<p>Any physics majors around (not likely) who might comment on their experience at Minnesota? My son is pretty well down to deciding between Minnesota vs Pitt... looking for extra insight to help tip the balance one way or the other.</p>
<p>I'm not a physics major but a EE/Math major at Minnesota and have dealt a little with the Physics department and done well in my physics classes. It's a big department, but the advantage to that is that there is always something going on. Does he have any idea what area of Physics he is interested in? If it's anything other than optics, then Minnesota would be an excellent choice. (With that said, there is some pretty cutting edge optics work going on in the EE department that my adviser is working on.) If High Energy/Particle Physics is his thing, there is the MINOS Project that they are working on in collaboration with several other institutions but the main detector is located in Soudan, MN a half a mile underground in an abandoned iron mine. That is a really impressive lab. I had the chance to go up and see it last summer. Also, it's my understanding that there are quite a few research opportunities for undergraduates in the Physics department. If you have any specific questions I can try to answer those too. Feel free to PM me. I'd be glad to talk to your son too if he has any questions on academics or life at Minnesota.</p>
<p>aswat12389,
how is the math major at umn?
I have a hard time choosing between umn and ohio state university.</p>
<p>Is the umn undergrad program prestigious?
If I do very well in umn,will I have good chances to get into top math schools like MIT,Harvard?</p>
<p>The math department is among the top 20 in the US. I'm not sure exactly where it falls and to be honest, it doesn't much matter when you are above that level. I'm also not sure that Ohio State's makes that cut. You are splitting hairs to distinguish between the programs. Yes, I think that you would be able to get into grad programs at those schools. The programs are probably very similar. The text books uses in the calculus sequences are the same (note: Minnesota has at least 4 different calculus sequences: traditional, bio, engineering and science, and honors and i was referring to the traditional sequence.) The major is demanding, but it does allow for electives. I didn't choose the U for it's math program though... That's something I've been thinking about picking up over the past semester. Personally, I would go with Minnesota, but I'm a little biased obviously. Either way they will be both good programs, and you will have a good experience either way, but it will be very different at each school. Don't forget to consider factors other than just how good the program is.</p>
<p>Thanks
aswat12389</p>
<p>The weather would be a big problem.
I am from southern China.The lowest temperature in a year is about +5C.
I must consider about how to survive in Minnesota.</p>
<p>Thanks aswat... my son hasn't really nailed down an area he'd like to focus on, so that large department may be helpful in helping him find something.</p>
<p>We're going to be visiting the campus during the week of April 7th... need to contact his counselor to make arrangements.</p>
<p>An endowment at Minnesota funds lectures by physics Nobel laureates. I attended the most recent one, and the reception following, and that was cool. I've heard of top-level researchers who have been professors at Minnesota, but I'm less aware whether or not Pitt has anyone of that caliber. Minnesota gets very strong graduate students in physics from all over the world, so I suspect the program has a better world reputation than most.</p>
<p>I have noted since this thread started that Minnesota is ranked in some lists in the top 15-20 in Physics as well (some rankings have UMN in top -10- in math... which my son has a strong interest in as well).</p>
<p>My son got an undergraduate research scholarship. Anyone familiar with this... $1,400 for 'participation in a faculty sponsored research project'. I'm curious what percentage of undergrads in Physics/Intitute of Technology are working on research projects... how hard it is to get placed in one.</p>
<p>Freshmen who are offered the first-year research stipend are fairly rare--I know another one from the previous entering class. Other freshmen who approach professors can get research assistanceships or internships of various kinds, but the total number of freshmen doing research is very likely less than 100.</p>
<p>My son is visiting on Friday... sounds like they've got a nice agenda set up for him... including sitting in on a higher level physics class.</p>