Hi everyone,
I’m a rising sophomore student at a top 20 university interested in transferring. I have taken a lot of math and physics and my goal is to major in either math or physics. I’ve taken math up to real analysis, and will probably take abstract algebra 1 and topology in the fall. For physics, I have taken the honors physics sequence so I am going to move into either upper div quantum or e&m in the fall. My question is, what should put as my intended major on the application? Math or physics? Is it easier to get in for physics? How does this work for students attempting the junior transfer? I heard that transferring into a smaller department is easier, and this is usually physics. I am still not sure what I want to go into yet. I really like both. The reason I am asking this here is because I can try to cater my schedule towards the subject for the upcoming year just for the application, and since I’m pretty far ahead it won’t damage my trajectory at all. I don’t have any research experience other than some statistical analysis in R and Matlab for a random project.
Unless the school you are applying to has a limit on the number of majors they accept, it won’t matter at all. It might even be relatively straightforward to switch majors once you enroll. My question is why are you transferring, it is likely that your current school has fine math and physics programs.
It’s because my current school doesn’t fit my personality and the student body is quite homogeneous in terms of diversity. This is important to me because I am seeking an undergraduate education centered in the liberal arts in order to grow as a person. I don’t believe college is a time to only beef your resume. I can always learn more physics and math down the line, it’s not hard to teach yourself when you’re used to it, but a liberal arts education matching my desired goals is a once in a lifetime opportunity. My current school has a strong community and I value that a lot, but I know that there are other schools with strong community and offer a liberal arts education in a diverse student body. Therefore, I am deciding to at least consider transferring. It’s early in the process so I might decide against it, but it is in the back of my mind.