help choosing school for physics

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm not really too sure of any schools that aren't ivy or top schools with reputable programs for physics/astrophysics. I know a lot of the top schools have these programs, but I wouldn't be able to get in with a few of my grades...</p>

<p>HELP</p>

2

<p>…bump</p>

3

<p>If you want help then you need to give up your numbers.</p>

4

<p>You might consider Florida State: [Physics</a> at Florida State University |](<a href=“http://www.physics.fsu.edu/undergrads/WhyYouShouldMajorInPhysics.htm]Physics”>http://www.physics.fsu.edu/undergrads/WhyYouShouldMajorInPhysics.htm)</p>

5

<p>top physics programs according to the Gourman Report, listed in rank order:
Caltech
Harvard
Cornell
Princeton
MIT
UC Berkeley
Stanford
U Chicago
U Illinois UC
Columbia
Yale
Georgia Tech
UC San Diego
UCLA
U Pennsylvania
U Wisconsin Madison
U Washington
U Michigan AA
U Maryland CP
UC Santa Barbara
U Texas Austin
Carnegie Mellon
U Minnesota
RPI
Brown
JHU
Michigan St
Notre Dame
SUNY Stony Brook
Case Western
Northwestern
U Rochester
U Pittsburgh
Penn State
U Colorado Boulder</p>

6

<p>GPA-3.9 W
3.3 UW</p>

<p>SAT-600 M, 550 R</p>

<p>ACT-29</p>

<p>I can do waaay better on the SATs, I was really nervous going in but I feel like I can do much better second try.</p>

<p>And I’m an AA male in FL and my parents income is around $300,000.</p>

<p>I’ve never been the best student, but I’ve been self-studying Astrophysics since like 7th grade and have never gotten lower than an A in Science of Social Studies courses.</p>

7

<p>thanks collegehelp and def thanks parent2noles, I love the FSU campus</p>

<p>anymore?</p>

8

<p>You’re welcome. Some ratings for FSU arts and sciences: [FSU</a> Highlights](<a href=“Rankings | Florida State University”>Rankings | Florida State University)</p>

9

<p>

What’s “AA”?
Affirmative Action?
Above Average?
Alchoholics Anonymous?</p>

10

<p>Amazing American, I’d wager. ;)</p>

11

<p>ascholar-
Do you want a small or large school? LAC or University? Location an issue? These may help in making recommendations.</p>

<p>Gourmans guide is a great resource, but I am not sure its been updated in many years. Anyone know?</p>

12

<p>Here’s another (older) thread on this topic <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/459847-physics-best-undergraduate-physics-programs.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/459847-physics-best-undergraduate-physics-programs.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

13

<p>lol African American…but also an Amazing American </p>

<p>and school size really doesn’t matter, and really just schools Florida, Midwest, and the East</p>

14

<p>

</p>

<p>Yeah, that is because most of the top astrophysics are at ivy league schools
[Chronicle</a> Facts & Figures: Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/stats/productivity/page.php?year=2007&primary=4&secondary=38&bycat=Go]Chronicle”>http://chronicle.com/stats/productivity/page.php?year=2007&primary=4&secondary=38&bycat=Go)</p>

<p>However, not all of them are. Perhaps you might want to consider Univ of Colorado as it is located near NCAR and has a large physics presence on campus. Also among the non ivy league schools with strong astrophysics departments are Penn State, UCLA, UCSD and UCB.</p>

<p>By the way, kudos to you for being interested in astrophysics and being a minority. I heard a statistic that an African American gets a Phd in Astronomy or Physics on average, once every 13 years in this country.
<a href=“http://www.aps.org/programs/education/conferences/graduate/program/upload/StassunGradEd.ppt[/url]”>www.aps.org/programs/education/conferences/graduate/program/upload/StassunGradEd.ppt</a> - 2008-02-05</p>

15

<p>(collegehelp could you release a at least a small amount of information of top undergraduate schools for political science and international relations)</p>

16

<p>I’d urge you to look for schools where you’ll have an opportunity to get involved with a research project as an undergrad. Especially programs where there are professors who are truly interested in getting undergrads started on the road towards research careers. There really are a lot of schools where you’ll be able to find this type of environment. Some examples that sprang to mind, and which aren’t mentioned on the Gourman’s list above, are USC, Georgia State, Ohio State, Wesleyan, UC Riverside…that’s just for starters. There’s a whole range of selectivity even in that mini list.</p>

<p>You’ll want to contact the physics and/or astronomy departments at the schools you’re interested in, and ask them how undergrads get involved in research. If you’ve looked at the department’s website first, and can say that you’re especially interested in specific areas that are mentioned on the website, that’s helpful as well.</p>