Schools BS in Econ, back to school sooner than later... Hopefully?

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The discussion revolves around a 25-year-old student seeking advice on pursuing a degree in physics or engineering after graduating in December 2017. They express a strong interest in topics like special relativity and quantum mechanics but are uncertain about career paths in these fields. The student desires to attend a more academically focused institution, as their current school prioritizes athletics over academics. They also question the feasibility of applying to PhD programs in physics without a formal undergraduate degree in the subject, suggesting a desire to take only necessary courses. Overall, they are looking for guidance on navigating their educational and career options in the sciences.
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Hey guys, I would like to preface this by saying I don't graduate until December 2017, at 25 years old. Then I am looking to take advantage of the new program the Army rolled out, two-year contract, student loan repayment, and GI Bill accessibility. Hopefully in a computer science/engineering/mechanical type MOS, then returning to school.

Essentially, I am looking for some advice for going back to school to earn a degree in either physics or engineering. The tough part for me is deciding which to actually undertake, I like reading about special relativity and quantum mechanics, but I find it difficult to say, "Once I am "done" with physics/engineering this is what I want to do," simply because I don't know enough about physics/engineering, if I am being honest. I do know I have taken a particular interest in gravity, particularly reading about what they do over at LIGO.

When I go back to school I would definitely love to go to an academically rich environment, where I currently attend is a smaller school where the student body and administration are much more focused on athletics than academics. Much of the student body is apathetic when it comes to getting involved, which is fine I would just like something different. I do not have undergraduate grades to get into and Ivy league school at all, ~3.2 cumulative GPA ~3.65 major GPA. I have only taken two mathematics courses, Calculus I and II, unfortunately a course I need to graduate is the same time Calc III offered in the fall so I won't be able to take it.

I am not sure if physics is somewhat like economics when it comes to schooling, and by that I mean there are a few smaller, less broadly known schools that have great physics programs, but I would be delighted to hear about these places.

Anyway, any sort of direction/guidance/advice you could give me would be great. I can't thank you all enough.Tandem
 
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Or better yet, instead of having to do four years again would I be able to take just the physics and math courses required for a physics major, then apply to PhD programs without technically having an undergraduate degree in physics?
 
Hey, I am Andreas from Germany. I am currently 35 years old and I want to relearn math and physics. This is not one of these regular questions when it comes to this matter. So... I am very realistic about it. I know that there are severe contraints when it comes to selfstudy compared to a regular school and/or university (structure, peers, teachers, learning groups, tests, access to papers and so on) . I will never get a job in this field and I will never be taken serious by "real"...
Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...

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