<p>Ok so I am 21 about out of the military and preparing for college. I plan to either focus on astrophysics or particle physics. I have a few quick questions </p>
<p>1) since people going in for undergrad degrees in physics are much small than say elementary education or business. Do they generally have higher acceptance chances?</p>
<p>2) what can I do to boost my extracurricular activies that will reflect towards a degree in physics.</p>
<p>3) does a high school recommendation letter from a science teacher really help much?</p>
<p>4) what are some good B rated schools (non ivy league) that are known for good physics/ astronomy classes.</p>
<p>5) Is there any other info you think would help me to prepare or things I should be warned about before I go? </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>1) I think that typically affects transfers more than fresh undergrads. At least from what I understand of admissions, education and business are typically separate “schools” with separate entrance requirements and constrained class sizes, whereas sciences, humanities, and the like are a bit more lumped together for the process. So, physics will be easier than those types of programs, but about on par for majors like bio, psych, and French - especially since it is anticipated that students are more likely to change majors after starting out in these departments (relative to business/education). (Sorry, that was a bit long!)</p>
<p>2) Do you mean before or after you’ve entered college? Before, any science-related extracurriculars or research will be a plus. Once you’re in, try to do co-ops and research, and join clubs if they’re available. Talk to your profs a lot, too.</p>
<p>3) I’d say maybe slightly better than an arts teacher, but only if they make mention of your interest and activities to do with sciences.</p>
<p>4) I’ve heard the UCs are supposed to be good for sciences.</p>
<p>5) How much have you looked into what astrophysicists/particle physicists do? My friend initially began his physics degree with the intention of going into those same fields. However, after taking a few courses/participating in some related research, he’s now finding that medical physics is of far greater interest to him. So, I’d recommend examining all possible areas of physics, before committing yourself to a field you might not end up liking after all. Also, you might want to take some math/computer science courses beyond what’s required; my friend’s found those classes to be a huge help.</p>
<p>Best of luck! :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the info!</p>
<ol>
<li>No, there are fewer positions in our society for Astrophysics or Paricle Physics than for the other professions you mention so there is no real difference between competitiveness of Admission for Accountants or Astrophysicists.</li>
<li>I doubt that there is an EC activity you could do that would impress an astronomer or physicist to make much difference.</li>
<li>Undergraduate schools rarely use letters of recccomendation from high school faculty any more, especially when they are going to be three years old such is in your case.</li>
<li>My Alma mater, the University of Maryland College Park is not an Ivy but it is very highly ranked in both Physics and Astronomy.</li>
<li>You have to understand that Astrophysics is the most difficult major there is bar none. It is trying to answer the most difficult and profound questions that exist in Science such as why does the gravitational force seem so different from the other forces of Physics and and can they be unified? What is dark energy and why is it accelerating the expansion of the Universe? What is dark matter and how come we cannot detect it except for observations of its gravitational effects on ordinary matter? If you are not the smartest person you know, you are not smart enough to be an astrophysicist. As far as high school goes, the only thin I will say is if you did not get over 700 on the Math SAT forget about Astrophysics right now.</li>
</ol>
<p>I know these are tough remarks but I was an Astronomy major and got my BS in it. I did well but deep down inside knew I did not have the Math aptitude to succeed in Graduate School and instead went to a well respected US medical school. I am now an MD with an observatory grade telescope who is practicing medicine as a profession and doing Astrophysics as a hobby.</p>
<p>Well during my high school years and junior high, I spent my time in the advanced math classes.</p>
<p>Well, I dropped out of AP math in high school because well. I was lazy, but I still was put a grade ahead. So I was always with the grades above me when it came to math. As far as math tests go, since grade school ive always been in the top 20% for my whole state, or national average, not sure how they set it up. But I’ve always scored high in math. </p>
<p>I also took 3 college classes online, one of them was a math class, which I had an A in, but before I took the class, I took the pre-math test to see where I should I start. I scored a 96/100, so I was in the top level starting math class
I understand getting into Astrophysics / Particle physics is no easy job. I’ve got other options. I will stick with physics for sure. And even then, if all else fails, I have back up plans. Physics degrees, being math heavy, can always switch over into engineering degrees. I have other options once again.</p>
<p>To succeed in Astrophysics you need to be in the top one percent of the top one percent of the general population in Math aptitude and the lowest level college Math course you should have been taking is Calculus I for Math, Physical Science and Engineering majors. I am glad you have a back-up plan because the vast majority of majors going into this field eventually have to use the back-up plan. When I look back on it was absurd that I had medical school as my back-up plan. Out of 20 applications I was accepted at only one medical school but luckily that is all you need and more than most applicants get.</p>
<p>While the unemployment rate for all workers is pretty high right now it is somewhat lower for physics and Astronomy majors. The thing is very few are working as Physicists. The majority work in fields such as Engineering, Computer Programming and even Finance where their strong quantitative skills are in high demand.</p>
<p>Well my backup plan would be Computer Programming. I done minor work with programming in high school, creating basic programs. Nothing amazing so to speak but I did enjoy it. So should this prove to be about of my league thats where I will turn next. And even if that fails ive got even more backups. In fact most of my backup plans are colleges that already call me once a month asking me if I am still interested in attending haha…</p>