Choice for undergrad college and grad school as a physics major?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the decision-making process for a physics major regarding the choice between two universities for completing a bachelor's degree. The considerations include university reputation, course offerings, research opportunities, and personal circumstances related to family.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about choosing between the University of Florida, which is more recognized for physics, and the University of South Florida, which is closer to family but lower in rankings.
  • Another participant suggests that the quality of education, including course content and research opportunities, is more important than rankings.
  • A later reply highlights that USF requires all physics undergraduates to participate in research, which is seen as a positive aspect compared to UF's less structured approach.
  • One participant notes that USF's course offerings appear strong for graduate school preparation, including essential subjects like electromagnetism and quantum mechanics.
  • There is an emphasis on minimizing financial and family strains as a critical factor in the decision-making process.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the importance of university rankings versus the quality of education and personal circumstances. There is no consensus on which university is the better choice.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various factors such as course offerings, research requirements, and personal circumstances, but do not resolve how these factors weigh against each other in making a decision.

Ascendant78
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Ok, so I am just finishing my AA as a physics major and on the fence about two different universities to finish my BS. One of them is more well recognized as far as physics goes (University of Florida). However, being a non-traditional student, it would put me a substantial distance away from my daughter (me and the ex have joint custody). On the other hand, the University of South Florida is a much closer university, but they are way down there on the rankings as far as physics goes. I have had some people tell me UF would be more highly regarded, while others have said it will mainly be about grades, the courses I took, and what research I conducted during undergrad. Since I got a lot of mixed feedback from faculty at my current college, I thought I would ask some of you directly in physics that might know? Do college rankings really make much of a difference for undergrad, or is most of that type of stuff just arbitrarily evaluated?
 
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It's not the ranking so much as the quality of the education. What are the courses you would be taking? What books are used in each courses? What research opportunities are there?
 
Vanadium 50 said:
It's not the ranking so much as the quality of the education. What are the courses you would be taking? What books are used in each courses? What research opportunities are there?

Thanks for the info. Those are all things I have been trying to look into. One thing I liked about USF is that they actually require all physics undergrads to participate in research and do all they can to encourage it, while UF (from what it seems so far at least) pretty much leaves you up to contacting the professors and such yourself. Anyway, I will keep exploring both and compare them. Thanks again for the feedback.
 
Course-wise, it looks like USF is sound, with regards to grad school preparation. I.e. Two semester EM, two semester QM, advanced lab, stat mech. Research requirement is great too. Minimizing financial/family strains IMO is the most important thing.
 

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