I’m an asian male from California, currently in my junior year of high school. I’d like to explore the east coast or the mid-west for my college experience. I am looking to major in physics or something physics related (possibly biophysics). My ACT score is a 34 (E 31, M 35, R 34, S 34). I took SAT II Bio in my freshman year and got a 730 and took SAT II Math 2 in my junior year and got an 800. I am taking both Chemistry and Physics in June. My GPA isn’t very great, but I think my extra-curriculars are very good. I tutor students in AP Statistics and Algebra 2H for a non profit organization/club in our school. I will also be president of this club during my senior year. In my sophomore year, I won an award in the district Science Fair. During my junior year, I did some work with a professor regarding cancer research. In the summer between my junior and senior year, I have an internship in a lab with a professor at a large research university. I plan to continue research in my Senior year of high school . I am very passionate about math and science and it shows in the classes I have taken and the extra-curriculars I pursue.
My junior year course load includes AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Chemistry, AP Calculus BC, English 11H, US History.
Next year, I will be taking AP Lang, AP Gov/Econ, AP Bio, AP European History, Principles of Engineering, (as well as Multivariable Calculus and Physics Mechanics at a local community college).
For now , my college list includes :
UIUC
Purdue
UCSB
Would appreciate any advice for the experts on schools that are strong for Physics major. HYPSM are out of reach for me.
Thank you.
You forgot to give any indication of your gpa.
Since you have some advanced classes, when you look at LACs, check the offerings in upper division math and physics to make sure they have enough advanced classes. Here are a few names that come up when I think of physics and LAC
Reed, ORE - a rigorous LAC, I think you do a thesis which is likely helpful for grad school admissions. Talk about applied, the students run a nuclear reactor for research
Lawrence U, WISC - they have a special program to place physics students with alumni in research positions
http://www.lawrence.edu/academics/study/physics
Wesleyan, CT - The program has produced a winner twice recently in a prize for undergraduate research in physics in the University category and not the LAC category–it is considered by most as an LAC but they have a small grad school with limited majors but there are grad offerings in math, physics, astronomy and planetary science.
Harvey Mudd - if you get in here you can likely get all the math and physics you can handle in an LAC setting. Pomona in the same consortium likely would be one to look at and you can cross register for classes.
http://physics.lafayette.edu/program/
amazing school, pretty campus…great student retention.
@BrownParent - Thank you very much. My weighted gpa by the end of Junior Year would be about 3.7. I don’t think Harvey Mudd or Pomona is in my range . Will surely check out Wesleyan in CT. Have been reading out Reed which looks really interesting and my type of school.
@zobroward - Thank you . Will be looking into Lafayette . Do you know if Lafayette will have the advanced courses, for eg. one full year of Mechanics…
–Unweighted GPA? Class rank?
–Do you need financial aid? Have you run any Net Price Calculators (NPC) to get a ballpark Expected Family Contribution (EFC)?
You have solid record. You want a school that offers the most curriculum at the bachelors level so that means a research university. Harvey Mudd is technically a good science university as are Bucknell, Lehigh, Purdue, Rutgers, Ohio St., Brandeis, Tufts. Examine online the physics catalog of courses-is it abundant & do the courses go. Difficulty with something like Wesleyan it that it does not have the junior/senior level courses that go. They are more about poet’s physics-I can tell just by touring their bookstore.
Can your parents afford the UIUC and Purdue OOS rates?
@Erin’sDad- My parents would be willing to go the mile and pay OOS expenses. Since UC admissions are getting tougher and tougher everyday, we see a lit of studenrs venturing out of state. Tbe main thing my parents are concerned about at this monent is if they have to pay 59K oyt of picket, is it better to go private rather than the large flagship universities. Since my goa is on the lower aide, we don’t understand my options @Cordie- your list is very helpful - my concern remains my low goa. I jnow my subject SATs and AP scores will ve all good and I have demonstrated a Science interest in everything I have done - at this point the question is where can I get in with my credentials? Will ED in ant one if these schhils give me a better shot at getting in?
What kind of GPA do you have?
You may want to apply more widely to UCs, such as UCSC.
@ucbalumnus- by the end of junior year , I’ll be at 3.7 weighted gpa. I have all Bs in 10th and 11th , including the Ap and honors classes I have taken.
I would like to add that I come from a very competitive public school in the Bay Area
@CORDIE
Next time stop by the reserve room of the science library. Most STEM majors will get their reading lists from journals and abstracts which typically are not found in bookstores. Wesleyan has quite a few graduate level courses available for the advanced student.
Definitely apply to more UCs: UCR, UCSC, UCI, UCSB, UCD. The UCs are all solid in physics, so you’ll find the best value there.
It will be hard to find value in an out-of-state public, with the OP’s GPA. Penn State, perhaps, but is it so much better than a UCI, for undergrad physics? Probably not. An application might be worth it, though, depending on how easily the family can afford OOS expenses.
The task here is to find private schools that offer comparable value to a UC, with the OP’s 3.7 GPA (weighted) as the biggest obstacle.
OP, what is your Unweighted GPA?
What are your unweighted and UC/CSU weighted GPAs? Your high school’s weighted GPA is meaningless to most outside your high school.
If you have all B grades, then your GPAs are probably 3.0 and 3.3-3.4. Include UCM and some CSUs in your list.
@Dunboyne - I would love to go to UCSB or UCD . The only reason I am looking OOS is I am worried that I wont get into the UCs with my gpa.
Lately we have seen oos publuc universities being more forgiving to CA students than UCs themselves.
Do you think I have a shot at UCSb
I think you should def add UCSC I think they are supposed to have a good physics program. Prob add UCI and UCD and UCSD since it is all one applications.
Will be certainly applying to all UCs
@ucbalumnus - Havent calculated my UC gpa yet- will do that shortly
Very honestly I would rather go OOS than go to UCM or UCR- dont mean to offend anyone from those universities but this is my personal preference