Ready to go anywhere. What should i do?

[jasc15]

I recently graduated with a BS in Mech Eng with a good, well paying job. I've known for quite some time that i wanted to pursue a graduate degree. I decided that i want to study physics, but after talking to my physics professor, and other people, i realized that i would need to effectively get a bs in physics first. So i thought about engineering physics or applied physics. Any respectable school requires or "strongly recommends" taking the physics GRE. My company offers to pay for school, but i am limited to the long island, new york area if i stay here, and as far as i know, there arent many good schools for physics or engineering physics around here. I don't want to limit myself and my education by staying here, but i do have a good opportunity with my employer paying for school. Do i stay and go to a so-so school, or say "adios new york", and go to a really good school?

 

[ZapperZ]

Have you looked at Stony Brook? It is a damn fine school!

Zz.

 

[jasc15]

ive heard good things about stonybrook, and I am considering taking some undergrad physics to prepare me for the gre and a masters program. I think i want to go somewhere away from here (im drawn to california for some reason) just so i get used to change, and not getting stuck in the same area for my whole life. but passing up tuition reimbursement is very difficult and foolish, however it would constrain me to this area if i accepted.

 

[Maxwell]

Get the degree and then move!

 

[jasc15]

haha, good idea, one of many possibilities. ill look into stonybrook more, but i was thinking of moving away to another school, not necessarily after i got the degree

 

[t!m]

What about cornell? It's very well respected, and excellent in physics, from what I hear.

 

[jasc15]

ive thought about cornell, but I am not sure if i could get in, although I've heard that grad programs arent as selective as undergrad. i graduated cum laude, but my school isn't very well known so i don't know how much that would help. my dilemma is if i accept my company tuition reimbursement for my undergrad physics preparation, i won't be able to go anywhere outside this area because id have to work for a while under obligation.

 

[Norman]

I fully agree with Zapper and t!m, Stony Brook and Cornell are both good schools.

Have you read ZapperZ's articles on "So you want to be a physicist". He has some very good points about how to choose a grad school. It really is all about the advisor. As a person who has been thoroughly screwed by his, please heed my advice on this.

The tuition reimbursement is priceless. You won't have to TA, which is worth its weight in gold. And I like teaching...

Good luck

 

[jasc15]

thanks, ill look more into both of those schools...

 

[ZapperZ]

If all you want are schools around the NY metropolitan area, or in/close to NY State, then the choices are almost endless: Columbia, NYU, CCNY, Yale, UConn (yes, UConn has a very good engineering school, and an emerging physics dept. that has close ties with their Materials program), Rutgers, Johns Hopkins, etc.

Zz.