I know the obvious answers of MIT, CalTech, Berkeley, etc., but whats more obvious is those schools are a stretch. I´m looking for schools that have a good physics and astronomy program (possibly so that I can advance to the schools listed above). I live in NC so any in-state colleges people know of will be useful as well.
UCSB is #1 ranked for physics. Look at their CCS program-- it’s phenomenal. Unfortunately UCSB would be OOS and not likely to get any aid.
What is your financial situation? Carleton might be a good choice, but still fairly selective.
Will you be applying to UNC, NCSU, and other NC public universities?
Yeah I´m definitely applying to NC State and UNC Chapel Hill (my grades are 3.7 and 4.3 GPA unweighted and weighted, respectively) and my financial situation is good, so it wouldn´t be impossible for me to go to the more expensive colleges like UChicago, etc., but it would be a drain.
What are your test scores? You could look at schools in Canada like U of Toronto and McGill which are both well regarded for physics and entry based on GPA/Scores. If you are a full pay kid then the cost will be significantly lower.
I had a friend that did Physics UG at UNC-CH and then John Hopkins for grad.
Full info, just to help you guys help me; 3.7 unweighted, 4.3 weighted, 1290 SAT (new one) 27 ACT, will retake both tests, and have will have taken 6 AP classes by the end of high school (currently a Junior).
The University of Arizona is the highest-rated “non-obvious” school on this list: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/space-science. They have a great reputation for optical engineering, too, which is closely related.
URochester, Stony Brook, BU, Purdue, and Rutgers are all well-ranked for physics, and less selective than MIT/Caltech/etc. I have a friend doing physics at Rochester, and the department is excellent.