<p>I have to resolve a dare: my classmates would say that my undergraduate program is of a comparable standard to Ivies, since a professor with collaborators in Ivy League schools claimed Brown and Dartmouth weren't exactly at our undergraduate level and that upperclassmen with GPAs 3.4+ in my program could excel at any Ivy League university.</p>
<p>However, since I know Cornell, as well as HYP, are of a similar undergraduate standard to us in physics, and that I assume that my professor is close enough to the truth to assume with some degree of confidence that Brown and Dartmouth aren't exactly the best at the undergraduate level. I'm not sold that UPenn is actually any better than Brown or Dartmouth for undergraduate-level physics, though. So how good is UPenn for undergraduate-level physics?</p>
<p>Penn’s physics department is wonderful. The professors are fantastic and are very accessible. There are many professors who are at the very top of their fields of research. In high energy physics for example, Professor Cvetic is one of the most cited researchers is supersymmetry in the world. Their are people in experiment working at CERN, and astrophysics professors who are involved with the dark energy search. Professor Kane and Professor Mele were the first pioneers behind topological insulators, a field that has become HUGE in solid state physics. Professor Lubensky is one of the most well known names in soft matter physics.
As an undergrad, it is very common for students to do research in physics and interdisciplinary fields like materials science. It is also very easy for students to take grad classes. I really feel that my experience at Penn could not easily be replicated at many places, especially liberal arts schools. I have been able to do fascinating research with professors who are leaders in my field of interest and have had many great opportunities both in and out of the classroom. I really have enjoyed interacting with the professors, they are so knowledgable and have given me a ton of great advice.</p>
<p>Research opportunities are important in an undergraduate program, especially for students who want to go to graduate school. If you mean to ask about the undergraduate teaching in the physics department, I have had some absolutely wonderful professors and have thoroughly enjoyed most of m classes. They have been very difficult for the most part, but also very rewarding. I really enjoy seeing how each professor thinks about certain subjects and learning more about the unique insights they have.
I have also taken graduate courses and will probably have taken 7-8 by the time I graduate.
I have received a lot of great advising from professor and am close with my major advisor. I have had all sorts of conversations with professors ranging from their research to what it was like for them starting out in academia.</p>