<p>My aim is a top physics grad school down the road (ie. MIT, Stanford, Caltech). The choices for undergrad I've narrowed down to are University of Virginia, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Macaulay Honors College at the City College of New York. </p>
<p>Cost:</p>
<p>UVA: ~23k per year (I would also have to take out 5.5k a year for student loans)
RPI: ~14k per year (I would also have to take out 5.5k a year for student loans)
MHC: ~6.5k per year (I would NOT have to take out any student loans)</p>
<p>Cost is an issue, yes, but my parents say I will likely be able to get fellowships/scholarships or some other source of funds to pay for my graduate school education in Physics. RPI would not be a gigantic burden, but MHC they could most certainly pay for without trifles. My parents cringe at UVA but will be able to pay for it if I prefer it strongly over the others.</p>
<p>I visited RPI, and spoke to a physics professor there. He told me how they have about ~60 students per year in the physics program, with about ~25 physics professors. Consistently, students do go to very reputable physics programs at schools like MIT and Stanford (I am confident that I will work hard enough to be one of them!). I should note, however, that I did not much like the social prospects there. It looked lacking in school spirit and social vitality. There didn't look like there were so many fun things to do around campus relative to my other choices. Also, some of the current students looked rather apathetic and perhaps a bit unhappy (though many prospective students had sort of the same demeanor...)</p>
<p>My sister attends UVA studying physics, telling me how there's between 30-50 students majoring in physics in a given year, with about 30 physics professors. She also said that students are able to go to top programs. However she also tells me that advising is somewhat of a joke (though offered to personally advise me anyway as she'll be there for my first year if I do attend). I should note that when visiting I very much enjoyed the environment and would love to live on the campus because of the atmosphere and enthusiasm of the students. It looks like a very fun and vibrant place to spend four years, and all the students I saw seemed genuinely happy.</p>
<p>Haven't been able to visit CCNY yet. They will provide me with $7500 for research/internship/study abroad opportunities, give me a macbook (I wouldn't have to pay for a laptop), and have strong partnerships with NYC companies. Internship opportunities are advertised as a strong part of the macaulay honors program, but I want to know if there are a good wealth of opportunities for physics majors. City College is situated in Manhattan, as are its dorms, so I don't envision really getting bored in the hustle and bustle of NYC (a cultural passport is also provided which lets students frequent many of the fine arts venues of NYC for free or low cost entry). Also, from what I hear, the advising is something Macaulay definitely as has going for it. The program is new and striving to prove itself so the advisors want nothing more than their students to go to high places, even working with alumni after graduation. Students have been getting into top medical and business schools, some have gotten in to MIT but I want to know how often people who aim for top physics programs get in... Also, City College has embarked on a partnership with Stanford. If anyone has information about this partnership in terms of boosting chances of getting into Stanford for grad school, please do share. I will be visiting within the next two weeks, hopefully.</p>
<p>Please share any and all insights to help me make a decision. I'm feeling a little lost here.</p>