Not surprising re. research opportunities at Cal. I think the admission officer was honest and wanted to set the right expectation.
Most freshmen haven't taken enough courses to be helpful in research. I heard this also from Cal Tech, a school known for students participating in research.
At any large school, especially at Cal where most students are "smart," noone hands it to you. Research opportunities are available, but the student has to find them and fight for them. Just like in any other environment, connections with the right people tremendously help open doors.
My D, a CS major at Cal, got into research after the first year and continued until she graduated. She got into the first research by attending a (free) seminar conducted by a professor and a few days later, came to the professor’s office and asked, “Now that I completed the (optional) homework you gave during the seminar and would like to learn more about the subject, can you please point me to the papers I should read?”
@fenbru After being accepted with Regents at Cal a few years ago, mine did the tour and met with folks there, and felt it was too big a struggle for everything compared to other choices. It is one thing to build character, it is another to fight for every crumb whether it is research, getting in classes, finding housing, etc. And with budget issues, it is only getting worse. Being from California, fighting for resources just gets old after awhile compared to other places. Obviously it is a fabulous top ranked school that has a lot to offer and opens doors, but it isn’t for everybody.
Is that really how it is @bluebayou? Son got into UCLA Friday night and got a Regents scholarship. Would that help him get research in physics or would he still have to hussle for it? I’m still torn - especially being a Bruin, but if he still really likes Cal Poly better then UCLA for whatever reason, then he should go for it and the 20K is just bonus. it’s his decision.
your S will have to “hustle” for a research position regardless of which college he attends. Opportunities for research are generally more plentiful at top private colleges – relative to the undergrad size – but he’ll have to hustle at CPSLO as well as UCLA.
But yes, Regent’s offers a bunch of perks, as well as a more preferential financial aid package. Check it out.
Personally I am biased, but the $20k is not necessarily a “bonus” since there is prestige risk in attending a Cal State over a UC, particularly for grad school. How much that prestige is worth, I have not the faintest idea, but I would argue that its not zero.
The information pulled from the CPSLO and UCB career surveys (see replies #24 and #25) indicate that UCB may be better at physics PhD program placement, but CPSLO does not stop physics majors from going on to physics PhD programs. However, the samples are small, so use with caution. Also, many other majors at CPSLO appear to produce no graduates going on to PhD study, so physics (and perhaps a few other of the sciences) may be outliers at CPSLO in this respect.
The PhD-granting physics departments presumably know whether CPSLO and various UCs are looked at favorably or unfavorably as undergraduate origins of PhD students. But whether they will tell their opinion to a high school student or parent who asks is another story (and most would not even know to ask). Most high school students choosing colleges with this type of thing in mind are probably choosing effectively blindly, with little useful information.
Before deciding why not see if the Cal Poly Scholarship can be finessed so your son gets more than financial support… maybe a mentor-like relationship with a physics professor, someone more than an academic advisor, who can help your son find, prepare academically, & apply for programs, like summer REUs or national scholarships, like Goldwater.
FYI: I was a Regents’ Scholar decades ago. At that time, one received an honorarium & the amount of other aid depended on information provided on one’s financial aid application. The most useful perk was a parking permit & first pass at registration. I wish there had been academic/career advisors.
For physics, the curriculum is more or less the same everywhere and if you take the most rigorous offerings and have good grades and test scores plus significant research experience, then you can get into any graduate program. At Illinois Tech, we have had a number of successful Ph.D. students from CSUs. I think that a number of them have excellent physics programs and the presence of a M.S. program give a student options. UCs of course are pretty much all good for physics.
Epilogue: He picked UCLA with the Regents. Went to the Admitted Students Tour and presentation and loved it. I have to tell you that at both the admitted students tour and Bruin Day, the Bruin Profs and representatives were all about undergraduate research - very different from Cal. They basically said just ask or send an email and we will hook you up - we love our undergrads. It’s a shame to turn down the Frost money at Cal Poly, but I think it will be a good fit. He went by the physics department and liked what he saw, so we’ve got another Bruin. Thanks for all the comments - they were all very helpful and much appreciated.