<p>Hey all,
International student here. I have a question, especially for students majoring in Physics at LACs (especially where Physics is not emphasized, so excluding colleges like Carleton, Reed, Harvey Mudd, etc).</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure I want to major in Physics, but want to attend an LAC. How much do you think I will enjoy subjects like Physics there? Would it be demoralizing to have only a few other Phy majors in my class? Will it be good because the classes will be very small?</p>
<p>If there are any Physics majors here, interested in the pure physics, from LACs, what has been your experience? How have you enjoyed Physics?</p>
<p>Also, is my considering Physics to be isolated valid? To what extent does it actually happen? Does it happen to other subjects also?</p>
<p>i have a few friends at some LACs, so ill say what ive picked up:</p>
<p>its a LAC, so you will end up taking a lot of classes outside of the area. at most, 1/2 your classes will be heavy on sciences. </p>
<p>the physics tend to be heavy on the theory. several have options where you do a major for 3 years at a LAC and transfer to columbia to get an engr degree in the last 2; you dont have to major in physics, but you have to do all the lower division requirements.
[Combined</a> Plan Program | Columbia University Office of Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/engineering/combined]Combined”>http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/engineering/combined)
this has been the biggest complaint from my friends (who dont plan on going to grad school)</p>
<p>you will not be isolated. theses are really small schools, so they tend not to be clique heavy (although that doesnt mean you will be hanging out with everyone all the time.)
you’re a grown up; you’ll hang up whenever with whoever you want.</p>
<p>LACs have good track records on helping their students into highly ranked post-graduate programs. You will tend to have friends with a broader range of interests because of the small number of majors. Usually this is viewed as a plus</p>
<p>@ParAlum: Yes, thanks for that. That is actually the reason I am applying mainly to LACs. I know I will enjoy the breadth, which I value a lot. I just want to know about Physics specifically.</p>
<p>@flemmyd: No I am not interested in engineering, so it doesn’t matter whether I get to do 3-2 or not. And I’m actually looking forward to more than half my classes being outside the sciences. Also, when I said isolated I was speaking more academically than socially…</p>
<p>I think you’re fairly familiar with the numerous pros of going the LAC route: close faculty/student interaction, easy involvement with whatever research is going on, tight-knit peer group, etc. These factors can make a truly wonderful environment, and that’s why so many people endorse small science LACs.</p>
<p>With that said, there are also some disadvantages. Small schools tend to have small departments, so your choice of professors will be limited (if you don’t like them… tough luck). Individual faculty changes (one professor retires, moves, etc.) can have a major impact. While the research will be accessible, it will also be smaller in scope. Your peer group will be smaller and will therefore have less variety.</p>
<p>Is the trade off worth it? That depends on your needs. This info primarily comes from discussions on a science forum I occasionally visit.</p>
<p>another thing to keep in mind: the school will probably only have one, maybe two faculty members in a given specific field at a time. the entire department is likely to be around 5-7 professors.
one prof in particle physics, one in plasma, one in condensed matter (actually, maybe 2; this is a really big field), cosmic… blah blah. you get the idea</p>
<p>I am a math major at a small LAC and found the lack of advanced courses and peers who are as excited about math as me to be quite frustrating. Now in my junior year, I am taking most of my math classes at a nearby research university. I enjoy interacting with some very talented undergraduate math majors and graduate students, and I get to take classes which are more advanced than anything my small school offers.</p>
<p>I also find the general teaching style at the research university more appealing. At my LAC, most of my science courses are taught straight out of a textbook. At the research university, the professors incorporate bits and pieces of their own work into the lecture. I don’t just get to learn the material, but I see <em>why</em> I am learning it and what comes next. </p>
<p>Of course there are also advantages to attending a LAC. I know my LAC professors much better than my research professors, for example, and the LAC is generally much more supportive.</p>
<p>^ That is the kind of response I was looking to get! Thanks Just to understand your approach to the situation, I’d like to know: Because an LAC education is fantastic, and an LAC background helps in getting into grad school, do you feel like just enjoying your LAC education, without worrying about the rigor in the sciences, knowing that the rigor will come later and now you can explore the various things an LAC has to offer. Or do you still wish that Math would still be more thrilling and advanced at an LAC.</p>
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Oh, I didn’t expect that. I though it would be the opposite.</p>
<p>Do you mind sharing the two schools you referred to?</p>
I think you have an overly romantic view of the opportunities after a LAC education. Having seen both worlds, I can say that the students who end up going to a given graduate school do so with roughly the same background. The difference is that the students at the research university take graduate-level classes, while the graduate school-bound students at my LAC spend much of their junior and senior year with independent study arrangements. Math majors (I can’t really speak for others) who choose to explore other interests while preparing for graduate school seem to take a big blow when it comes to the selectivity of graduate programs they are competitive for.</p>
<p>I would judge the quote that LAC teach out of textbooks is specific to the LACs that the poster is familiar with. Many of the top tier LACs bring their undergrads to scientific conferences to present at levels not usually available till grad school.</p>
<p>^ Well, that happens here too, albeit with individual students through independent study or summer research arrangements. Most science courses are still taught straight out of the textbook though. </p>
<p>But ParAlum has a good point: my experience may not be indicative of most liberal arts colleges, or even the majority of professors at either institution I am taking classes at. My sample size (~24 courses at three institutions plus the classes my friends are taking) is certainly not large enough to make generalizations. </p>
<p>Just to add this tid-bit of information, I have been referring to Haverford, Bryn Mawr and Penn.</p>
Just to understand your approach to the situation, I’d like to know: Because an LAC education is fantastic, and an LAC background helps in getting into grad school, do you feel like just enjoying your LAC education, without worrying about the rigor in the sciences, knowing that the rigor will come later and now you can explore the various things an LAC has to offer. Or do you still wish that Math would still be more thrilling and advanced at an LAC.</p>