mid-level college suggestions for physics studies

Looking to find a few schools that are not the “top 20” that have great physics departments. All areas of US, not quite as interested in Western US, or West coast, but that is still an option (just far and cost is factor). Since those top 20 schools are difficult to get into for even very high stats, want to help our list of good match schools that have great physics and especially research opportunities. Thanks for the help

Lawrence in Wisconsin has a good reputation for physics, and my kid enjoyed her lunch conversation with a physics prof there. If you’re looking at Top 20, Lawrence will likely be a safety and give you merit.

Union has a strong physics department, which includes Chad Orzel, an outstanding writer and educator.

Stats would help for better recommendations.

Stats: likely will be valedictorian. 4.6 gpa Full IB with all HL classes (6) Completed IB HL Math in 11th grade. 35 ACT. Varsity soccer 4 years, Varsity golf 4 years, all the honor socities, State Honors choir, HS musical Nominations lead vocal/actor 3 years, lots of volunteer. will apply to some top 20, but those seem to be toss up. Need good Tier 2 schools to be realistic (and financially responsible) with emphasis on Physics and research. Thanks

I hope you’ll give the top schools a chance. My brother studied physics at Caltech (BS and PhD). It was an awesome experience taking courses from (and later working as a TA for) Feynman and Gell-Mann. It’s a pretty good location and a great college. Incredible intellectual environment in some ways. Everybody is brilliant. An uncle also attended Caltech in Geology (MS and PhD). A kid interested in physics initially is going to get awesome opportunities in other fields as well.

Price limit and state of residency?

Thanks @mackinaw Wow CalTech is incredible! just so very very selective. Would be amazing to go there!

TN is state of residency. Will need and should qualify for need based aid.

In that case, run the NPC for Lawrence (and any other school that doesn’t meet full need). They don’t meet 100% of need, and may not be affordable.

For physics, check the upper level offerings to see that the usual expected courses are offered:

intermediate / advanced mechanics
electromagnetism and optics (often two semesters)
quantum mechanics (often two semesters)
statistical and thermal physics
upper level physics lab

Some physics departments will have additional upper level physics.

It looks like your state schools like UTK and TTU have the basics but not much in the way of electives:

http://catalog.utk.edu/content.php?filter%5B27%5D=PHYS&filter%5B29%5D=&filter%5Bcourse_type%5D=-1&filter%5Bkeyword%5D=&filter%5B32%5D=1&filter%5Bcpage%5D=1&cur_cat_oid=1&expand=&navoid=104&search_database=Filter#acalog_template_course_filter
http://catalog.tntech.edu/content.php?filter[27]=PHYS&filter[29]=&filter[course_type]=-1&filter[keyword]=&filter[32]=1&filter[cpage]=1&cur_cat_oid=16&expand=&navoid=3028&search_database=Filter&filter[exact_match]=1#acalog_template_course_filter

Lawrence University was mentioned above. Its physics courses are listed here:

https://www.lawrence.edu/academics/course_catalog/online_catalog/y2019/DEPT-PHYS

Be sure to run the net price calculator for every college you are considering to see if it may be affordable. (Claims to “meet need” are dependent on the college’s definition of your “need”, so that by itself does not assure that a given college is affordable or not.)

What type of physics is the student most interested in? Are they aiming for grad school?

Take a look at CU Boulder. Other schools I have seen mentioned here for physics are UC Santa Cruz and Florida State.

Yes to Grad school. U of Chicago seems best choice for that.

@ucbalumnus Thanks. Have checked into UTK and did Governor’s school there. Hoping to find a step above that school that is not the “prestigious 20” to have good match schools, preferably not deep south (yes, there are some exceptions, but ready to explore other areas of US and cultures).

I would take a look at T20 liberal arts colleges. They’re rarely listed together with the usual research universities (Ivies, Stanford, Caltech, etc), but have impeccable resources because they have the luxury of focusing on a small number of students. Their acceptance rates are often twice as high as their Ivy counterparts. Recent Apker Prize winners have included undergraduate work by students from Wesleyan (CT) and Williams (MA):
https://www.aps.org/programs/honors/awards/apker.cfm

Thread from a few months ago-
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/2055304-best-second-tier-physics-astro-schools-beyond-the-elite-p1.html

I’ll just add good luck to your child in finding a great school that fits and this little anecdote. My wife a professor at a school ranked above 100 in the latest USNEWS rankings has a former TA that earned her BS in Math/Physics at this school and went on to earn a prestigious scholarship to get Masters in the UK (OxBridge) and then get PhD in Physics at one of the top Ivy league schools for Physics and is now doing a post-doc at another top Ivy. So let your child know that not attending one of the ‘top’ UG schools will in no way stop him from achieving his goals.

@Mom2aphysicsgeek can give you a personal anecdote of her child’s journey as a Physics major at Alabama where your son’s 35 ACT and GPA can get him a nice merit award.

If your child is a daughter, consider Wellesley.

Can’t help but mention U Rochester when I hear Physics and Research combined. Good opportunities for both need based and merit aid with those stats add to the recommendation.