Which Is the Best Grad School for Physics?

[rkaz]

Which is the best Grad School?

Hello all...I would appreciate it very much if someone could tell me which school of the following list-

Stanford, Caltech, MIT, Princeton, Harvard

is the best (please rank the list) for Graduate opportunities (research facilities, faculty exposure/interaction) in all the..I repeat ALL of the following fields-Experimental and Theoretical Particle Physics, Cosmology, and Gravitational Physics?

Thanks very much. I would greatly appreciate it if you could also tell me why you think your choice is the best?

Thank you again!

 

[Gokul43201]

I assume this is about graduate school(?) - are you looking for anecdotal feedback?

"Cosmology" and "Gravitational Physics" are not standard names used by any grad school or science reporting source I know, for physics fields.

The latest USNews rankings just came out recently : http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/phdsci/phdsciindex_brief.php

 

[Quaoar]

I know that UC Irvine has all three.

 

[Rach3]

Cosmology" and "Gravitational Physics" are not standard names used by any grad school or science reporting source I know, for physics fields.

"Cosmology" is a standard term for a subfield, I think.

Examples:
http://cosmos.phy.tufts.edu/
http://physics.uchicago.edu/t_astro.html

I think by "gravitational physics" he means research in GR, maybe gravitational radiation, or precise tests.

 

[Rach3]

Hello all...I would appreciate it very much if someone could tell me which school of the following list-

Stanford, Caltech, MIT, Princeton, Harvard

is the best (please rank the list) for opportunities (research facilities, faculty exposure/interaction) in all the..I repeat ALL of the following fields-Experimental and Theoretical Particle Physics, Cosmology, and Gravitational Physics?

There is no valid reason to require a department to be strong in both theoretical and experimental HEP. Theorists don't need to be on site at the accelerator, pushing buttons and reading graphs - that's not how it works. HEP experiments involve hundreds of people, including theorists collaborating from all around the world.

If you're looking for a graduate school with research areas close to your own interests, you'll have to be much more specific. You're looking at the intersections of HEP and astrophysics - this could mean many things, early inflationary cosmology, quantum gravity, nuclear astrophysics? I don't think you'll even get any useful advice here or on any internet forum. I strongly recommend you talk to your current physics advisor at your school, and to faculty and physicists and wherever you're applying - they will know much more about their research, and your compatibility with it, than anyone here. Read our disclaimer.


(edit: rkaz clarified that he is looking for graduate schools, I removed a paragraph here)

 

[rkaz]

Hi Guys

Good to hear from y'all. Let me try to explain a li'l bit..When I talk about gravitational physics I mean research related to gravitational waves (as Rach3) mentioned, relativity (exampl:Stanford's Gravity Probe-B), Kip Thorne's theoretical work in wormholes at Caltech and so on. By Cosmology, I mean black holes, string theory and so on... a school/schools ranked in order.. that has/have significant..i.e.. the very best in work-currently-... in all of these along with particle physics..thats what I'm looking for.

Thanks Guys..Let me know if you need more clarification..Ciao!

 

[Gokul43201]

I understand what the terms mean, and don't consider it at all unlikely that many schools use them to name their research groups - didn't think the majority did though, based on my limited experience. Besides I know of no ranking collator (NRC, USNews,etc.) that uses those names.

PS: Was writing this before rkaz's last post was up.

 

[rkaz]

What I'm looking for essentially is to work on combining QM and GR (Unified Theory)and possibly experiment on theses theories with phenomena such as the formation of black holes (Hawking Radiation..) in accelerators and their study..

 

[Gokul43201]

What I'm looking for essentially is to work on combining QM and GR (Unified Theory)and possibly experiment on theses theories with phenomena such as the formation of black holes (Hawking Radiation..) in accelerators and their study..

What is your current educational background?

 

[rkaz]

If I were to specify quantum gravity ...what school do you suggest?

 

[rkaz]

BS,MS in Aerospace Engineering
MS in Physics-(Exp Particle Physics Research)

 

[Rach3]

I understand what the terms mean, and don't consider it at all unlikely that many schools use them to name their research groups - didn't think the majority did though, based on my limited experience. Besides I know of no ranking collator (NRC, USNews,etc.) that uses those names.

I think rankings are somewhat meaningless here, e.g. cosmology is too small a field to be included in US News. Unlike, say, Condensed Matter.

 

[Rach3]

MS in aerospace and particle physics? How did you do that?

 

[rkaz]

Well...I got my MS in Aerospace first..worked as a Propulsion Engr for a bit..about 2 yrs and then went back for my MS in Physics. I turned 29 this year. Why?..is that bad?

 

[Rach3]

rkaz - I'm interested - you already have a strong background in experiment, why are you leaving that to start over in theory? It's not a trivial decision, there's tons of completely new mathematics to learn if you're looking at things like HEP theory.

There are several distinct approaches to quantum gravity - String theory is the biggest and most organized one.

 

[neurocomp2003]

you got 2 Masters and you would n't be able to find the rankings that you would like for those school.s?

 

[rkaz]

Well...experimental HEP has its limitations..I'm interested in studying the possiblities of a unified field theory-which i think would be better accomplished by working with theoretical particle physics

 

[rkaz]

I have found several rankings...I just can't decide which of these..especially Caltech and Stanford are better? They both have very similar programs and very similar research areas..well almost..so I am just curious as to which is better?..(and why)

 

[rkaz]

Oh btw...dont forget the other schools I mentioned also...

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[Rach3]

Are you still in communication with your MS physics faculty? They should be able to advise you much more effectively.

Anyway, we can't compare two schools for you, without knowing which of the ten or so research areas you've mentioned you'd most like to pursue. Have you talked to any of the research faculty at these schools?

 

[Gokul43201]

especially Caltech and Stanford are better? They both have very similar programs and very similar research areas..well almost..so I am just curious as to which is better?..(and why)

But why do you want to know this? Do you plan to apply to only one school?

 

[Solar Flare]

At the mention of these schools for GRAD school--what are the odds a school like Caltech would admit out of staters for UNDERgrad?
I heard it is very difficult for people to get into that school (Caltech) in particular for undergrad. (I don't know the benefits of going there for undergrad anyway) especially if you are out of state (non-Cali. resident) and are not exceptional in academics, extra curriculars, etc. I just know they have excellent facilities there and the JPL (which would be one of my top reasons for wanting to attend.)

 

[rkaz]

No..actually I plan to apply to all of those. I have a GPA of 4.0 (MS-Physics). I am only curious..IF i get accepted..I repeat "IF"...which school do you think would be the best?

 

[rkaz]

From a particle physics point of view is Stanford better because of SLAC, as compared to the other schools?

 

[jbusc]

you should choose a school because there are particular faculty there working on the topics you're interested in. You don't want to apply to, get in, and go to the "best school in the world" for physics, for example, and discover that there's no one there really working on what you want to do.

As for caltech undergrad, well, they're a private school so it doesn't matter at all if you're applying from inside or outside of california. The major benefit of caltech, IMO, is the exceptional faculty/student ratio; the class size is extremely small giving you excellent access to professors and research opportunities. I would have to put caltech undergrad as one of the very top universities for undergrad physics. (and I don't even go there, lol)

 

[mathwonk]

who was better looking in their prime, elizabeth taylor, lena horne, janet leigh, or sophia loren?

 

[Plastic Photon]

Pick a school that best suites you. Not one that was labeled 'best' by the arbitraliy-somewhat-significantly-based-on-god-knows-what-statistics-school.

If you like the state of Georgia and big cities, go to Georgia Tech. But if you like semi-desert terrain and not so large cities, go to New Mexico State.

As a sophmore undergraduate (thinking of grad school), I have to say the questions that some people ask, such as 'Is this school prestigous?', or 'Is this school top 3?', seem very arbitrarily defined. I do not see the difference between say MIT, University of Texas Dallas and University of Arizona Tuscon.

Just my immature assessment.