<p>Strictly from the viewpoint of getting into the graduate program at Columbia, what would be the benefit of going to Columbia over Alabama (assuming college GPA and GREs are roughly the same)?</p>
<p>This is the extension of another thread, but I didn't want to bury it at the end...</p>
<p>And on a related note, this forum is amazing and so much more helpful than most of the other CC forums. I recieved thirteen replies in a few hours on another post, and not just replies, but well-informed replies from those that have been there and done that. Thank you all so much for helping us kids out.</p>
<p>If you are planning to study physics, it is better not to be an undergraduate at the institution where you want to do graduate work. Few grad programs accept undergraduates from their own institutions, believing they should have exposure to different faculty.</p>
<p>That said, from the point of view of being accepted into a top graduate program in physics, it would be better to have graduated from Columbia. But Alabama may have some excellent faculty in physics who would be able to write impressive recs for you eventually; you should also look into research opportunities at Alabama. Are these the only two places you have applied to?</p>
<p>I would generally agree with Marite's post though I think that a good relationship with the physics department faculty at a major university like alabama where you could get great research experience and letters of recommendation would eclipse the benefit of an ivy over a large public. If you were the top physics student at Alabama the year you graduate and you have achieved great grades and shown promise of quality scholarship you should be competitive for any grad program. By the way did I miss something here? I didn't see physics in your initial posting.</p>
<p>If you graduate from Columbia the faculty writing your letters of recommendation will probably be well known in the field. This will work to your advantage in the admissions process. That said, if Alabama was quality physics facutly, that advantage will be diminished. I'd recommend investigating the research opportunities at each school, though, because research experience is crucial in graduate admissions.</p>
<p>Sorry, yes, it's physics. It was a carryover from another thread and I forgot to mention that.</p>
<p>They're not the only two I have applied to, but they're the colleges the decision will probably come down to. If I decide to pay the money to go to a college without merit aid, that college will be Columbia.</p>
<p>Thanks for the helpful replies. I suppose the key thing is that you have to work hard and stand out wherever you go.</p>
<p>Thanks for the helpful replies. I suppose the key thing is that you have to work hard and stand out wherever you go.</p>
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<p>I think this is basically correct but can be more precise ... for example, if you'd like to get into a top Physics PhD program you had better stand out at Columbia (excellent recs and grades (not necessarily 4.0)) or blow away Alabama (4.0 GPA and amazing recs). I went a couple of top grad schools and both times the class was made up of maybe 2/3rds from top schools with excellent undergrad work (3.5 and up) and 1/3 from other schools (almost all 4.0s). You can get into a top grad program from anywhere but you need the maturity and talent to blow away the program at OK schools from the get go.</p>
<p>don't underestimate marite's point about the difficulty of going from undergrad to grad at the same school. Many top schools have an unwritten, but well-known bias against their kids staying on in the same program for grad school. I don't know anything about Columbia, but I know the several schools on the west coast where it is just understood that kids should go elsewhere for their own education.</p>
<p>Thanks again. My aim for graduate school at Columbia isn't set in stone at this point, obviously, but I do know that I am going to go to a top school for physics grad work. I'm leaning towards going to Columbia for undergrad at this point. Of course, my decision could be made for me, as I haven't exactly been accepted at Columbia yet.</p>