<p>My younger son will be a Senior this Fall and has expressed an interest in majoring in Physics. His SAT scores, taken in his Junior year, were CR 660 and M 720. Unfortunately, he suffers from ADHD, refuses to take ritalin and as a result he frequently forgot to turn in homework and complete assignments and ended his Junior year with a cumulative GPA of around 3.1. While I think he has the SAT scores to be a competitive applicant for a UC, I realize with his GPA that the best we can realistically hope for is acceptance at a CSU. Since CSUs are not research institutions I am aware that none are likely to have Physics Departments that compare with any of the UCs, but does anyone know which of the CSUs have the best regarded Physics departments and programs in the CSU system? I do not know whether this is an impacted major or not. We live in the CSU Sacramento service area.</p>
<p>Cal Poly - both SLO and Pomona - would be the best for physics, but a bit of a reach with his GPA (is that 3.1 unweighted?) Slightly easier to get into but still good would be SJSU and CSU-Chico. Have you considered UC Santa Cruz - it has a very good physics department and with good SAT-II scores he’d have a shot.</p>
<p>The good news is that homework in college isn’t typically a large part of the grade, but it does help to do it in order to be prepared for mid-terms and finals.</p>
<p>What is his UC GPA? UC Riverside is another possibility, with lots of professors in the department but not many students. A family friend is a physics major there and very happy with the program and personal attention. Another possibility to check out is the University of Arizona. Take a look at their SALT program, which supports students with learning disabilities. </p>
<p>I’ll reiterate what vballmom said about homework. For a physics major, doing the homework is absolutely necessary, since it is really how students learn the material.</p>
<p>I want to thank you both for your suggestions, they were really helpful. I had not really considered UCSC and UC Riverside and will investigate it further. My son’s college GPA is only 3.1 while the average for accepted students at UCSC is 3.49 so he is definitely at a disadvantage there. However, he did get a 3.5 for the last quarter of his Junior year so he might get some credit for an upward trend. On the other hand, his 660 in CR is well above average for UCSC and his 720 on the math section of the SAT puts him in the top 8% of accepted students in math and should demonstrate he has the aptitude to do university level work in a quantitative subject like Physics. I need to do more research on UC Riverside to see how competitive he would be for admission there but I have heard that it is not as selective as UC Berkely or UCLA.</p>
<p>I realize his failure to do homework assignments and even when he does do them, to turn them in, will be a problem in Physics. I received my BS in Astronomy before going to medical school and had to take a lot of Physics courses. He has a hard time concentrating on homework and puts very little effort into it. I am giving him daily math and physics assignments over the summer break and trying to impress upon him the importance of putting more effort into doing more problems as preparation for tests. One problem he has is if he does not instantly recognize how to solve a problem he gives up on it. I have been explaining to him that in college level Physics courses the solution to a problem is rarely going to be immediately obvious and sometimes you have to spend hours on a problem before you finally figure it out. If he can somehow come to terms with that and motivates himself to make a stronger self-effort I think he has the potential to do well in Physics. </p>
<p>Again, thank you both for your advice</p>
<p>UC Merced might be another possibility. But the best bet could be for your S to attend community college, then do a TAG program to transfer to UCSD or Davis or Santa Barbara or Irvine or??</p>
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<p>Say no more, you obviously entirely understand what your son will need to do. 
As you say, students have to know that they might not be able to solve a problem immediately. Realizing that this is common rather than a character deficiency is one of the toughest things about physics. </p>
<p>Transferring from community college to a four year school is generally a great idea, but not for physics. If you’re considering this option, talk to the transfer coordinators at the CC and ask if any transfers ended up completing a physics major at the UC. Talk to the Physics departments at the UC and ask if they’ve had CC transfers complete an undergrad degree. </p>
<p>Riverside is far less competitive than UCLA and Berkeley; my (perhaps erroneous) impression is that they will take just about any student who is UC-eligible. Note that UCR and UCSC have very different cultures.</p>
<p>Apologies if you and your son have already ruled this out, but he might want to revisit the medication issue.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>OP, your son and mine have much in common, although my son DID take his meds. Taking meds alone does not get homework done and turned in. Meds help if you are motivated, but the motivation has to be there. Trust me on this ( I do this for a living), and don’t bother with what ifs! UCSC gives “points” for big improvements in GPA, so my son may go for it too, but the odds are not in his favor. Your son’s SAT’s are better and I feel quite certain he will get in to Riverside.</p>