Virginia Tech, Pitt, Rutgers, UNC, NC State and Notre Dame came to mind. BU if he likes Boston. UW or Oregon if he wants the west coast. Friend’s son is at Notre Dame for Physics and loves it.
Given full-pay, my strategy would be to find 2 safeties and then shoot for the moon. Apply to Pitt or another rolling admit school, get an acceptance soon and then play the lottery and apply to several Ivies and other T20’s.
The OP said they were looking for Matches/safeties for physics
@bopper And I referred to CWRU as a low-reach, high-match, which is true w/strong stats.
Thank you to everyone for their comments and suggestions. I have to catch up and digest. He just confirmed that he plans on applying ED to an Ivy (one of the two schools that he has toured). He understands that this is a long shot. I’d like him to also apply EA somewhere. Michigan is a logical choice because his brother attends but he isn’t wild about it for some reason (I think Michigan is amazing but I’m not the one applying). Maybe UNC? Time is running out so he may just skip the Nov. 1 EA.
The purpose of my initial post was for matches/safeties because, well, it’s not difficult to find reaches. Our community is pretty affluent so kids (and parents) talk about the same handful of schools. I’m hoping he’ll look a bit wider. I think he has done virtual tours and read Niche reviews. I’m prepared to advise him to apply broadly for the RD round and then visit those schools which accept him.
Back to safeties/matches. So many good suggestions here! Thank you. I’m a Big Ten fan so I’m going to suggest Purdue, etc. as well as the rest of the suggestions. I’ll circle back with more questions on those! Seems like finding two safeties is a good approach. Especially if they are EA or rolling.
FYI, I don’t want to over stress the astrophysics piece since he is only 17 and still has lots of interests. He did an internship at NASA this summer and has always been interested in black holes. It is kind of an existential interest, if that makes sense. He likes the math aspect, too. Honestly, he could end up in finance for all I know.
Does anyone know about the Physics at Colgate? I’d love him to include at least one LAC on his list. Colgate is a bit larger than others so maybe this is a possibility.
Thank you again for everyone’s thoughtful responses.
If your son is going to apply to Purdue, be sure to make the EA deadline. They fill the majority of the class in EA.
Has he considered Harvey Mudd in addition to Pomona? All of the consortium selling points, plus a rigorous core curriculum and a top-notch physics department.
How about Tufts? There are several posts about Astrophysics on their admissions blog. Seems like the kind of atmosphere he might like.
https://admissions.tufts.edu/blogs/jumbo-talk/post/why-i-study-astrophysics-at-tufts-and-why-you-should-too/
https://admissions.tufts.edu/blogs/jumbo-talk/post/choosing-astrophysics/
Of course, neither Mudd nor Tufts is a safety. UCF would be a safety, and the Burnett Honors College offers a great student experience. https://www.ucf.edu/news/for-those-who-dream-of-space-ucf-is-the-place/
Can’t second this enough.
Even with his stats, regular decision will be very tough due to the number of students taken EA.
Thank you for the heads up on Purdue EA. We are discussing his early application plan this weekend. He received his 2nd SAT score today and now has a 1590 superscore between the two. He is happy. Can’t be over confident though as I know scores are just a piece. And maybe even matter less this year??
Regarding Harvey Mudd, he was supposed to tour there last spring but it was cancelled. I was under the impression that students can take classes at all of the consortium schools. Such an interesting set up. Is it common for applicants to apply to multiple Claremont schools? I visited the campus a couple of years ago with my daughter. I couldn’t believe a college that gorgeous existed. It was like going to school in a botanical garden.
And those links to the Tufts Jumbo articles are great…real student experiences. Thanks!
Yes, but (a) the college offering the course may give registration priority to its own students, and (b) the student’s actual college may limit the number of cross registration courses or their applicability to specific requirements.
Not sure, but each of them has a distinct flavor that may limit the number that any given student will want to apply to. Some majors are offered at only some of the colleges.
Colgate’s physics faculty mentored an Apker recipient. The award represents the highest distinction in the U.S. for undergraduate research in physics.
Of the Claremonts, Scripps seems to receive the most recognition for its beauty, e.g. https://www.bestdegreeprograms.org/best-beautiful-small-college-campuses-america/.
Others from the consortium appear to be less widely appreciated for their aesthetics, however, e.g. https://patch.com/california/claremont-laverne/two-claremont-colleges-named-among-ugliest-campuses-in-nation#:~:text=In%20creating%20a%20list%20of,was%20listed%20at%20number%2047 and https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/colleges-universities/americas-ugliest-college-campuses.
I should have specified… it was Pomona’s campus that blew me away. I liked the desert vibe of Pitzer, too. No doubt my impression was influenced by the dreary March weather we had left behind in New York.
Pitzer, admirably, practices xeriscaping.
People absolutely do apply to multiple Claremont schools, if there are several that fit what they’re looking for. (I’d expect the appropriate overlap maxes out at 2-3 schools in most cases, though.) Mudd is definitely STEM-focused (although it still bills itself as a STEM-focused LAC), but fewer than half are engineering majors (although if you combine engineering and CS, you’ve accounted for more than 2/3). In any given year, around 7-13% major in physics or math+physics. For your son, probably Pomona and Mudd are the ones to consider; a female student with the same interests might consider Scripps as well. The question with Mudd would be whether their intense core curriculum appeals. https://www.hmc.edu/academics/common-core-curriculum/
At Pomona, physics occasionally cracks the top 5 majors but usually not; the percentage of physics majors is under 5%, but Pomona is twice the size of Mudd so the cohort size is similar, and with cross-registration, the Mudd and Pomona physics majors probably end up overlapping quite a bit in upper-division classes.
Curriculum-wise, Mudd is the least integrated into the consortium because of its heavy core requirements; but Mudd students still register freely throughout the consortium for electives. My daughter, who’s a senior at Scripps, has taken classes at all of the colleges- two at Mudd, and even more at each of the others; she’s dual majoring with her primary major based at Pomona. Not every class is open to cross-registration but the vast majority of non-core classes are. Athletics (varsity, club, and rec) are split between Pomona/Pitzer and Claremont/Mudd/Scripps, so if a particular club sport is of interest, Pomona vs. Mudd would be a different team.
Architecture-wise, yes, each campus has a different aesthetic, but students can enjoy all of them. Being able to graze freely at the 7 dining halls across all 5 campuses is a plus as well, in non-pandemic times. (There is of course an app - developed, not surprisingly, by a Mudd student - that consolidates all of the menus for ease of choosing where to eat.)
Overall, it would be a noticeably different experience to be based at Mudd vs. Pomona, but from what you’ve said about him, I could imagine his preference going either way.
In a recent year, Harvey Mudd and Pomona registered 14 and 12 graduating physics “first majors,” respectively.
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Harvey+Mudd&s=all&id=115409#programs
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Pomona&s=all&id=121345#programs
My son has applied to several schools for engineering however his gut was telling him it isn’t the best fit. A couple days ago he decided on physics for undergrad, possibly as premed. He has a lot of interest in math and science however hasn’t found his passion yet. We live in Louisiana which really limits undergrad options to LSU and La. Tech. He has already been accepted into Texas A&M for engineering. Still waiting on others. Most comments regarding engineering is if the school is accredited go to cheaper option and avoid student load debt. Is this same sentiment with physics?
The highest ranked school he’s applying to is Rice ED. Realistically the cost will be too prohibitive. Any opinions on other schools will be appreciated.
People will fight me on this, but overall physics is a pretty steady major. There is an agreed core curriculum that every college will cover, which is enough to prepare a student for grad school. Bigger schools typically have more classes, and the state schools (esp the former Land Grant unis) often have more & better toys (ok, equipment) than smaller schools. Key is to start getting research experience to see what- if any- aspects are particularly interesting. REU applications typically open in Dec/Jan (assuming they run next summer).
One advantage of physics > engineering is that you don’t have to decide as early. You can go from physics UG to eng Grad and although transferring into Engineering is typically challenging, physics is the easiest major to do it from. Also, he might be interested in Materials Science, which is a very hot field at the intersection of science and engineering.
@collegemom3717
Thanks for the reply. Funny you mention materials. For awhile that was going to be his major. For some reason he drifted away. One of the problems is it’s not offered at La Tech or LSU for undergrad. Have to go oos.
@Ladadof3 Why was there a Rice ED application if you already know that “the cost will be too prohibitive” ?