<p>the physics program at university of california - santa barbara
the astrophysics program at university of california - santa cruz
the astronomy program at university of texas - austin</p>
<p>sb has 5 nobel laureates on campus, some in physics. alexei filippenko went there and now teaches astrophysics at berkeley. sb's campus is directly attached to the beach. they also have the kavli institute for theoretical physics. sb is #4 or 5 in the country for public college physics programs. it is #10 overall.</p>
<p>sc has a dedicated astrophysics program and operates the lick observatory for the uc campuses, so we'd get to actually physically operate an observatory. their campus is in a beautiful forested area. santa cruz is #40 overall for physics.</p>
<p>austin has an awesome physics faculty with a guy who helped create the standard model of physics, steven weinberg. they too have their own observatory but it is hours away from the campus. austin's campus is right smack in the middle of downtown, next to the freeway and capitol building. austin is #14 overall in the country for physics.</p>
<p>now, everyone says it doesn't matter where you go for your physics undergraduate degree, because you don't really specialize until graduate school. but there has got to be an easier way for me to pick one over the other. i really need some outside perspective here. these are all top colleges for physics programs. i am wanting to specialize eventually in astrophysics/cosmology.</p>
<p>Go to the school you’ll feel you’d enjoy spending time at the most. That’s the one you’ll be in the best metal state to stay active, keep up in your work, and get involved in your department.</p>
<p>If you’re miserable at a school there’s no way you’ll be able to take advantage of all the opportunities it offers.</p>
<p>The Physics/Math/Astronomy building (RLM) has a 16-inch reflector telescope in the rooftop observatory, and Painter Hall has a 9-inch refractor in its observatory. Both of these telescopes are available for open viewing throughout the school year. You could learn how to operate both of these. They also frequently bring smaller portable telescopes to the roof of RLM for star parties.</p>
<p>Also, UT is a few miles north of downtown Austin and is surrounded by housing and retail. The capitol building is almost two miles away from RLM. It’s an urban campus, but nobody would describe it as “right smack in the middle of downtown.”</p>