not to apply because of my 3.7 GPA and not-so-great extracurriculars, while others are telling me to apply. I don’t know what to do.
When you started your thread, you started it with a 3.64 GPA and did not indicate that you were an international student who had attempted to convert a GPA. At many U.S. high schools, a 3.64GPA would be a challenging GPA to get into Columbia or MIT (unless the school was known for particularly hard grading). Once it was determined that you were an international student and what your original GPA was (and how to consider that GPA) and the fact that you’re at the top of your high school, then that changed people’s analysis of your chances at these schools (i.e. an extremely small chance, to a chance that is not likelier than 20%).
If you’re interested in theoretical physics, this ranking appears to be based on the number of publications associated with them: Theoretical Physics in the US: 100+ Best colleges Ranked.
Additionally, you may also be interested in this website where you can see which institutions created the greatest number of alumni who went on to earn a doctorate in physics: Baccalaureate origins of doctoral recipients. If you look at the number of doctorates earned in physics and then divide by the undergraduate population, you might get a sense of how common/frequent it is for students at a given university to receive sufficient support and who have sufficient interest to complete their PhD.
Do you have universities in your home country that you can afford, that you are extremely likely to be accepted to, and that you would be happy to attend? Colleges that meet those three criteria (in your home country or anywhere else) should be the bedrock of your college search. Those are the schools you want to find first. Then, once you’ve found schools that meet those criteria, you can start looking at more selective schools where you may want to “shoot your shot.”
Based on your GPA and likely class rank, I am going to assume a competitive SAT/ACT score based on how I will sort this list.
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
- Stony Brook (NY)
- U. of Arizona
- U. of Colorado - Boulder
Likely (60-79%)
- Penn State
- Rutgers-New Brunswick (NJ)
- U. of Illinoise-Urbana Champaign
- U. of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- Ohio State
- Texas A&M
Toss-Up (40-59%)
- U. of Maryland
- U. of Washington
- U. of Wisconsin-Madison
Lower Probability (20-39%)
- U. of Rochester (NY)
Low Probability (less than 20%)
- Princeton
- Harvard
- MIT
- U. of Michigan
- Cornell
- U. of Chicago
Obviously, there are an assortment of other schools that could have gone on this list, and we know very little about what you want from your college education. But perhaps this framework might give you a better sense of how to organize your college search.
2 Likes
That estimate by ChatGPT was inaccurate and confused many people who responded.
The next step is to estimate your budget. For most Eastern European families, the cost of US college is so high that it’s hard to make sense of. Do you have a budget? Once your parents have paid for the plane ticket, how much money can they afford to use on your education (tuition, fees, room, board ie., food)?
You can run the Net Price Calculator on MIT’s website. Thr result will be inaccurate bc you have to pretend to be an American citizen and obviously you’re not, so any federal aid cannot be awarded; that being said, it’ll give you an idea of college costs and how the most generous university out there sees your financial situation. You can do the same with SUNY Bing or UColorado to compare.
Each university calculates differently and most don’t provide any need-based aid to internationals; some offer merit aid based on test scores, but the test format is unlike anything found in Europe and half of it is based on being a native English speaker so it’s really hard - even for a top student - to get a score worth full tuition, let alone a full ride.
That being said, universities like ASU and UArizona are generous with merit aid and are superb for physics so, if you reach the required score and have a 4.0 (which, if you’re at the top of your school, is likely - at a US HS several students may have a 4.0 and several may be valedictorians) you’d have a shot there. You can also look into UAHuntsville - some automatic scholarships for scores and science research park nearby.
1 Like
My S was rejected from Columbia, 34 ACT, 4.0 UW, I it was higher weighted, 4s and 5s on APs, including Calc BC, National Merit Commended, team captain. At the info session, Columbia said that they could fill the class 7 times over with kids who can do the work. From our high school they admit athletes and especially outstanding female fencers.
You can always apply, but make sure to apply to safeties too. Good luck!
1 Like
Apply if you want to. But make sure you also have other schools on your applications list that are a bit less competitive for admissions, just in case. It’s called having a balanced list of college applications…and it’s a good idea for all students.
1 Like
Sure I’ll make sure to apply to same safeties as well.Thanks a lot👍
1 Like
Of course.I just listed Columbia and MIT as examples.But I would assume that the t20 would have the “best” universities fit for research.
There are plenty of colleges outside of the top 20 that have great research opportunities for undergrads. The t-20 schools aren’t the only ones with this.
2 Likes
Definitely. So, I’m thinking of applying to some t50 schools, just in case no t20 college accepts my application. Would you recommend contacting a college advisor or counselor? Perhaps they could give some tips on how to enhance the application
Could you recommend like a link where there’s like a list of them?
And it’s not just top 50 schools that have good research opportunities for undergrads.
I don’t have a list. But I personally know undergrads at Rhodes who did great undergrad research that was published. Same with University of Hartford where a student was able to work in a great lab and develop some strong connections for grad school applications.
I’m not suggesting you apply to either of these schools. I’m just saying…you need to look at research opportunities for undergrads.
2 Likes
So you’re basically saying that any college could be considered ‘excellent’ in research, regardless of its official ranking or listing.