Best Physics Schools for College | Ranked

  • Context: Schools 
  • Thread starter Thread starter hawk320
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Physics Schools
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around identifying the best colleges for pursuing a physics major, particularly focusing on the quality of undergraduate programs versus graduate programs. Participants share insights and personal opinions regarding rankings and the importance of school selection.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the best colleges for a physics major, seeking recommendations.
  • Another participant lists several top-ranked physics schools, referencing a specific ranking source for graduate programs.
  • A subsequent reply questions the relevance of graduate program rankings to undergraduate education, suggesting there may be significant differences.
  • Further, a participant emphasizes the difficulty of gaining admission to prestigious schools and encourages the original poster to consider happiness and personal fit over rankings.
  • This participant also notes that many top-tier programs are recognized for their graduate offerings, while undergraduate quality may vary.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the importance of rankings and the distinction between undergraduate and graduate program quality. There is no consensus on which schools are definitively the best for undergraduate physics programs.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the variability in undergraduate program quality among schools that are highly ranked for graduate studies. There is an acknowledgment of the subjective nature of school selection based on personal happiness and fit.

Who May Find This Useful

High school students considering a physics major, parents of prospective college students, and individuals interested in the nuances of college rankings in STEM fields.

hawk320
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
I'm a junior in high school and looking around for what colleges I want to apply to. In college I want to go into a physics major and I was hoping that someone could tell me which schools had the best physics programs. Thank you.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Those rankings are for grad school. Is there a big difference between their programs?
 
Generally getting into a program such as Harvard/Princeton/CalTech is going to be extremely difficult for most people, their acceptance rates are so incredibly low that getting in is tough.

Don't let this discourage you tough, a lot of great minds come from all over, from many backgrounds, and the education you would receive at a quality state school or smaller private can be just as good, you just need to be certain you bust you butt and achieve academic excellance in undergrad.

Grad school is considerably more important than undergrad school, so I would visit each school and make a personal decision about where you want to go... don't let the USnews rankings or some other BS skew your desicison too much... you want to go where you will be HAPPY, not just the most "prestigious" place you can get into...

Also, many such top tier programs are ranked as such for their grad school programs, while the quality of their undergraduate programs can vary widely... I suggest sites like collegeconfidential.com and others to get a feel
 
Thanks.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Replies
13
Views
3K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
2K
  • · Replies 38 ·
2
Replies
38
Views
6K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K