<p>I am currently a freshman at Fordham University in Lincoln Center. I know Fordham is a great school it is just I have always had a interest in the sciences especially astronomy. My dream is to work or NASA one day (it is a dream though). I know I should probably major in Physics in my undergraduate college and then major in astronomy in my graduate school. The problem I have is that Fordham does not have a good science selection (I can't even major in physics at Lincoln center.) I am currently a commuter to Fordham, and being from NJ the commute is like 45 minutes- I take a train then the subway- it can be exhausting sometimes. What I need help on is that I really want to transfer but I don't know what schools have really good astronomy and physics programs that what help me learn more about these subjects:</p>
<p>Right now my first semester (fall semester) has ended- I will most likely get a 3.0 or higher (by the end of the spring semester I am aiming for an overall of 3.5 or higher)</p>
<p>-my HS GPA was around a 3.7 but my SAT's were not that good (around the 590's in each section- maybe a little lowers)</p>
<p>-I have gone to nicaragua and done a program down there helping the kids- I taught them english, visited the schools (I also did not stay in a hotel- it was not a vacation- I stayed with a family that my family sponsors- it was a Nicaraguan home)</p>
<p>-Since I never got the chance to really learn about astronomy in HS (the astronomy club barely met and never didi anything special- kids basically hung out and ate food) I am now a member of the NJAA- New Jersey Astronomical Association- I have not been able to really do anything in the NJJ but I plan on being really active during the summer- also after 6 months I will be able to take a test that will allow me to work on the 26 inch telescope they have in their observatory- along with this the NJAA gives many research opportunities that I will be involved in
-I also plan on doing a program for NASA during the summer</p>
<p>Kind of university I like:
- I would like to go to a top University that has a good Physics/ astronomy opportunities
-Fordham's core curriculum is very strict and I do not have the opportunity to take many courses I want to take- however I really like the kids at fordham they are very nice and individualistic and I would like the the university I transfer to, to have the same friendly people that Fordham has
-Also I want a good community (the University of Vermont's surounding area was SO boring for me I just could not go there and their buildings were boring and everything was so spaced out- it would take you like a mile to just get to the town if you walked) *I like the community feel of Georgetown and their buildings are so unique and interesting- I also like Harvards buildings and surrounding area as well)</p>
<p>-I was thinking of doing two years at Fordham and then Transferring because then my SAT and HS grades would not be looked at that much- is this a good idea
-I plan on working hard and for the most part I man taking corses that fordham requires of me and that leaves me to only choose two other courses I would like to take - chose calculus I and introduction to cultural anthropology- (I took the anthropology course because I was interested and I learned that one of the Rockefellers- as in Rockefeller center in NYC- would be teaching the class)- my grades in these two courses were a little low but I plan to get higher one during my spring semester (spring semester i will take Calculus II and a Gender,Power anthropoloy course</p>
<p>-With this said could someone please give me a list a universities that are really good in physics that I could get into ( I would like to get into an Ivy because of the great resarch opportunties but other top schools are ok as well)
- I do not like hot weather that much and prefer cold weather like in NYC and boston
-I also need a University to feel like a college (Fordham kind of lacks that being in NYC- but i do like NYC I mean it is NYC! however I prefer more college towns like Goerogetown and Harvard)
-Can anyone give me a list of top schools that I could get into with great physic/astronomy opportunities and what I should do to improve my chances of getting into them- I have been searching but it is just to stressful to find a really good school that fits what I want (also list some really good schools that transfers do not have to send SAT's to would also be helpful)</p>
<p>thanks for the help- I really appreciate it</p>
<p>"however I prefer more college towns like Goerogetown and Harvard"</p>
<p>" I will most likely get a 3.0 or higher "</p>
<p>wow, you need to be way more realistic my friend...you have poor sat's, poor ec's (pretty much a list of what you want to do, not what you have actually done), and it sounds like you are struggling in college...christ...if youre struggling at your current school, what makes you think harvard would even look at your application? your head is completely in the clouds. i'm not saying this to mean, although im aware it will come off this way, but if you think you are in any way shape or form currently ivy league material or anywhere close to it, you are setting yourself up for dissapointment, bigtime...be happy where your currently at, youre going to have trouble transferring to a better school </p>
<p>I am realistic- I said I would like to go to an ivy most people do but I want to know about more good universities that are not Ivies that is why I am asking( I mean come on most ivies do not accept a lot of transfers most people know this)- also I was not saying I wanted to go to Harvard/Georgetown- I was just saying i liked the surrounding town of harvard/georgetown- that kind of town is what I am looking for in a university (I know Harvard is not accepting now but I want to apply for junior year to schools)
- also I am doing well at my current school-sorry I made a typo I will probably get a 3.3 (I have a 3.5 but not all my grades have come in so they could get higher or a little lower-most likely higher- I did well on the finals) for this semester but by the end of the my freshman year I will get most likely get a soil 3.5 or higher
-also I was wait listed for georgetown my senior year in HS but did not get in- but was promised admissions if I applied for transfer-but do they have a good physics program?
-and I thought that SAT's did not matter that much if you were transfering for junior year (and when I said my Calculus grade was low I meant a B-/B I never had good teachers in my HS that taught math)--I am actually very good in math- just never had a good teacher- all my teachers in the past basically never taught me and I had to learn everything myself-
- since i am adjusting to being a commuter I have a better feel of what to do and expect so my grades will be better next semester (right now I have an A, B would of had a B+ or higher but I was late to class because of my train and the teacher has a rule of if your late more than 3 times he either fails you or lowers your grade a whole grade -SO unfair to commuter students , B+/A-, B, B- he was a really bad teacher unfortunately-everyone else in the class got around the same grade.
-just want to know what schools that are good in Physics I could get into- I can get my GPA to a solid 3.5 to a 4.0 (I do have another semester to go and another year)
-and right now for my ec. I am focusing on things that are centered around astronomy
-for being a FRESHMAN college is stressful enough because you are getting use to it- but for me I commute from NJ to NYC which was kind of a shock when I started because I have to wake up early to catch the train then go from Penn station to the subway(which I never used before- but have gotten use to it)-and would not get back home until 6-7 pm everyday of the week)
-I just want a list of good schools so that I can prepare for them- it does not matter if I am not qualified for them right now- I am not try to transfer now but in year from now (I have a year and a half to prepare and get better)-sorry also I have a 21 credits right now and 4 more in math from Harvard's summer program I did my senior year in HS and got an A in that class-it was taught by a Harvard Professor
-sorry if the writing is to long this is my first time writing here- if need any more info tell me please ;)</p>
<p>Also I did not list all my Ec's I have more (Ex. I had a job for a couple years, did sports, etc.-what other Ec should I do in college fordham does not really have anything that interests me- Lincoln center has not sports offered- also being a commuter my time is limited that is why I do Ec's that are more available to me at home like the NJAA.)</p>
<p>for the Ec's I have done: (they are not all of my ec's I just don't want to go on and on like others do- yo much typing)
-started research in the NJAA on meteors (collecting data for bigger organizations)</p>
<p>-I am part of an organization call that helps Nicaraguan children go to school, and supports them
-Volunteered for a BIG fundraiser for the children of Nicaragua to help get them sponsored, and funds
-Went to Nicaragua to visit the headquarters of the Fabretto organization that helps Nicaraguan children- there I visited the classes, interacted with the children, helped translate the letters of the sponsors, helped teach the kids english in their english class, and lived with the family my family sponsors
-I worked in a cooking studio for two years and taught disabled kids along with other young children on how to cook
-I also painted supermarket's windows for special holidays (Ex. Christmas, back to school, etc.)
-tutored kids
-in HS sports (Lacrosse, basketball- did sports clinics at princeton university in both of these for four years, and some other clinics as well)</p>
<p>sports are not going to be a big deal for the kind of schools you are talking about</p>
<p>"also I was wait listed for georgetown my senior year in HS but did not get in- but was promised admissions if I applied for transfer"</p>
<p>I've never heard of anything like that before, please elaborate</p>
<p>moving on, you are saying two different things and youre going to need to pick which one you want for us to address:</p>
<p>"Can anyone give me a list of top schools that I could get into with great physic/astronomy opportunities"</p>
<p>"I just want a list of good schools so that I can prepare for them- it does not matter if I am not qualified for them right now"</p>
<p>do you want us to give you a list of schools that you stand a realistic shot of getting into with the kind of grades that you have now? or do you want us to just give you a list of top schools in anticipation that you get a 4.0 the next three semesters? </p>
<p>Again, it seems as if Fordham is giving you enough trouble as is, a 3.3 your first semester will likely preclude you from being a competitive applicant to a "top school". sat's matter less as time goes on, but for a top physics program, less than 590 on your math section is going to be troublesome...again EVERYBODY on here claims that they'll get a 4.0 next semester, rarely does it happen, past performance is the best indicator of future performance...</p>
<p>The best schools for physics majors are MIT, UC-Berkeley, Stanford, Caltech, Princeton, Harvard (in no particular order). And absent some very special circumstances, you are not getting into any single one of these schools.</p>
<p>Example of very special circumstances: you've published a bunch of articles in Phys. Rev. and you are getting poor grades in Fordham because you are dyslexic.</p>