<p>I am looking for information about the undergraduate program in physics. I have heard that they have inovative teachers but am concerned if that is true at the undergraduate level. Are the Profs accessible? are the classes huge? is there much of an undergraduate physics community? are there many opprotunities for undergraduate research?</p>
<p>I am also concerned about the reputation of the school as a "party school" and how that effects the level of academics, particularly when majoring in something as difficult as physics.</p>
<p>I personally do not know anything about the physics department, but my son is a sophomore majoring in aerospace engineering, an equally difficult major. The reputation of CU as a party school is just that, it’s reputation but as to whether there are not plenty of students who study a lot and take their academics seriously, well, of course there are. My son spends a lot of his time, including weekend time, studying and doing his homework. And his department is considered one of the best at CU. I have heard the physics department is considered to be excellent at CU. Don’t let the party reputation deter you from an excellent university.</p>
<p>I am mostly worried if it is an environment that supports success or if the temptation to party becomes a challenge in itself. I am also wondering if the excellent reputation of the physics department extends to the undergraduate level, or are they really focused on the graduate level and research. I am not sure how to interpret the fact that I have emailed the physics department for information and to set up meetings and they havent emailed me back (9 days). </p>
<p>Last week was spring break at CU, so perhaps this explains why they have not responded to you. As to your question about temptation, the environment at CU is not “party all the time”. Every student makes up his or her own mind as to what they want to get involved in at college. You will find like-minded students like yourself at CU who will take academics seriously and want to do well. Consider choosing a dorm with serious minded students, like perhaps one of the Engineering Quad dorms.</p>
<p>My daughter majored in physics. She had no problem balancing a rigorous academic program (more so as time went on - lots of math) and an excellent social life. The department is one of the best in the nation, and undergrads have complete access. My D worked in a lab for most of her time at CU, was supported for a 3 week trip abroad, paid for a summer stint, ended up as an author on 2 papers, and is now off to grad school. As at any serious research institute, people are busy, and will not necessarily drop everything to chat with an undergrad applicant.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies. My son has been admitted to CUBoulder. He was also admitted to RIT, UMaryland,and Virginia Tech. Each of those schools has been corresponding with him/us, setting up meetings with faculty, classroom visits and lunch with current students. CU Boulder did not even return my emails for 2 weeks and then offered no help. Is it really that difficult for the undergraduate coordinator of the physics program to find an undergraduate who would be willing to eat lunch with an admitted student who is flying in from Connecticut? And if it is that difficult, what does it say about the undergraduate community.</p>
<p>Please, someone tell me its not that bad. I am ready to cancel our trip. I dont see any value in visiting this school if they dont have enough interest in their undergraduates to put on a good face for an admitted student taking the time/money to fly from CT for a visit.</p>
<p>As I said, my Boston-bred D had an excellent experience. CU is one of the top 5 physics programs in the country. The research opportunities for undergraduates are abundant. The department is relatively small and the students all know each other and study together. I am fairly sure that graduation from there would be seen as better preparation for any post-graduate program than would the other schools you mention, although I have no wish to debate the subject. Boulder is a great place to live. It is certainly your prerogative to make a judgement based on an unsatisfactory exchange with an admin person, but I think you would be doing your son a disservice.</p>
<p>Thank you so much, I appreciate you weighing in. I wish it was just “an unsatisfactory exchange . . .” but actually, I have emailed the head of the physics department, the undergraduate coordinator for the department, the undergrad coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences, and “an administrator” in admissions, all at least twice over the past three weeks. I have either gotten no reply or a reply letting me know they cant help me. I juxtapose this against VT (which is not known for physics at all) where they called my son to ask if he had any questions. If its such a small department you would think they would be happy to help the few who are interested in going.</p>
<p>I know that CU Boulder is ranked top 10, but I think that is the graduate program. And that is at the crux of my question. Certainly its good for grad school . . . .but what about undergrad?</p>
<p>I appreciate hearing that your daughter had a great experience there. that is very helpful and does make me want continue to pursue this. Did she think the teachers were great? Did she feel that the teaching was innovative? </p>
<p>It is indeed the graduate program that is highly ranked, but generally (speaking from my own abundant experience in academia) this elevates the undergrad experience as well, at least with respect to research opportunities and exposure to cutting edge science and scientists. (It is generally a myth that grad programs can thrive at the expense of the undergrad). If your son imagines having a career in physics or a related field, I think this is very important. Teachers were a mixed bag; not unusual in a research uni. And any dissatisfaction with classes was more than made up for by her lab experience. Overall D felt well-prepared by CU, and she is having no difficulty adjusting to grad school in bioengineering (even though she took no engineering courses), where she is immersed in classes, TAing, and starting her lab work. She received good (not great) advising, and got excellent support from her research mentor and other faculty when applying for grad school.</p>
<p>It is disappointing to hear that the dept. has been unhelpful, and this cannot but color your opinion. Still, I’d advise you to try to reserve judgement and visit, and hopefully someone will take some time to engage your son. Personally I could not imagine choosing RIT or Maryland over CU, both for educational quality and lifestyle. VT I know nothing about. In any case, visiting CU will enable you to make your ultimate decision with greater confidence.</p>
<p>drb - thank you thank you. Your comments are really helpful. As of this moment we are planning to visit. I know my son will LOVE Boulder and that may be the deciding factor. :)</p>
<p>Yes, there is a good chance of that happening, especially if the sun is out (which it usually is). If so, you should quickly check into housing availability. The preferred ones (around Farrand field and Sewall) book fast. The engineering dorms suggested above would be a good option, as they are convenient and fill less quickly. However, don’t imagine that the students there are party-free; but their work load does require that they sober up faster than their peers majoring in Communications.</p>
<p>So, this thread is a few weeks old. But I am an alum from Boulder. I majored in mathematics and physics. It is the best school ever. After Boulder I went to Stanford and classmates went to Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Michigan, Santa Barbara, etc. The sky seems to be the limit on possibilities. Although, there was an ongoing drought from people getting into Cal. At least, my group didn’t know anybody. </p>
<p>Anyways, the school is the most welcoming place ever. In terms of department, they probably won’t seem that way. The department is huge. There are two towers on campus housing physics faculty and researchers. You lose a bit of the private school “undergrad experience”. To me this was good. You need a big research university for physics. Kids from smaller schools had to come to us on summer REU opportunities to work with professors. i started research my first semester and left with publications. My second semester experimental methods course was taught by a nobel laureate. I ate all four thanksgiving dinners at my advisors house. I learned physics from my advisor, the classes just provided a foundation and breadth.</p>
<p>The department may not seem the most excited. But honestly, there are a lot of freshmen to work with. My freshmen year had about 100 physics majors. This would be a lunch with a student 1/3 of the year (and this is only taking into account admitted and matriculated students). Once admitted talk with advisors. Also, Martin Black would possibly be the better person to talk with. Having your child during their first year talk with a professor they are interested in working with is the best way. </p>
<p>The school is an environment. The advisor is the teacher.</p>