UCSB (Santa Barbara) physics program

[Anonymous]

Anyone here with experience choosing a physics undergrad program? Any insights about UCSB, whether the online hype is deserved? Is the College of Letters + Sciences degree as good as the College of Creative Studies degree? What is the institutional culture at UCSB? Please only post if you have direct and recent experience. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

My spouse used to work with one of the current condensed matter faculty members at UCSB and said he was very good, albeit egotistical. I think my spouse would say it’s a strong department.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! Was this recent?

[Anonymous]

UCSB CCS Physics is extremely good. It is a small and selective program, known as “grad school for undergrads.” The program fosters close relationships with professors, all at the top of their field. I believe there are 4 Nobel laureates currently teaching in the Physics department. CCS students can customize their courses more than an L&S student, so there is more freedom in that regard. Lots of research opportunities as well. Grad schools highly respect the CCS program and students place well into top grad schools. In academia, UCSB is quite well known for Physics, Materials Science, and ChemE. I think the nation’s first quantum foundry is actually at UCSB. So lots of academics worldwide come to visit (oddly, I met a tourist in Japan who studied Materials Science at ETH Zurich who did postdoc research at UCSB; ETH is like the MIT of Europe I learned).

An L&S degree is just as good, but CCS offers more depth and breadth. It is also a more intimate learning experience with small class sizes. It is easy for CCS students to find research opportunities but non-CCS students can conduct research too. UCSB is unique in that it has a low graduate student population (e.g. no business school, no medical school). So there is more space available for undergrads to research than at other UC’s. SB is much more undergraduate focused than other UC’s. One downside with L&S is that intro classes are very large. Students may not learn as well. This will be at any UC. That is why I love CCS as students take major-related CCS classes and have that intimate learning experience, and also experience that large public school feeling when taking gen-ed classes. It’s the best of both worlds.

If a student can’t get into CCS freshman year, they can always reapply. And if that doesn’t work out, L&S physics is still great. Physics is a strong major as students will learn problem solving, theory, as well as more applicable topics like coding. The only UC that rivals UCSB Physics is probably UC Berkeley. With all of the advantages of UCSB CCS though, I’d probably say UCSB CCS > Berkeley > UCSB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UCSB CCS Physics is extremely good. It is a small and selective program, known as “grad school for undergrads.” The program fosters close relationships with professors, all at the top of their field. I believe there are 4 Nobel laureates currently teaching in the Physics department. CCS students can customize their courses more than an L&S student, so there is more freedom in that regard. Lots of research opportunities as well. Grad schools highly respect the CCS program and students place well into top grad schools. In academia, UCSB is quite well known for Physics, Materials Science, and ChemE. I think the nation’s first quantum foundry is actually at UCSB. So lots of academics worldwide come to visit (oddly, I met a tourist in Japan who studied Materials Science at ETH Zurich who did postdoc research at UCSB; ETH is like the MIT of Europe I learned).

An L&S degree is just as good, but CCS offers more depth and breadth. It is also a more intimate learning experience with small class sizes. It is easy for CCS students to find research opportunities but non-CCS students can conduct research too. UCSB is unique in that it has a low graduate student population (e.g. no business school, no medical school). So there is more space available for undergrads to research than at other UC’s. SB is much more undergraduate focused than other UC’s. One downside with L&S is that intro classes are very large. Students may not learn as well. This will be at any UC. That is why I love CCS as students take major-related CCS classes and have that intimate learning experience, and also experience that large public school feeling when taking gen-ed classes. It’s the best of both worlds.

If a student can’t get into CCS freshman year, they can always reapply. And if that doesn’t work out, L&S physics is still great. Physics is a strong major as students will learn problem solving, theory, as well as more applicable topics like coding. The only UC that rivals UCSB Physics is probably UC Berkeley. With all of the advantages of UCSB CCS though, I’d probably say UCSB CCS > Berkeley > UCSB.

Wow this is so helpful, thank you!! May i ask how you know all this? Are you connected to the school in some way?

[Anonymous]

Also familiar with the school and the faculty (I used to work for a science-focused think tank). USCB is one of the best and has produced some of the finest minds in academia currently working at places like the Santa Fe Institute and Perimeter Institute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also familiar with the school and the faculty (I used to work for a science-focused think tank). USCB is one of the best and has produced some of the finest minds in academia currently working at places like the Santa Fe Institute and Perimeter Institute.

Thank you! How does it differ from other top colleges for physics?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UCSB CCS Physics is extremely good. It is a small and selective program, known as “grad school for undergrads.” The program fosters close relationships with professors, all at the top of their field. I believe there are 4 Nobel laureates currently teaching in the Physics department. CCS students can customize their courses more than an L&S student, so there is more freedom in that regard. Lots of research opportunities as well. Grad schools highly respect the CCS program and students place well into top grad schools. In academia, UCSB is quite well known for Physics, Materials Science, and ChemE. I think the nation’s first quantum foundry is actually at UCSB. So lots of academics worldwide come to visit (oddly, I met a tourist in Japan who studied Materials Science at ETH Zurich who did postdoc research at UCSB; ETH is like the MIT of Europe I learned).

An L&S degree is just as good, but CCS offers more depth and breadth. It is also a more intimate learning experience with small class sizes. It is easy for CCS students to find research opportunities but non-CCS students can conduct research too. UCSB is unique in that it has a low graduate student population (e.g. no business school, no medical school). So there is more space available for undergrads to research than at other UC’s. SB is much more undergraduate focused than other UC’s. One downside with L&S is that intro classes are very large. Students may not learn as well. This will be at any UC. That is why I love CCS as students take major-related CCS classes and have that intimate learning experience, and also experience that large public school feeling when taking gen-ed classes. It’s the best of both worlds.

If a student can’t get into CCS freshman year, they can always reapply. And if that doesn’t work out, L&S physics is still great. Physics is a strong major as students will learn problem solving, theory, as well as more applicable topics like coding. The only UC that rivals UCSB Physics is probably UC Berkeley. With all of the advantages of UCSB CCS though, I’d probably say UCSB CCS > Berkeley > UCSB.

Wow this is so helpful, thank you!! May i ask how you know all this? Are you connected to the school in some way?

No problem!

I knew of UCSB's Physics program through my boyfriend (he's currently doing a Physics PhD at UChicago and knows everything about the Physics world). My boyfriend was not accepted into the UCSB PhD program, but if he did, it would have been a tough decision between UCSB and UChi.

I coincidentally have a younger cousin who studies Physics at UCSB CCS. So during family get togethers, my bf and cousin have all these Physics talks lol... Most of my knowledge came from them, but I also have a UC degree so I am familiar with the different UC schools.

[Anonymous]

That’s helpful thanks. I wonder what the crowding there is like. Dorms, getting classes and lab time.

[Anonymous]

All UC schools are unfortunately very crowded and signing up for classes is a pain. It may be helpful to look at the 4-year graduation metrics, but most should be over 90%? Which would indicate that most students graduate on time despite the overcrowding issue.

Not sure about dorms but I know the UCs have housing issues. Freshmen should be guaranteed university owned dorms but after that I am not sure…

[Anonymous]

Any perspective on choosing physics at UCSB vs UIUC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone here with experience choosing a physics undergrad program? Any insights about UCSB, whether the online hype is deserved? Is the College of Letters + Sciences degree as good as the College of Creative Studies degree? What is the institutional culture at UCSB? Please only post if you have direct and recent experience. Thank you!

CCS is absolutely better, especially for would-be grad students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any perspective on choosing physics at UCSB vs UIUC?

What levels of physics knowledge/experience do they have? For those with more experience who can test out of the intro courses via proficiency exams UIUC is better than non-CCS UCSB

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any perspective on choosing physics at UCSB vs UIUC?

What levels of physics knowledge/experience do they have? For those with more experience who can test out of the intro courses via proficiency exams UIUC is better than non-CCS UCSB

Interesting, can you elaborate? My DC is a senior who took two AP Physics C classes as a junior and is taking Physics at a community college now. And he did *not* apply to CCS at UCSB unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any perspective on choosing physics at UCSB vs UIUC?

They are too similarly ranked to give a definitive answer. Might want to check out the reddit Physics forum, they probably have more to say there. I’d say UCSB CCS > UCSB = UIUC.

Academics aside, I think UCSB is in a better location with better weather, but UIUC campus is more beautiful.