*In case you’ve seen this post before, I’m posting in multiple forums in order to reach the maximum amount of people; I’d really like feedback on this issue!
I’ve been accepted into both Pomona and Columbia and I’m conflicted as to which to go to. I’m planning to major in physics or astrophysics, and then go on to grad school- at the end of the line, I’m aiming for a teaching position at a college or university. Right now, I’m conflicted because I know I would love the environment at Pomona, but at the same time, I’m not sure how Pomona’s physics program compares to that of Columbia (I’ve heard plenty about how Pomona excels in all fields of study, but I haven’t found many discussions on physics in particular). I’ll be doing campus visits of both colleges in April, but for now, I’d still like to hear some additional opinions. Could current (astro)physics students at either school give me some insight as to what it’s like to study physics there?
Some questions I’d like answered (though any additional information would also be greatly, greatly appreciated!): how accessible are your professors? How easy is it to find research positions, even as an underclassman? How big are your classes? In general, why study physics at your respective school?
If you have anything else to weigh in about the two schools, just in general (atmosphere, lifestyle, etc.), I would greatly appreciate any kind of insight you have to offer.
Thanks in advance!
Physics at Pomona is a very tight-knit group consisting of kind and caring professors and a strong community of people that are basically best friends with each other. It stands out as even more tight-knit than other STEM departments at Pomona due to its smaller size. It is perhaps Pomona’s most difficult and rigorous major, but recent graduates have gone to Stanford and Yale for their PhDs, as well as received top fellowships such as Goldwaters and Downing-Cambridge. Research is very easy to get as a physics student, and there is a year long exchange available with Caltech.
We’re getting a sparkly new 90 million dollar physics and math building that will open this summer, which will be the crowning jewel of STEM academic facilities at Pomona. Some details: http://magazine.pomona.edu/2013/fall/a-new-improved-millikan/
Pomona is one of the top undergrad schools for astrophysics, owning the largest remote observatory for any undergrad institution and collaborating extensively with the Table Mountain Observatory. Undergrads have unparalleled access to graduate level facilities. There is also an observatory on campus. There are often collaborative opportunities with the Jet Propulsion Lab (30 minutes away) and Pomona.
Columbia will likely offer you more courses, especially in engineering if you are interested, but the options are expanded more through Harvey Mudd’s physics and engineering departments. Most classes will still be at Pomona, however. I haven’t heard of physics students here feeling as if their department was limited. You will get a much more nurturing and flexible experience at Pomona than Columbia overall, which requires an extensive Core as well.
You should review the departments and their offerings:
http://physastro.pomona.edu/academics/
http://catalog.pomona.edu/preview_entity.php?catoid=14&ent_oid=842&returnto=2572
http://physics.columbia.edu/undergraduate/general-information
http://www.astro.columbia.edu/
Oops, my apologies- I pressed 9 instead of 6; it’s a 63 million dollar building.
Actually looking at the original link, I don’t think it did a good job highlighting actual facilities. This is a better link: http://www.pomona.edu/sciences/about/
http://astronomy.pomona.edu/ has some more information too:
“Claremont Undergraduate Internships at the Observatories: These paid internships provide a rare opportunity for the most motivated students to spend the summer or parts of the school year assisting astronomers as they compile and analyze their data. Undergraduates from the Claremont Colleges typically spend 10 weeks at Carnegie conducting original research under the supervision of staff members—a chance for high-level, hands-on research that undergraduate students at liberal arts colleges would not ordinarily receive.”
I’m a current Pomona physics major on the astrophysics track. The professors are very accessible. I frequently socialize with them outside of classes/office hours through lunches, dinners, and off-campus activities/department outings (camping trips are common). Due to the small size of the department, you get to know all the professors after a while, even if you haven’t had a class with them. There are roughly an equal number of professors as there are physics majors in your year.
Research positions are easy to come by. I’ve been doing research since freshman year through the Carnegie Observatories program. This past summer I went down to Chile to observe at the Magellan Telescopes. Research is also done on campus through our SURP, but I haven’t done one. Opportunities are plenty, don’t let the LAC image fool you about research. This summer I’ll be doing one-on-one research with a Caltech professor, working on a computational astrophysics problem.
Class size varies with course number, where lower division courses tend to be more traditionally sized (by LAC standards) at 20-30. Two of my upper-div courses have 4 and 5 total in the class (including me), one of which is at Harvey Mudd. Professors take advantage of the small class size to teach some courses in a tutorial style where you present problems worked on the day before. You feel more motivated to learn the material when you constitute 25% of the class alone (good luck trying to not be noticed if you’re absent).
You end up taking several of your major classes up north at Mudd (especially if you’re astrophysics), and in general I’ve enjoyed Mudd physics classes more than Pomona’s, although this is mostly due to personal preference and the professors teaching the course. Mudd astro students usually end up taking Pomona’s astro (and physics) classes as well; the department is joint taught.
I became an astro major spring of my first year when I took intro astro to fulfill a general ed requirement (I was math before). I don’t know what else to say except I liked the material/class. Majoring in physics has been a combination of having my room covered in problem sets and gallons (liters?) of coffee. Wouldn’t have it any other way (except maybe more sleep would be nice).
Hope this helps.