<p>Hey, I'm trying to find a reasonable college (in affordability and admission) to basically help me get a foothold into the Physics field. I'm home-schooled, don't have any ECs or AP programs, and my grades are... not what they should be due to personal problems I've had recently. I'm a junior, taking only "normal" classes, because that's all that is available in my program.</p>
<p>Anyway, I intend to get a Bachelor's in Physics at a middle-class college and go to MIT or similar for postgrad work.</p>
<p>I'm afraid I don't have a lot of specifics, but I just need some general recommendations on which colleges would be a good idea.</p>
<p>Well, it’s a good start to look at the colleges in your state since those will make affording college easier with lower tuition and easier admit rates for their instate students. Most colleges require the SAT or ACT, so taking either one will give you a wider range of colleges to apply to.</p>
<p>I suggest that if you are money-conscious, to go to community college for the first 1 or 2 years, get good grades, then transfer to the top public schools in your state as that is the cheapest route and much easier vs trying to get into the best schools with low grades and weak ECs.</p>
<p>That could be your backup plan, and as for affordable colleges out of state, your options are slim and they tend to hold higher admissions standards if they are public. </p>
<p>Where you do your undergraduate work doesn’t matter as much as having a lot of research in physics, internships, a high college GPA, GRE scores and letter of recommendations from professors. I know people who have gone to low ranked colleges and went to the top schools in their field because of their strong credentials.</p>
<p>Some people will look at the school’s grad school program rankings to determine how strong their school’s department will be. You can search for the colleges you’re interested in here and see their cost, admissions ratings, rank, etc. But take the rankings with a grain of salt since you can still be successful at the lower ranked colleges.</p>