<p>I am a transfer sophomore from China. I have accepted to these four universities. I major in physics. BU accepted me in college of engineering. I am making the decision now. I would like to see some opinion from you! Thank you!</p>
<p>Stony Brook is a public university in the New york State system.<br>
Tuition is relatively inexpensive ($10,000 for tuition) compared to BU ($36,000 for tuition) then you have to add room and board to each.
Stony Brook is highly regarded for its sciences.
According to the website, there are roughly 17% Asians, if that is a consideration. You should feel comfortable there.
Location- suburban. Close to shops/cafes off campus. A large mall and other shopping very closeby.
Housing? Don't know if you are guaranteed housing as a transfer student. You can email admissions at both schools about this. Maybe facebook some kids who need roommates- do this early.</p>
<p>On the other hand, BU is also a good school. It is a real city campus if that is what you prefer. Bu is also a private school and will be much more expensive.</p>
<p>academic wise...... i think BU is better but if money is a big factor then stony brook.</p>
<p>Stony Brook has a way better physics program than any of those schools. If you are serious about Physics, the answer is Stony Brook. If you are more interested in the overall college atmosphere, go to BU.</p>
<p>I am not sure better then any other school, but ive took physics 1 and 2 the teacher isnt pretty good. Their curriculum might be good but not the teacher. I also dont like the txtbk they use either.</p>
<p>You really can't judge a program by the I & II intro courses -- a lot of students take those, so they're taught very differently from major courses.</p>
<p>Our Physics department is very well regarded and well funded.</p>
<p>Chris</p>
<p>haha, Thanks! What about Maryland college Park(I write wrong before)? The most important thing I consider is which school will help me to find a better job or go to a better graduate school. Actually, I do not want to be a scientist in the future. If go to graduate school I want to change a major.</p>
<p>By the way, does anybody know about Mount Holyoke College?</p>
<p>knightdragon, like I said before on this board, I know 4 or 5 physics students from Stony Brook who ended up at top 20 PhD programs for physics. Ideally, a physics major is not going to be taking PHY 121/122 or whatever it was you took. Physics majors are going to be advanced quantum physics or senior lab.</p>
<p>I knew a lot of physics majors at Stony Brook, along with math majors, and if you do well here you have a good chance of getting into a top notch graduate school. Take advice from people who know the physics faculty and know the undergrad physics program, not someone who just took intro to Physics courses.</p>
<p>Maryland College Park is also an excellent choice for physics.</p>
<p>None of the other schools you mentioned have great physics programs. If you want more info, PM me. I specialized in mathematical physics in the math department at Stony Brook and I've worked with both math and physics professor.</p>
<p>Well 17% Asians doesn't necessarily mean oriental people</p>
<p>Dont get me wrong, I am not saying the physics program itself is not good. I am trying to say that from the intro classes that i have taken, the teacher was not much of a help and you need to put alot of effort to understand the materials by yourself (not saying you shouldnt in the first place) rather then relying on the professor. Of course there is alot of teacher that might be better and will help you in anyway possible, but not the ones that i have.</p>
<p>And I heard that maryland park is a good school for engineering not sure about physics.</p>
<p>Maryland-College Park is amazing in Physics. Here are their rankings:</p>
<p>
[quote]
US News & World Report (2009)</p>
<h1>13 among Physics Graduate Programs</h1>
<h1>5 in Atomic/Molecular/Optical</h1>
<h1>13 in Condensed Matter</h1>
<h1>13 in Elementary Particles/Field/String Theory</h1>
<h1>10 in Nuclear</h1>
<h1>2 in Plasma</h1>
<h1>9in Quantum
[/quote]
</h1>
<p>UM</a> Physics Rankings</p>
<p>They are top 15 in a lot of programs, and I doubt their over Physics program is any lower.</p>
<p>For Stony Brook, I believe they are ranked 22nd overall in the nation which is really good.
[quote]
Stony Brook's Physics program was ranked in a tie for 22nd...
[/quote]
Stony</a> Brook Cited Nine Times in US News & World Report Rankings</p>
<p>Both schools would be good choices as far as the rankings goes, but you do have to weigh other factors including cost of attendance and the whole college experience.</p>