Should I go to a community college or a university for my physics major?

[alex caps]

I am a junior in high school and am starting to search for schools to go to.. I know eventually I want to major in physics.. or atleat that's what I am thinking. Would it be better for me to go to an undergrad school for 2 years and get a bunch of different sciences and maths learned, then transfer to another school and major in physics.. or should I try and go directly to a school to major in physics? I am wondering because it will help me decide which colleges to look for, thanks.

 

[ktpr2]

if both cases end with "major in physics" then take the quickest route to achieving your goal. In this case it's "go directly to a school to major in physics."

 

[Kelvin]

In Hong Kong, there's no choice for me.
But if I can choose, I still prefer "Go directly to college and major in physics"

 

[HallsofIvy]

While there might be special reasons for going to one school for two years and then transferring to another, generally it is far better to stay in the same school for your entire undergraduate degree. Again barring special reasons, I would recommend choosing the best college you can get into and completing all four years there.

 

[ktpr2]

Ah, I suppose the implication was transfer to a better school, not just any school for some other reason. If you can't get into the school of your dreams, then yes, attempt to transfer after your sophomore year. One thing many students over look is the quality of job fairs in the area and the career service support from school.

 

[DaVinci]

A major is an undergrad. I think you mean get an AA from a Community College first and then go to the university for your last two years. Is this correct?

I don't think it matters. Personally, I chose to go to a community college to get my AA first. The reason is simple. I took all of my Calculus and Physics at the CC . The reason is because at the CC, my max class size was 30 students. When I took honors calc, I had 8 students in the class. At the university, Calculus and Physics courses are in stadium seating with anywhere from 150 to 300 students.

So, if you do not like teacher / student interaction and think you can teach yourself calculus and physics, just go to the university. If you would rather have smaller class sizes, more interaction with your professor, and more help available, go to a CC.

To top it off, each semester at a state university costs me around $2500. Each semester at the CC cost me about $700.

So, not only did I have smaller classes and personally feel that I learned more, I also saved $1800 a semester.

The only draw back to that method is there are a whole lot more immature idiots at a community college that arent really serious about school that you have to deal with. You may not have a problem with that but after being in the Marines... my tolerance for immaturity is zero. :tongue2:

 

[franznietzsche]

A major is an undergrad. I think you mean get an AA from a Community College first and then go to the university for your last two years. Is this correct?

I don't think it matters. Personally, I chose to go to a community college to get my AA first. The reason is simple. I took all of my Calculus and Physics at the CC . The reason is because at the CC, my max class size was 30 students. When I took honors calc, I had 8 students in the class. At the university, Calculus and Physics courses are in stadium seating with anywhere from 150 to 300 students.

So, if you do not like teacher / student interaction and think you can teach yourself calculus and physics, just go to the university. If you would rather have smaller class sizes, more interaction with your professor, and more help available, go to a CC.

To top it off, each semester at a state university costs me around $2500. Each semester at the CC cost me about $700.

So, not only did I have smaller classes and personally feel that I learned more, I also saved $1800 a semester.

The only draw back to that method is there are a whole lot more immature idiots at a community college that arent really serious about school that you have to deal with. You may not have a problem with that but after being in the Marines... my tolerance for immaturity is zero. :tongue2:

Not necessarily true, all my undergrad classes are 30 people (i'm a physics major). My largest class is 130, but that's anthropology. None of my physics classes will ever be more than 30. Same with calculus. It depends on which university. My costs are actually higher than that, but I'm living on campus. its costing me about $15,000 a year, total. My tuition is only $1300 a quarter though (less than $5000 a year) Books, and housing make up most of the rest.

If you can afford the university right away, and there are no other factors pushing you towards the CC, go straight to the university. Its better to be at the same place for four years, you make connections with faculty, work on research, etc. All stuff that's important for getting into graduate school.