<p>hey there guys. i was accepted into yale, columbia (as a rabi scholar), and mit. does anyone have any advice for me considering that i want to do a lot of undergraduate research and hope to major in physics/astronomy?? thanks a bunch.</p>
<p>You want to major in Physics / Astronomy? MIT. Even though I'm going to Yale I'd have to say MIT for that.</p>
<p>congratz on ur acceptance! </p>
<p>it depends on how much you really want to major in your major. If you are more or less wishy washy, like not sure if you will change your mind ornot, then you might want to explore around and find out other things that matter to you like the quality of student life, what kind of city you want to live in, the type of students, etc. Otherwise, if you are set that Physics is what you want to learn, then definitely MIT is the way to go.</p>
<p>MIT hands down for the research in Physics, the research programs begin in freshman year, I think it is called called udop.</p>
<p>Yale!!!!!......it rocks!</p>
<p>Rodrigo Coutino</p>
<p>^Yale does rock but for the sciences I'd definitely go with MIT.</p>
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Yale does rock but for the sciences I'd definitely go with MIT.
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I understand where this sentiment comes from, but I think it's very inaccurate. At an undergraduate level, Yale's science programs are as strong as MIT's at any practical level. You will have plenty of access to research opportunities, strong classmates, and great instructors at either place. At a graduate level, in most sciences, I would agree that MIT is a better place, but strong graduate programs have little effect on undergrads. After all, top LACs provide excellent undergraduate education despite lacking grad schools entirely.
The bigger difference between Yale and MIT is cultural. MIT is a tech school, which means you will have students who are very differently focused from those at Yale. For many people, the nerd culture of MIT is plus, but for others, the more varied interests that they will find at Yale are an advantage, even if they themselves plan to be science majors. As for Columbia, the big issue is whether you want to live in NYC or not. After one visit to the city while in high school, I knew that I wouldn't want to go to school in New York, but for many others New York is a huge attraction. I would strongly recommend visiting all three colleges (spending at least one night in the dorms) before deciding. They are three very different schools, and how well each one fits you will depend a lot on your personality.</p>
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I understand where this sentiment comes from, but I think it's very inaccurate.
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<p>Haha that wasn't condescending at all.</p>
<p>Sorry, it wasn't meant personally. I see it that sentiment a lot on these boards, and do my best to correct it. You just happened to be the unlucky victim of my wrath this time.</p>
<p>Svalbard, how much do you know about Yale's Undergrad physics program? Because I'm debating Caltech and Yale, and I can't really get any good sources on the strength of yales ug physics compared to Caltech.</p>
<p>You will get a very good physics education as an undergrad at Yale. I know several physics majors who all seem happy with the academics, and have positions working in labs. I don't know what you want to do with your physics degree, but for going to grad school, Yale would give you as much as an advantage as Caltech (assuming you take advantages of the opportunities at either place). If you are planning to get a job straight out of college, then Yale might even be slightly better than Caltech if the job isn't directly related to physics (since it has closer recruiting relationships with more employers) and slightly worse if it is directly related to physics (because in the physical sciences, the Caltech name could trump).
The bigger difference, I would argue, is in the style of education you will receive. Caltech culture is vastly different from Yale culture. If you want to be surrounded by other super-intense math/science nerds, and have a huge percentage of your life devoted to science related activities, Caltech is better. If you want to have a more typical college life, with classmates with a wide range of academic interests (humanities and social sciences, in addition to pure science), and perhaps be heavily involved in non-science related activities (for instance, one of the physics majors I know is pretty heavily involved in the Yale Political Union), then go to Yale. If you're not sure, visit both. You will notice very large differences in culture, and I guarantee that you will prefer one to the other.</p>
<p>Thank you for the reply Svalbard! I'm just worried that if I go to Yale I'll learn less in Physics than at Caltech and I'll also have less than stellar research opportunities, but many people have told me if I want to get "hosed" with math/sci material at Yale all I have to do is take the hardest classes. Can I have a Caltech experience (<em>extremely rigorous material at a very fast pac</em>) at Yale in this respect? (To the OP, sorry for the thread hijacking =p)</p>
<p>Caltech, from what I've heard (my information is obviously far from perfect) will force you to learn much more than Yale will. Tech schools generally have very rigorous requirements, and offer few opportunities to take easier classes to meet requirements. That said, at a place like Yale, you can still choose to take the most rigorous physics classes available, which would probably compare to what a Caltech student would have to take (though, again, I don't know for sure). I think the basic difference is that Caltech will force you to work extremely hard, while at Yale you will have to make that choice for yourself. If you work as hard at Yale as you would have to at Caltech, you will probably learn just as much.
As far as research opportunities go, attending Yale won't force you to sacrifice much. There are plenty of chances for students in any field to work closely with faculty members, and even if Caltech has physics professors engaging in more groundbreaking research (very possible, since Caltech's physics faculty has more research strength than Yale's), you will probable find that what you would do as a research assistant at either place wouldn't be that different. Besides, what's really important (if you hope to go to grad school) is starting to do your own research, for which faculty members at either institution could provide you plenty of help.</p>
<p>For undergrad astrophysics, Yale would be the best choice. MIT has a strong department too, but it is overcrowded with students. Yale has one of the best departments in the world and comparatively fewer students. Also, Yale has a very strong social life, so if you care about having a vibrant campus that's buzzing 24/7, Yale is a much better option than MIT.</p>
<p>just to let you know a little about Columbia's Rabi program, you'll have amazing access to some of the nation's greatest scientists - because many of Columbia's science professors are doing incredible research or have already made profound scientific breakthroughs. in addition, being a Rabi scholar means you're automatically a member of a really strong support group, one through which you can meet other students as passionate as you are about the sciences. that opportunity in and of itself can be really helpful in transitioning to college. then, you get all the great benefits of going to Columbia - a close-knit, active community, plenty of student activities that will let you apply your science knowledge to the real world (a good example - Engineers Without Borders, and no, you don't need to be an engineer to work with them), and New York City, which can offer a whole slew of fantastic science-oriented internships. Seeing as I'm a Columbia student, i don't konw mcuh about Yale and MIT, but this should help you with the Columbia side of things.</p>
<p>Those sound like wise words. What is your major?</p>
<p>If I had to rank them in terms of where you would do best, I would say
1. MIT
2. Columbia
3. Yale</p>
<p>As for where you might have the most fun:
1/2. Yale
3. MIT</p>
<p>If you give both aspects equal weight, I would say Columbia would be best for you, but if you're no concerned with a the environment/social life too much, MIT sounds good.</p>
<p>Personally, I think you should go to Yale because it has the most prestige.</p>
<p>I think people consider MIT higher than Yale with regards to theses things, but that's just my perception. You really can't go too wrong with any choice though.</p>