Top school to become a physicist?
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Anonymous
| DD is pretty neurotic and a high scorer on exams but simply lacks extracurriculars. She aspires to be a physicist and in her free time, she’s president of the Quantum physics and robotics team. I’m concerned that without going to a top 20 university, she won’t be able to ever achieve her dream. Looking through the assistant professor page at Princeton, every one of them has a degree from MIT, Stanford, Tsinghua, and IIT, so what chance does she have getting into the professsion? |
Anonymous
| It doesn't matter where you do your undergrad but where you do your PhD and what your research is. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
| Some of the best places for studying physics is LACs. Carleton, Bowdoin, Harvey Mudd, etc. They sent many graduates to top PhD. programs. |
Anonymous
|
Yes. This can be at a large state university, even the non-selective ones, or at good smaller schools.
https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-phd-programs#physics For example, this shows that many University of Arizona grads went on to get a PhD in physics. It's a small percentage, but if she's truly that interested she can do well at many places. |
Anonymous
| ^ Harvey Mudd acceptance rate around 20%, it's not a difficult one to get in. I know high stats girls who applied ED with no much ECs, and got in. |
Anonymous
| Based on your description of her, she'd fit in well at UChicago assuming she can translate her neuroticism into some interesting and authentic assets. The Math 180s and intro Physics track are extremely challenging but also very thorough. If she does well there, she's off to the races. |
Anonymous
Essays not assets. Sorry. |
Anonymous
| Williams, Hamilton, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Reed. |
Anonymous
| CU Boulder has a good physics program if you’re not as obsessed with general rankings. |
Anonymous
| Sample of one - but my son needed a tutor to help in with AP Calc. His tutor had a PhD in astrophysics from Villanova and worked as an astrophysicist. He said if he had it to do over again, he would major in engineering. Way easier and more flexibility for different jobs/careers. He and 2 friends from Villanova were going to form a small business offering tutoring for higher level math and science courses as they pay was better. |
Anonymous
| Michigan State is also very good for physics and not prohibitively difficult to get into. |
Anonymous
| I have a few issues with the general thesis about "physicists === physics professors at Princeton", but just to roll with that mindset, I just flipped through almost all of the bios of Princeton's professors, and very very few of them even *mention* their undergrad, because, as the first comment on this thread noted, undergrad doesn't matter as much as grad work. Focus on an undergrad where your daughter has strong access to professors and can do undergrad research. Maybe that's an LAC, like Carleton, Harvey Mudd, or others listed above. If you're in Virginia, look at W&M. The top universities have great resources, but don't feel like she's only "succeeded" if she doesn't get in to a T20 for undergrad. Rather than winnow your list now, look broadly, but with the lens of "will my student be able — as an undergrad — to do research and work closely with professors?" That will set her up for grad school, where the school she goes to really matters. |
Anonymous
I was going to say exactly this. Top program. |
Anonymous
| Iowa State was recommended by someone on DCUM for my son who wants to go into Physics. Ames National Lab is co-located on campus and gives undergrads many research opportunities which will help them get into good Phd programs |