<p>So let me say this straight out: since our high school's physics department sucks so much, I haven't taken a single course of physics. I only took it at another country in a grade equivalent to 9th grade at the US - and loved every moment of it</p>
<p>Now I am torn if I should actually pursue physics at Hopkins. I understand that there are many widespread opportunities available for physics majors, but I am very worried about my divorce with physics for 3 years. Will it be manageable for me to be a physics major? i definitely plan to double major with some arts course (just something that I like), but will the coursework - as it appears- bury me?</p>
<p>I’m actually in the same boat as you. While I am leaning considerably towards anthropology/biology, physics is also something which I am enamored with although, I have not taken physics beyond IPC level (though I have taken chemistry and biology at higher level).</p>
<p>I imagine that the introductory courses will be sufficient; however, it would certainly help if you bought a textbook or something and studied on your own prior to attending. I plan on possibly doing this if I do decide to choose physics as my major.</p>
<p>^ Thanks. Yea, I was definitely thinking that buying a textbook and reading it would help in refreshing my memory. I am also worried about the course load; since the physics department is so renowned and successful (because of the brilliant students), it seems like there is an aura of cut-throated-ness. I don’t want to take classes - even introductory - and then regret my decision afterward.</p>
<p>Son took Classical Mechanics/E&M. There were about 25 kids who started in it, few dropped out. He was one of very few, and maybe the only one, who had not previously had AP physics (not offered at his HS) and had only one year of basic HS physics. He has done well in the class but he is good at physics and math and thinks spending a saturday night doing a physics problem set is a mighty fine thing. I would say if you found HS physics pretty easy and you have a decent math background, you should try it. Just have a plan B if it turns out not to be your cup of tea. Also remember that first semester is covered grades so a good chance to try things out.</p>
<p>Here’s the course page for Classical mechanics for fall '10 (some dates not updated)</p>
<p>He is friendly with his classmates and I have not gotten any sense that there is any cut throat behavior. He hangs out in the PUC (Physics undergraduate computing) lab which is a cool space with lots of white boards, couches, computers, where lot of the math/physics kids seem to socialize.</p>
<p>As far as the amount of work for the course, I know it was not his most time consuming course in the fall, but again, that may depend on how easily the stuff comes to you.</p>
<p>It is not a large department in terms of undergrad numbers. In fact, I think there are only about 15/year that actually end up majoring in physics. The department is large with many faculty and grad students and the feeling I have gotten is that they treat their undergrads well as there are not very many of them. I think lots of opportunities for research also due to lack of ‘competition.’</p>
<p>The physics department is not one of the “well-known” Hopkins departments but is probably one of the best majors at Hopkins. The faculty members are very good with taking on undergrads for research. Some of my friends’ favorite professors are physics professors (Petar, for instance, who I think is now teaching both Classical Mechanics and E&M, and Melnikov although he teaches third-year E&M). Each year, quite a few physics majors apply to, and attend Ph.D. programs in physics. Just this year alone, they’re sending people to MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Duke, and JHU. Last year they sent someone to Chicago, and before that Stanford.</p>
<p>Math is the most common double with physics because a lot of the requirements overlap. It’s easy to double major in the sense that it’s easy to take care of all the requirements. It’s hard in that the work is hard.</p>