Columbia [or U of Chicago for that matter, another elite U with a fantastic Physics Dept and the Core] is clearly not for you!
Okay so which colleges can I go to that will allow me to do essentially only math and physics? Please list all such colleges in the top 35. Thanks for your help.
Brown has no core, so you can avoid any subject you wish. Schools like Caltech and MIT will not have a rigorous humanities requirement either.
I will need to apply to more than 3 schools. Could you provide some more examples. Thanks very much!
This question about theoretical physics at Columbia reminds me of a story my daughter told me. In high school she participated in SHP, or Columbia’s Science Honor’s Program, taking an introduction to quantum physics. Her instructor, a post-doc in theoretical physics was trying to Xerox an article for her but couldn’t figure out how to operate the copy machine. At that moment, Allen Blaer, full prof and director of SHP walked by and said, “that’s why he’s a theoretical physicist.”
I’m no expert on theoretical physics, but I don’t think that BSing the stuff that you aren’t interested in will take you very far…
Columbia has one of the best physics departments in the world (splitting atom, Manhattan Project, transitor radio, etc.) And probably the most Nobels. You have the advantage of a top liberal arts college and a top engineering school as well. Yes, you will have humanities distribution requirements, as opposed to MIT and Caltech that will have many more engineering requirements that may also be “outside your field.” The draw of Columbia is its Renaissance education and and exposure to all a wealth of information by experts in every field. If you are more interested in a narrow subject, a European education would more suit you.