Pursuing Astrophysics in The US: Cost, Advantages & College Options

[navneet1990]

umm...ive just graduated from high school and gave my sat in june...critical reading 600 and math 760 ( its pathetic...i know)

umm...im interested in pursuing something like an astrophysics course.
are there any good universities that i can aim for with my score...i also gave AIEEE(all indian engineering entrance exam) n scored a 97.5percentile on it. so i guess i will be able to get NIT's (national institute of technology) and other good colleges out here.

but i really want to pursue my studies in the US. how do i go about with it?...since i would be an international student i guess cost would be a factor...i want to know what extra leverage or what advantage does a BS in america give over a BE in india?

i guess my high school curriculum was pretty strong...but how do i get all this together n narrow down on a few universities...are there aids or any sort of fee waivers for international students?...i want to know how to put all my stuff together to make it look impressive...any ideas...?

P.S. do you think i shud give those sat subject tests and possible give sat again? would that help?

 

[navneet1990]

any1?

 

[Asphodel]

It's a holiday, we're all out roasting dead animals and blowing things up.

 

[kingdomof]

umm...ive just graduated from high school and gave my sat in june...critical reading 600 and math 760 ( its pathetic...i know)

umm...im interested in pursuing something like an astrophysics course.
are there any good universities that i can aim for with my score...i also gave AIEEE(all indian engineering entrance exam) n scored a 97.5percentile on it. so i guess i will be able to get NIT's (national institute of technology) and other good colleges out here.

but i really want to pursue my studies in the US. how do i go about with it?...since i would be an international student i guess cost would be a factor...i want to know what extra leverage or what advantage does a BS in america give over a BE in india?

i guess my high school curriculum was pretty strong...but how do i get all this together n narrow down on a few universities...are there aids or any sort of fee waivers for international students?...i want to know how to put all my stuff together to make it look impressive...any ideas...?

P.S. do you think i shud give those sat subject tests and possible give sat again? would that help?

You'd probably be able to get into a decent place for engineering. You probably also have better knowledge of the subjects you're going to be taking as well. Just apply to multiple schools. However, if you are somehow thinking of getting a Ph.D, undergrad really means nothing in the grand scheme. The international student status will hinder you a bit, but I'm sure you'll do fine. If you really want to do a subject test, go for Physics and the Maths. It all helps.

 

[navneet1990]

thank you for your reply!

umm...physics/astrophysics...which one of them is a better choice?...math,physics and astronomy really interest me...but i want to know whether there is a scope for any of these subjects...as in after post graduation...? I am really interested in the theoretical stuff but I've heard that it doesn't fetch many jobs...would i be able to switch over to the more practical and industrial side of it ( if there is any)?...i think if i go to the US for undergrad then the only reason i would like to work after MS would be to payback my loans...so looking at it from that point of view though i really want to pursue my interests i can't turn a blind eye towards the financial realities...ultimately my interest is to pursue research activities...what sort of path do you recommend...? is there any way i can learn more about the courses i want to take and their implications on my future ??...

srry for the long post...
'

 

[navneet1990]

engineering...umm...what sort of course in engineering...? will i still be able to pursue my interest in math and physics if i do engineering? what are my grad school options after that?

 

[Choppy]

In undergraduate study, the less you specialize, the better, in my opinion. From an undergraduate degree in honours physics you can further branch out into one of the subfields - astrophysics, astronomy, etc. when you get into graduate school. If engineering appeals to you, you could look into an engineering physics program. In general, it's not too hard to get into a physics graduate program coming from an engineering physics background.

 

[cristo]

In general, it's not too hard to get into a physics graduate program coming from an engineering physics background.

He's talking about a theoretical physics PhD: I don't see how it's possible to go from engineering to theoretical physics (unless you're a genius and prepared to put in a lot of extra work). There are just so many students with physics degrees, or even theoretical physics degrees who will want to go into theory research.