Yes - but I said Arizona can be inexpensive (we don’t know the student’s unweighted GPA) and that it’s a top school -regularly showing up not just high in rankings but also in salaries.
I don’t say anything an award - which is great - but doesn’t dispute my comment.
OP listed the school, says it’s tough to pay OOS tuition (which depending on GPA they likely will get a huge discount) and it’s an option - as is anything else they listed. That’s all.
UMD has undergrad physics research fair this fall
https://umdphysics.umd.edu/academics/undergraduate/ugrad-events.html#!IMG_2973
UMD just announced it will be a major research center for lasers
https://umdphysics.umd.edu/about-us/news/department-news/1895-lasernetus.html
And it has Joint Quantum Institute, and a number of Nobel Prize awarded physicists.
Thank you, all, for taking the time to write. IDK what the breakdown of his SAT is, but I do remember he was irritated that his “missed a question” on the math, so it wasn’t 800, but close? I also don’t know his cumulative GPA, since they don’t put that on report cards. He’s only gotten 2 Bs so far, and all his classes are either magnet or AP or whatever, so I guess it’s pretty good? Definitely rigorous - even in the fields he’s not particularly interested in (like history, English, etc). All APs have been 5s except for a 3! in AP Lang. He has this really intense interest/talent in the sport which has taken him to national level competitions. I guess he has “leadership” there since he coaches little kids in a neighborhood league, and is the co-captain of his HS team. He’s also studied piano since forever, but doesn’t go to big competitions, etc. He does compete in local juried recitals and sometimes wins like 3rd in Baroque or whatever. I hope this helps complete the picture.
I know Franklin and Marshall and Hamilton seem out of the blue (well, not Hamilton! thanks to the poster who linked that article). I am struggling to find fits/safeties that are NOT huge schools like Arizona. That mid-sized sweet spot is hard to find. Wake Forest, though, fits that bill? This list is too long - I totally agree! that’s why I’m posting.
He def prefers warmer/sunnier/outdoorsy action (he is an ultimate player, after all, haha) but has come around to - if the right school is in Cleveland, then so be it. I think it’s mature of him. He’s got meds for his JRA that will make it okay.
I hope I answered all the questions. So here’s the list again…
CU Boulder
UMD
Arizona
Berkeley
Cal Poly SLO
William & Mary
GA Tech
Rice
Princeton
Chicago?
MIT?
Case/Rochester?
Hamilton?
Miami of Ohio?
Wake Forest?
Thanks again. I hope I haven’t outed my kid too much. I just want him to have a sensible list.
Thank you for sharing the list of Apker winners. I find it very interesting both for the schools represented by the winners as much as the institutions that aren’t on this list. It certainly highlights the quality of the physics departments at a lot of the LACs - Hamilton, Wesleyan, Williams,Harvey Mudd, Haverford etc that are heavily represented. I’m not seeing any CMU, JHU, Duke, Yale and others that are considered to be strong physics programs. Maybe the takeaway is that there are better undergraduate research opportunities at LACs where they don’t have to compete with the grad students for research positions? Maybe more aspiring physicists should be looking at Houghton, Kutztown and Augustana?
So I think there is ample opportunity for someone who likes warm weather - but there’s year round warm weather and then four seasons.
The list is varied in selectivity so that’s good - and frankly, as long as there is a safety and there seems like several and you’re willing to afford the safety - then it’s all good.
Arizona has auto merit - and it’s based UW. At 4.0, it’s $32K off, 3.9 $30K off, 3.75 - $20K off - at least that’s this year. Tuition is about $40K ish - so there’s not much to debate.
CU - it’s very tough to come by - they used to give $6250 a year to most who got - not sure if that remains. UCB and CP SLO you won’t get a nickel. Same with W&M - unless you win the full ride which is tough.
These are the kind of calculations you can make in regards to - is it worth applying - i.e. how I can shrink my list.
If he’s indifferent CU Boulder to U of A and once you learn his GPA - it’s simple - an A = 4, B = 3, etc. and just do the calculation - you can see what it’d cost. If after figuring Arizona costs you $35K and Colorado $60K, which would you choose - if it’s Arizona, then eliminate Colorado, etc.
The UCs have their own app - and there will be no money and it has 4 essays. Is that worth it? Or if applies to Berkeley, should be apply to very solid in physics Santa Cruz or another UC since it’s just checking a box at that point and paying another $80 or whatever it is.
Most these have a community around them - actually all do but Miami and Hamilton and then I’d say W&M - which are more rural - does that matter? Does the student want to have major things within 5 or 10 minutes? That can be a way to eliminate some schools - although I wouldn’t say you have too many schools per se - it’s under 20.
Have you ever visited William & Mary? I have seen you repeatedly characterize it as “rural” or “isolated”. It’s not. Williamsburg is a tourist town. Colonial Williamsburg is adjacent to campus, Jamestown and Busch Gardens are just minutes away. It’s about 40 minutes from Richmond and half an hour from Newport News, Virginia Beach is less than an hour. It has lots of great restaurants, all the big box stores and an outlet mall. Williamsburg holds the world record for the most pancake houses per capita. If you really love breakfast, Williamsburg is for you. 
It certainly isn’t a bustling city with vibrant night life, but I would consider it “suburban” rather than rural
I did with my daughter.
She and I both loved it - ate at some deli at the tourist strip right off campus - she had a pickle. I had cheesecake.
If you noticed, I put a little pause in there after Miami and Hamilton.
Because it is more suburban - there was a target or grocery store like a mile or less off campus to the other side than the strip - but it’s an hour from Richmond and 45 or so to the coast with not much in between. We came up from Raleigh but then drove to Richmond immediately after - so that was our “direction” sense if you will.
And all the other schools are either urban or very suburban and/or close to urban areas.
It was more the comparison of the first two and a slight pause b4 W&M vs the rest of the list which is decidedly closer or in bigger areas than W&M - just trying to see if there’s anything that might help the OP reduce the list. But I agree - there’s a difference between Miami/Hamilton and W&M in this category - why I had the slight pause.
Thanks
Definitely. We live about an hour from Williamsburg and visit on occasion just to walk around and visit. No way would I consider Williamsburg, Virginia as “rural.”
Funny thing was that neither instate son would apply to W&M, just not a good fit for them personally . But wonderful school!
I’m the first to tell people W&M is not for everyone. There definitely is a W&M “type” and a very self selecting nature to the student body. We are in Georgia and my S22 had zero interest in UGA or Georgia Tech. To each their own. 
If I were to guess as to your son’s chances at these schools, this is how I would categorize them.
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
Likely (60-79%)
Toss-Up (40-59%)
Lower Probability (20-39%)
Low Probability (less than 20%)
Cal Poly – SLO…will defer to @gumbymom or @ucbalumnus or others
I would look at the Extremely Likely bucket and then see…would he be happy to attend any of those colleges? If there are any where the answer is no, then I would eliminate them. If you’re looking for some smaller schools than these that would still be extremely likely, I’d look at these schools I mentioned in post #33 that have also been ranked as Top 25 for ultimate frisbee.
That Low Probability bucket is where I would start culling. Which ones would he be most excited to attend? Which feel like the best fit? Keep those and ditch the rest.
@gbv1971 my S was head of his Ultimate Frisbee team at Tulane back in the day. Check it out.
Again - I was comparing it to the rest of the set - and said Hamilton/Miami are in one class, then likely W&M - and then the rest which are decidedly much closer or in major areas.
OP was asking for ways to reduce the list and I was just trying to think of things that might help in that way. It may…or may not. And if I added a next school, it would have been CPSLO. But it’s not quite the same.
Thanks
Seconding CU-Boulder even though it doesn’t meet the warm weather requirement. Top-notch physics department (four Nobel laureates) and a competitive Ultimate team. Great year-round Ultimate options in Boulder too through Grass Roots Ultimate. The only downside: CU-Boulder is expensive for oos.
From a UF perspective, UChicago doesn’t seem like a good fit. Yes, they have teams there and they are pretty competitive. But Chicago is cold for a good portion of the school year and the indoor facilities there for UF are minimal.
Another vote for Duke and Wake Forest. Very strong and competitve programs and beautiful campuses. NC is a great place to live as well! Good luck to your son. Sounds like he is off to a really great start academically and there are very good suggestions on this thread.
This was the original request. Adding additional good fits is exactly what the OP asked for.
If you haven’t been following along in the Parents of the HS Class of 2024 thread, you might want to read some of the latest posts from about here on: Parents of the HS Class of 2024 - #4279 by evergreen5
…and at least one of the schools on your list is mentioned as doing this.
The schools in the low probability bucket have a ton of demand from highly qualified students, and they definitely expect a lot from the applications. I would not have your son chew off more (in the way of apps) than he wants to chew. Generally, public schools and less selective schools will have lower requirements with respect to essays (i.e. for many, the Common App is sufficient, or there’s one “why us?” essay).
Cal Poly SLO’s Physics admit rate is estimated at 31%. SLO admits into the major and the middle 50% SLO GPA for the College of Science and Mathematics was 4.08 - 4.25. Cal Poly SLO is test blind, does not require essays, does not give you the option of going into EC details (only hours/week) and is slowly converting over to a Semester system vs. Quarter (2026-2027 academic year).
SLO GPA is calculated based on the Cal State a-g course requirements taken 9-11th grades with a 8 semester honors point cap for AP/IB and CSU transferable DE classes taken 10-11th grades only (for OOS applicants). Their GPA calculation is unique for the Cal states.
Here is the CSU GPA calculator to determine where he stands: GPA Calculator | CSU
Cal Poly SLO has an algorithm which accounts for HS course rigor based on the # of semester of a-g courses above the minimums. For Example, 1 year of a Visual/Performing arts course is required but 2 year recommended by SLO or 5 years of English vs. 4 years.
Below is how an applicant is reviewed: Selection Criteria | Cal Poly
Cal Poly SLO is an impacted campus meaning all majors have more qualified applicants than spots available so I would consider it a Reach but definitely attainable.
If interested, I would highly recommend a visit since it is very small town and slightly isolated. In General, either you love it or hate it. I would also look at the availability/accessibility of flights into SLO from your location.
SLO is a great option if affordable (currently around $53K/year) and fit looks right.
Best of luck.
So much great information here, and advice. And the link to other discussions on here is v helpful. Thank you all again!
Will probably remove Miami of Ohio based on these ideas and be sure Wake Forest is on there. We have lots of family love for the city of Chicago but that school may end up dropping off the list bc of the frisbee/weather situation. I am woefully ignorant about California schools so a big thank you for the info- I did know that their deadline is sooner than others, anyway. Going to look at U of Mary Washington. Sad about his chances at Hamilton, honestly.
Anyway, maybe I’ll report back in a couple months with the actual list he ended up applying to. Be well!
If you don’t want in the middle of a city, visit GT to see if its comfortable. It’s a campus setting, but is in the city.
With his stats, Tulane will probably give merit $. Also, does he know if he wants moreso practical vs theoretical physics (apologies if those aren’t the correct terms) as different departments/professors may have different orientations .