<p>DS has a choice between the three. We would very much appreciate any input, regarding</p>
<p>a. The rigor of the programs and how well they prepare an undergraduate for grad work.
b. Accessibility and supportiveness of the faculty
c. How aggressive does one have to be to seek out research experiences (S wants to go on to a PhD), or are they readily available? </p>
<p>I have also cross posted this in the Harvard forum and the Science Majors forum.
Thanks for your replies!</p>
<p>As for the research experiences, let’s just remember where Albert Einstein lived.</p>
<p>I do not have a lot of time, but I definitely wanted to reply to this:</p>
<p>a) I highly doubt you get any more rigorous than Princeton in these subjects. I am a physics major that has taken many math classes, and it is amazing.</p>
<p>b) The faculty are always willing to talk. I have stopped by professor’s offices many times in the past and they are always willing to talk. The math department even has a tea every day where professors come and talk with the students.</p>
<p>c) I have never known of a person rejected to help a professor with his or her research. One summer, over 50 students were being paid for their research at Princeton, just in the Physics department.</p>
<p>Dear Cluelessmom2</p>
<p>You are far from clue less. Continue to seek information. Your son is fortunate to be able to choose between three outstanding universities. </p>
<p>Here is a recent link from a student who has attended both Princeton and Harvard.
[The</a> Prox: Orange and Apples: Harvard](<a href=“http://blogs.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/04/orange-and-apples-harvard.html]The”>http://blogs.dailyprincetonian.com/2010/04/orange-and-apples-harvard.html) </p>
<p>I will try to address your specific questions later.</p>
<p>a) Princeton prepares you extremely well for graduate schools in all subjects, but their math and physics departments are among the best in the world. The amount of independent work that you are required to do prepares you extremely well for graduate school and makes you an extremely attractive applicant. Grad courses are also accessible in both departments.</p>
<p>b) the professors are very accessible. The math department has weekly (daily?) teas at the top of fine hall. Many professors come and its an informal way to meet them. All professors have office hours, and it is very easy to schedule a meeting with them.</p>
<p>c) because you are required to do research at princeton, you do not need to be proactive about seeking out opportunities, they are expected of you and you are helped in choosing jp and thesis advisors. Because the thesis is expected, there is definitely support for the summer between junior and senior years. There is support for the other summers, but you may have to be slightly more proactive about that. Either way, I think that due to the required nature of the thesis, Princeton makes the most research opportunities available (and easily available, you do not need seek them out) of possibly any school.</p>
<p>a) The programs are very rigorous. FWIW the faculty used to state that the Princeton freshman physics course was the most difficult in the nation. Gee thanks! Students are well prepared for graduate work in physics.</p>
<p>The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship is widely considered the most prestigious award in the U.S. conferred upon undergraduates studying the science, math, and engineering. Through March 2006 Princeton University has had the most Goldwater Scholars followed by Harvard and Duke. (sorry my data is only through 2006). Churchill scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate outstanding promise in science, engineering, or mathematics to study at Cambridge University. Since 1964 Princeton students have won 38 Churchill scholarships; this total is more Churchill scholarships than students from MIT, Cal Tech, and Rice combined have won. </p>
<p>b) The faculty to student ratio is 5 to 1. This is one of the best student to faculty ratios in the country. The past president of Harvard in trying to raise funds from alumni stated that Harvard would have to increase the number of Harvard faculty by one-third to equal Princetons ratio. The professor have time to meet with student’s and generally want to do so.</p>
<p>c) Research is required to graduate; it is not an option. Here is an article concerning one student’s research on the Large Hadron Collider.</p>
<p>[Senior</a> finds imperfection in supercollider detector - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/03/23/23108/]Senior”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/03/23/23108/) </p>
<p>Princeton physicists have wonderful toys to play with, Here is an article on the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).
[Physics</a> matters - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2006/12/06/16879/]Physics”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2006/12/06/16879/) </p>
<p>You did not ask but your son should know that Princeton has four Nobel Prize winners on the physics faculty. And yes they do teach undergraduate courses, I had a Nobel Prize winner teach freshman physics. Here is a link to another alumnus remembering being taught as a freshman by another great physicist.
[Letters</a> to the Editor: April 17, 2008 - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/04/17/20897/]Letters”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/04/17/20897/) </p>
<p>Seventeen alumni and faculty have won Nobel Prizes in Physics.</p>
<p>The Physics Department has young faculty members who have won the MacArthur Genius Fellowships. These fellowships each will provide $500,000 no-strings-attached grants over a five-year period recognize people who have “shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits, and a marked capacity for self-direction” in their fields. These faculty include, Nathan Seiberg, Joseph H. Taylor, Jr., and two Institute for Advanced Study faculty Edward Witten *76 and Juan M. Maldacena *96. John Bardeen *36 is the only person ever to have won two Nobel Prizes in physics. When Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman *42 gave his first seminar at Princeton the attendees included Albert Einstein, Wolfgang Pauli, and John von Neumann.</p>
<p>Princeton’s physics department is strengthen by the math department. One of the most influential proponents of string theory is Edward Witten *76, a winner of the Fields Medal. Witten received his PhD in physics from Princeton, was a physics professor at Princeton until he moved a mile down the road to the Institute fro Advanced Study. Here is a link to other Fields Medal winners:
[Two</a> Princetonians among four awarded Fields Medal - The Daily Princetonian](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2006/05/19/15718/]Two”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2006/05/19/15718/) </p>
<p>Your son cannot go wrong. Princeton’s emphasis on undergraduate education compared to the graduate school dominance is a plus for Princeton. I did my graduate work at MIT down the road from Harvard. ; I preferred the relaxed country setting of Princeton. I also lived for awhile in NYC and suggest you examine the area around Columbia and decide if it is sufficiently safe that you would be comfortable for your son to live there.</p>
<p>Princeton really seems like it’s the place to go for undergraduate Physics/Math. </p>
<p>Although, I think your son should really ask himself which environment suits him best. I can’t tell you how many people I know who started out wanting to major in Physics, Math, or Engineering who are now dropping it and pursuing other interests (these are people who fortunately love the school they’re at… and actually one of them is at Princeton!).</p>
<p>Pton, that is a keeper</p>
<p>truly excellent</p>