Should I even try physics at this point?

In summary: In fact, you majored in economics because you could easily graduate in 4 years and felt that it would help you get a good job after school. This was shallow thinking obviously, but majoring in physics doesn't guarantee a good job either. In fact, physics could hurt me since it's harder than economics and I could end up getting a lower GPA which could make finding employment more difficult. In summary, you are considering switching majors to physics due to the boredom you feel in your current econ major, but you are also aware that there is a lot of math and time involved and that it may get difficult in the end. You also fear that a physics degree may be looked down upon compared to an econ
  • #1
Tripoli
3
0
Hello, I'm currently a sophomore in college and I'm majoring in econ. I find econ boring and I'm not motivated in my classes. To me, physics has always been a very interesting topic and I'm thinking about switching majors to it. Unfortunately, doing so would require me to take a total of 5 years to graduate (Or more, if I want to further space out the hard classes at the end). I don't know what I want to do after college and I do not currently have the desire to go for a MS/PhD were I to major in physics (and sure as hell not in economics, either). I simply want to learn about the workings of the universe because I'm curious.

I know that getting a physics degree isn't simply walking into a classroom and having Carl Sagan blow your mind. I'm aware there's lots of math and time involved and that it gets difficult in the end, but perhaps I don't truly appreciate how difficult it really is. Many physics majors talk about getting burned out in some of their classes and they certainly aren't having much fun at times. Since I don't like economics, I may have the "grass is greener on the other side" mentality.

I majored in economics because I could easily graduate in 4 years and felt that it would help me get a good job after school. This was shallow thinking obviously, but majoring in physics doesn't guarantee a good job either. In fact, physics could hurt me since it's harder than economics and I could end up getting a lower GPA which could make finding employment more difficult. The fact is, after school I need a job and I'm probably not going to be an economist or physicist.

Here's what I'm thinking about doing: 1) Major in econ/minor in physics: this would allow me to graduate in 4 years total while still giving me a taste of physics. 2)Major in physics and take longer to graduate but (hopefully) enjoy my educational experience much more than I am now w/ econ.
And 3) Get a degree in interdisciplinary physics combining econ and physics and graduating in close to 4 years (didn't work it out, but it will take less time than physics). I'm unsure about this because I don't want to teach and I'm afraid this degree would be looked down upon compared to a physics or econ degree. Here's info on it: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/umich/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=53e0d8d4b5ce9110VgnVCM1000005001010aRCRD" [Broken]

I figure I may as well continue with econ in some way (at least a minor) since I've already taken a good deal of classes in it.

Background: I took physics B AP in high school and it was by far my favorite class that I took while I was there. I have college credit for physics 1 (Newtonian motion) and still have to take physics 2 (electricity/magnetism). I have math up to calc 2. I know my current experience with physics/math is quite weak, but let's assume my interest in physics doesn't wane as I continue taking more classes. Also, my current GPA is about 3.8 and I'm afraid of bringing it down because I'm a sissy. Should I place less importance on GPA?

Hopefully I gave you guys enough info regarding my situation and that it wasn't too tedious to read. I know lots of you guys are very knowledgeable not just on physics education but also on life after college, and I would greatly appreciate your advice on my situation and options. Also, thanks for all the information that has already been posted on this site because it has been very helpful to me and many others.
 
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  • #2
I think you should look at it less from the "I don't know if I can get a job majoring in ____" and more from the "I really enjoy ____." Clearly you aren't enjoying economics. If you enjoy physics, go ahead and do that if you can afford to remain in undergrad for an extra year.
 
  • #3
fss said:
I think you should look at it less from the "I don't know if I can get a job majoring in ____" and more from the "I really enjoy ____." Clearly you aren't enjoying economics. If you enjoy physics, go ahead and do that if you can afford to remain in undergrad for an extra year.


Personally, I wish I went more with the "what has the best job prospects" line of reasoning. Which would have meant engineering instead of physics.
 
  • #4
Phyisab**** said:
Personally, I wish I went more with the "what has the best job prospects" line of reasoning. Which would have meant engineering instead of physics.

The difference between your case and the OPs is that you didn't dislike physics as the OP claims to dislike economics.
 
  • #5
Unless your university requires you to be a physics major to take a physics course, why don't you take a course and try it out. Talk with a professor that teaches one of the higher level courses and see if (s)he would mind if you sat in a class for a day to see how that feels. No need to make a big change just yet.

Good luck!
 
  • #6
I want to point out that getting a good grade in a physics class is not as difficult as it sounds you just have to know how to do the problems by knowing the material. In my experience getting a problem on a exam that you have to use some strange method to solve is rare although it sort of depends on the teacher.

Why is it not that difficult to get a good grade? Because there is very little room for personal opinions of the teacher. If you solve all the problems you will get a A. It's the same for mathematics. Although getting a A for a report made after an experiment can be very difficult, but that's usually only a small part of the grade.
 
  • #7
If you solve all the problems you will get a A. It's the same for mathematics.

This is far from an absolute rule. Especially considering how most courses are graded on a curve and most (at least at my school) students have solved all the assigned problems and most of the final grades can't be As...
 
  • #8
Heimisson said:
I want to point out that getting a good grade in a physics class is not as difficult as it sounds you just have to know how to do the problems by knowing the material. In my experience getting a problem on a exam that you have to use some strange method to solve is rare although it sort of depends on the teacher.

That's true for first year physics, and maybe part of second year but after that most physics courses end up being graded on a curve.

Edit*

To the OP, you definitely should think about the enjoyability of you're degree when making a decision like this. There is a lot more to physics then "understanding how the universe works", and such romanticism can lead to mistakes. With that said if you're interested in physics I think it would be a good idea for you to do your major in Economics, while minoring in Physics.
 
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  • #9
anubis01 said:
That's true for first year physics, and maybe part of second year but after that most physics courses end up being graded on a curve.

Really that's not done where I'm from but we have a 0-10 grading usually with steps of 0.5.
5 or sometimes 6 being a passing grade. We never grade on a curve.
 
  • #10
Heimisson said:
I want to point out that getting a good grade in a physics class is not as difficult as it sounds you just have to know how to do the problems by knowing the material. In my experience getting a problem on a exam that you have to use some strange method to solve is rare although it sort of depends on the teacher.

Why is it not that difficult to get a good grade? Because there is very little room for personal opinions of the teacher. If you solve all the problems you will get a A. It's the same for mathematics. Although getting a A for a report made after an experiment can be very difficult, but that's usually only a small part of the grade.

Have you really never taken an exam that was an absolutely brutal, soul crushing experience?
 
  • #11
Phyisab**** said:
Have you really never taken an exam that was an absolutely brutal, soul crushing experience?

Well not really I've taken exams where I thought "this could be going a little better" but the only exams that I've taken that have been soul crushing are physics competitions I participated in high school. Like the IPhO, that was like a waking nightmare.
 
  • #12
Heimisson said:
Well not really I've taken exams where I thought "this could be going a little better" but the only exams that I've taken that have been soul crushing are physics competitions I participated in high school. Like the IPhO, that was like a waking nightmare.

Do you go to a small school? That's probably why.
 
  • #13
panzival said:
Do you go to a small school? That's probably why.

I don't understand how you come to that conclusion, just because I've never had a really bad exam in my university carrier so far.
Some of my classes have 100-300 students in them, my university has around 16000 students. It's not very large but you can find a lot smaller schools.
 
  • #14
Heimisson said:
Really that's not done where I'm from but we have a 0-10 grading usually with steps of 0.5.
5 or sometimes 6 being a passing grade. We never grade on a curve.

That's highly unusual for upper year courses

Heimisson said:
I don't understand how you come to that conclusion, just because I've never had a really bad exam in my university carrier so far.
Some of my classes have 100-300 students in them, my university has around 16000 students. It's not very large but you can find a lot smaller schools.

This statistic makes no sense, your school has a pretty small population, yet it has hundred plus students in 3rd/4th year physics classes, my 2nd year Optics & waves course didn't even scratch 50, and that's with a population of 36000 students.
 
  • #15
anubis01 said:
That's highly unusual for upper year courses

No it's just not the american system. If we have a student that got 78 points out of 100 and another with 82 these two students would never get different grades, they would both get 8.
If you would grade on a curve these two student might get a different grade.
However if a exam was too hard a professor might add a constant to every grade so that the highest student would get a 10. If there was one student with a perfect score but the 2nd best had 80 points, there would be one person with a 10 and the second best with 8. No matter the size of the class or how advanced it is.


anubis01 said:
This statistic makes no sense, your school has a pretty small population, yet it has hundred plus students in 3rd/4th year physics classes, my 2nd year Optics & waves course didn't even scratch 50, and that's with a population of 36000 students.

We don't have a 4th year. If you were a 4th year student you would be a masters student and you wouldn't attend classes. These large classes I'm talking about are classes that are shared with the engineering, chemistry and/or geophysics departments. Things like classical dynamics, thermodynamics, electro magnetics or advanced calculus. I never said these where classes only taken by the physics department. Those are much smaller.

How things are done in the states isn't the norm everywhere else.
 
  • #16
This thread has severely gone off-topic!

Please note that the original poster to this thread is a member by the name of "Tripoli". This should not be a thread about "Heimisson" or a particular academic system.

Zz.
 
  • #17
First of all, you apparently go to Michigan, which is pretty well known for having a good math department which attracts (read actively recruits) talented math students. You can safely bet that many of the dedicated physics students there are going to be exceptional at math and will further their mathematical abilities by taking hard math courses (e.g. honors analysis) their first year. There is going to be a lot of competition and a lot of hard exams. So if you pursue physics and don't want your GPA to drop, you had better be more dedicated than you sounded in your post.

Also, exactly which econ courses have you taken? If you had been exposed to some of econometrics, game theory, international econ, economic growth, industrial organization, then concluded "man econ really sucks it is still boring" then yeah bad foresight and planning sorry. But if you're judging the discipline based on experiences in intermediate micro/macro (so you understand how to maximize functions via Lagrange multipliers and nothing else really), then you should really take another econ course. Perhaps you hate economics in the absolute, but I highly suspect there are concepts you would find interesting in econ that you don't know about.
 

1. Should I even try physics at this point?

This is a common question for those who may be struggling with physics and feeling discouraged. The answer is that it ultimately depends on your goals and determination. If you have a passion for physics and are willing to put in the effort, then it is definitely worth trying. However, if you have no interest in the subject or are not willing to put in the necessary work, it may not be the best fit for you.

2. Is physics too difficult for me?

Physics can be a challenging subject, but it is not impossible. It requires a strong understanding of math and the ability to think critically. However, with dedication and proper study habits, anyone can succeed in physics. It is important to seek help when needed and practice regularly to improve your understanding.

3. Will I need a strong math background for physics?

Yes, a strong foundation in math is essential for understanding physics. Concepts such as algebra, trigonometry, and calculus are used extensively in physics. It is important to have a solid understanding of these subjects before delving into physics.

4. What can I do to improve in physics?

There are several things you can do to improve in physics. First, make sure you have a good grasp of the underlying math concepts. Next, practice solving problems regularly and seek help when needed. It can also be helpful to join a study group or work with a tutor. Additionally, try to connect the concepts you are learning to real-life examples to help with understanding.

5. Are there any resources available to help me with physics?

Yes, there are many resources available to help you with physics. Your school may offer tutoring services or study groups. There are also online resources such as videos, practice problems, and forums where you can ask questions and get help from others. It is also beneficial to use textbooks and other study materials to supplement your learning.

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