<p>I might consider applying at Tulane because they have cosmology. (Of course, it isn't as good as Tufts with respect to cosmology but perhaps it is good enough to make me even want to consider attending the school) But how good is Tulane for physics at the PhD level?</p>
<p>I know Tulane isn't the biggest name in cosmology, or even in physics, but how good is Tulane for recruiting? I know that it is no Penn State in this regard, either.</p>
<p>One last thing: is a $17,500 yearly budget livable in New Orleans?</p>
<p>I am a bit perplexed by your post. Are you applying for grad school or undergrad? I wonder because you ask about Tulane’s “Ph.D. level” quality. Do you mean the profs themselves or the Ph.D. program, and if the latter why do you ask if you are applying to be a freshman? I don’t mean that in a snarky way (damn Internet has no body language or tone of voice), I am just asking.</p>
<p>I also don’t understand your question about recruiting, but maybe that is because I don’t know the answer to the above. Does anyone recruit for cosmology at the BS degree level?</p>
<p>Finally, $17,500 as a budget depends on many factors. Are you assuming room and board are paid for? That is, if you are an undergrad. Again, some background on your situation and goals would be helpful in giving more sensible answers.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I’d want to apply for grad school there, so I inquire about the quality of the PhD program</p></li>
<li><p>I always assumed job placement services/events were open to all enrolled students, including grad students</p></li>
<li><p>$17,500 is a standard PhD stipend at Tulane…</p></li>
</ol>
<p>OK, that helps a lot. Yes, job placements services are open to all, I just was trying to get a feel for what level you were talking about.</p>
<p>Unfortunately I don’t know enough to comment on the resources available at Tulane for this level of work. I know Tipler has published some rather controversial work relating quantum theory and Christianity, but I don’t know if that is a direction you would want to go or if he has other avenues he is pursuing. For that matter, I don’t know if he is still taking on grad students. Based on his degree dates he must be in his 60’s.</p>
<p>Frankly I am not seeing a lot of depth in this area at Tulane, but to be sure you should contact Lev Kaplan, the assistant chair of the department. There may be more that just doesn’t show up in a quick search.</p>
<p>Finally, ~$1,500 per month isn’t a lot, but with a couple or 3 housemates somewhere to split rent with you could probably make it work. Quite often you can save money on food by looking for things going on at the campus where food is being served. You might be able to supplement your income by tutoring in math and physics.</p>
<p>Bottom line, talk to Lev Kaplan. His area is quantum chaos so he might have pretty good insight into your interests, or even be someone you would consider having as a dissertation advisor.</p>
<p>Let us know what you find out. Always good to collect information.</p>
<p>I agree with you it is the most important factor westcoast. I would only say that the stronger the program the more people, both profs and fellow grad students, there are around you on a regular basis to interact with in seminars, class, and hallway conversations. This is certainly an overall part of the graduate study experience, maybe 25% compared to the more important factor of what you choose to research and with whom.</p>
<p>Choosing an advisor depends on choosing a subfield and what one intends to do within that subfield. Hence choosing a subfield first and a school second.</p>
<p>Thus I ceased considering schools that doesn’t have cosmology. For each school I now consider I want to check whether they had what I wanted to do in cosmology.</p>
<p>Yes, that is true Catria. I just took what westcoast said to mean that you would only pick an advisor that is in the subfield you want. So I think he was saying the same thing you are. That is certainly what I did for grad school. I focused on schools that had at least one, and hopefully two or three people that did research in the particular area of chemistry (organometallics) that I liked. I could have gotten even more specific that that if I had wanted, but I was open to several lines of research within that subfield.</p>