<p>JW
10 char</p>
<p>Btw, should I even be applying here if I’m into physics? After checking CC, people claim that Duke is pretty weak in physics…</p>
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<p>Duke is actually very strong in physics, BUT very small. Thus, it doesn’t have as much prestige because of size of faculty, research breakthroughs, etc. There are about 10-15 physics majors a year. So, if you want a strong physics program (but certainly not MIT, CalTech, Stanford level) that gives plenty of individual attention in the context of a larger liberal arts university, then Duke might be a good fit for you. </p>
<p>Schools like Illinois, which is ranked in the top 10 in the country (i.e. ahead of Duke), probably won’t provide you with a better/education opportunity. It’s ranked that high based on sheer size/volume of research, which is considered quite important in scientific circles. I’d guarantee you that the quality of Duke physics students are far better than the quality of Illinois physics majors (from a GPA/SAT/ACT standpoint, I’m talking about). Same with engineering. I chose Duke engineering (ranked about 30) over Illinois (which is ranked top 5), and it wasn’t even close in my mind. Duke engineering students are so much better qualified than Illinois engineering students, you’d think the rankings were whack. Again, it’s based on size (Illinois has 14+ engineering departments, Duke has 4). But the quality of each individual department at Duke is just as steller as at Illinois (with some variations; i.e Duke BME destroy Illinois; the classes are smaller, there a more research opportunities, etc.) But based on size and research, Illinois engineering has more prestige because it has more historical breakthroughs and a larger number of highly sought faculty members. So, if you want aerospace, clearly you’re choosing Illinois since Duke doesn’t even offer it. Duke’s program is much smaller and thus not *as *widely known even though the professors, students, recruiting, research opportunities, etc. are all amazing. And as I said, the quality of students that choose to enroll at Duke engineering beat Illinois by a significant margin. That is for a reason.</p>
<p>Getting back on topic, at Duke physics, you definitely will do research with a high quality professor since their aren’t many physics majors. It’s a demanding major, but that’s probably the case anywhere. All three of Duke’s alumni who have won the Nobel Prize were in Physics (Hans Dehmelt, Robert Coleman Richardson, and Charles Townes). Not that that necessarily means anything, but shows you that Duke has historically churned out some amazing physicists - just not as many since it’s a small department. There are sufficient faculty members affiliated with the physics department, though, to conduct research in pretty much whatever you want though.</p>
<p>In summary, Duke certainly doesn’t have the cachet of Harvard, Stanford, CalTech, UChicago, MIT, etc. in physics. And it’s not up to those schools’ level - I’d choose those over Duke for Physics (except for UChicago since for me personally that’d be a mismatch, but it might fit you). Admittedly, it’s even ranked below schools such as Maryland, Wisconsin, and Illinois. But it’s not because of the quality of the students/faculty/opportunities at Duke physics. It’s just not as well known since it’s small. I’d *easily *choose Duke over that second segment of schools even though technically it’s ranked below them. By the way, Duke’s grad program in physics is tied with Brown, Carnegie Mellon, and Rice among others (according to USN&WR), so it’s certainly not chopped liver from the rankings standpoint either. </p>
<p>If you’re looking for a school that is a large research university with a great academic/social life balance and athletic scene, and want a small department with lots of faculty/student interaction and high quality students, then Duke physics might be perfect for you.</p>
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<p>Duke is also not up to the following (private) schools’ level: Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, Yale, Penn, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, etc.</p>
<p>bluedog’s post is most helpful, thanks</p>
<p>Actually it’s more like 5 physics majors a year.</p>