What schools should I apply to for physics undergrad?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around advice for selecting undergraduate schools for a physics major. Participants share insights on various institutions, application strategies, and personal academic experiences, focusing on the challenges of transferring from community college and considerations for financial aid.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant lists potential schools including UC Berkeley, Cornell, and others, expressing concern about their SAT scores and the competitiveness of their applications.
  • Another participant suggests that the listed schools may be within reach, particularly UCLA and UCSB, and emphasizes the importance of meeting transfer requirements for UC Berkeley.
  • A different participant recommends considering Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal State Long Beach, citing strong STEM programs and successful alumni.
  • Concerns are raised about the impact of a single B grade in calculus on the participant's application, with some arguing that a B is still a good grade and should not be overly concerning.
  • There is discussion about the financial implications of out-of-state tuition and the potential for better financial aid at schools like Rice, Cornell, and Notre Dame.
  • One participant suggests adding more in-state options to the list, noting the challenges of being an out-of-state transfer student to the UC system.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of opinions regarding the competitiveness of the listed schools and the implications of the participant's academic performance. There is no clear consensus on which schools are the best options or the weight of the SAT scores and grades in the application process.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various academic achievements and challenges, including the impact of personal circumstances on performance. The discussion reflects a range of experiences and perspectives on the transfer process and school selection criteria.

Who May Find This Useful

Students considering transferring from community college to a four-year institution for physics, particularly those navigating financial aid and application strategies.

LornieTwist
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Hey all, I am looking for some advice about what school to attend for undergrad in physics. Here is my list thus far:
UC Berkeley
Cornell
Rice
Notre Dame
UIUC
UT austin
UCLA
UCSB
Umich
UF
Here are my stats:
First year at community college, but I earned 43 credits in High school so I am a little ahead even though I took a gap year as a sophomore
4.0 college gpa, but I think I am going to get a b in calculus 2 this semester:/
3.95 High School GPA (unweighted)
SAT math:730
SAT CR:670
SAT Writing: 540
ACT: Taking next week
Honors at CC with Phi Theta Kappa
Paid+volunteer Mathematics/ elementary physics Tutor at CC
Good chance of getting recommendation letters from head of honors department and head of math department, perhaps head of science department as well.
I realize that a lot of these schools are out of my reach due to lousy SAT scores, but I was wondering if this list was okay, or if I should not even bother applying to some of them. I added UF because it would be in state, and Notre Dame because of their overall academic quality and financial aid. I am not from a particularly well off family so loans would be necessary for the out of state public universities. My overall goal is to get into a research position as a physicist. Any advice is appreciated! I am first gen+homeschooled so this is all pretty new!
 
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LornieTwist said:
Hey all, I am looking for some advice about what school to attend for undergrad in physics. Here is my list thus far:
UC Berkeley
Cornell
Rice
Notre Dame
UIUC
UT austin
UCLA
UCSB
Umich
UF
Here are my stats:
First year at community college, but I earned 43 credits in High school so I am a little ahead even though I took a gap year as a sophomore
4.0 college gpa, but I think I am going to get a b in calculus 2 this semester:/
3.95 High School GPA (unweighted)
SAT math:730
SAT CR:670
SAT Writing: 540
ACT: Taking next week
Honors at CC with Phi Theta Kappa
Paid+volunteer Mathematics/ elementary physics Tutor at CC
Good chance of getting recommendation letters from head of honors department and head of math department, perhaps head of science department as well.
I realize that a lot of these schools are out of my reach due to lousy SAT scores, but I was wondering if this list was okay, or if I should not even bother applying to some of them. I added UF because it would be in state, and Notre Dame because of their overall academic quality and financial aid. I am not from a particularly well off family so loans would be necessary for the out of state public universities. My overall goal is to get into a research position as a physicist. Any advice is appreciated! I am first gen+homeschooled so this is all pretty new!
Your SAT scores are bad? I didn't realize that generally above average scores were bad now. o0)

Are you attending a California CC? Have you been to assist.org? UCB is pretty ardent in what they want done prior to transfer and how they want it done. If you don't meet the requirements they won't even look at the rest of your application, as good as it may be. You have a pretty good shot at UCLA and UCSB, and most of the others. You should focus on getting your major prep done, and as much GE as possible. I transferred from a CCC to UCSD using ULINK. (Vet)
 
Don't rule out Cal Poly San Luis Obisbo and Cal State Long Beach. Very strong stem programs. I know of a professor I had while in CC, she went to Cal State LA and later went to Princeton. Other professors that I acknowledge to be good, did there undergrad at Long Beach and Obispo. They always advocate going to these two schools.
 
Thanks for the advice! My CC is in Florida, so I figured that limited my chances for the cali schools, although I quite like them. And regarding my SAT scores, I feel okay with my math and critical reading, but I feel like the writing one is going to mess up my chances. Right now I have taken the following:
Honors English 1& English 2 with A's
3 honors humanities courses: A's
American National Government: A
Trig-Calc1- A's
Macro-economics: A
Gen-Chem 1&2 with labs: A's
Speech 101: A
All of this in High-School, Now I am taking the following:
Calc-Physics 1 Honors-strong A
Astrobiology: Strong A
Calc-2: B :(
Next semester:
Diff-Eq
Calc-Physics 2 Honors
Micro-economics
C++
The B is going to bother me... Prof bases grades all on exams and I had a surgery this semester which messed up my performance. Thanks again for the advice, I like the Cali schools but I know OOS tuition is high and Rice Cornell and ND have better financial aid, if I could even get in. Are there other schools I should consider like UVA? Thanks for the help!
 
LornieTwist said:
Thanks for the advice! My CC is in Florida, so I figured that limited my chances for the cali schools, although I quite like them. And regarding my SAT scores, I feel okay with my math and critical reading, but I feel like the writing one is going to mess up my chances. Right now I have taken the following:
Honors English 1& English 2 with A's
3 honors humanities courses: A's
American National Government: A
Trig-Calc1- A's
Macro-economics: A
Gen-Chem 1&2 with labs: A's
Speech 101: A
All of this in High-School, Now I am taking the following:
Calc-Physics 1 Honors-strong A
Astrobiology: Strong A
Calc-2: B :(
Next semester:
Diff-Eq
Calc-Physics 2 Honors
Micro-economics
C++
The B is going to bother me... Prof bases grades all on exams and I had a surgery this semester which messed up my performance. Thanks again for the advice, I like the Cali schools but I know OOS tuition is high and Rice Cornell and ND have better financial aid, if I could even get in. Are there other schools I should consider like UVA? Thanks for the help!

You should add some more in state schools to that list, the UC system is going to much more difficult to get into as an out of state transfer student. I would even argue that you should remove UCB from list entirely, they seem pretty anal about transfer students in general. It's much easier to transition from the states CC to a state Uni, so a few more Floridian universities can be your safety net.

A single B is a single B, don't read too much into it; B's are good grades too. =)
 

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