<p>I’m a senior physics major at UR, and I love the program here. It’s flexible, fun, and definitely challenging. The faculty are always around and willing to help, and always have undergraduate research assistants - I had my first research opportunity at the end of my very first semester freshman year!
As far as grad schools go, we’ve had several people do 3-2 programs that we have here between UR and more engineering-geared schools (ex: UVa). I know that recent grads since I’ve been here, and from a few years before, we’ve had grads go to U. of Kentucky, Hopkins, UVa., Berkeley, Princeton, and U. of Chicago. Jobs have been varied, depending on what each individual wanted to go into - we’ve had some people go into product development, research, teaching… I’ve even heard tell of a physics major from years past going to work for an investment firm on Wall Street, because he was so good at partial differential equations, which are apparently really useful for the predictions they try to make about the market.
Aside from all that, one of the best things about Richmond is that you really get involved with all aspects of campus life. There aren’t a bunch of graduate students teaching your classes or doing the research you wish you could do - it’s all you and your professors working on real problems together.
And yes, the Gottwald Science Center (or G-Wald, as it is sometimes affectionately called) is beautiful and comfortable and amazingly well furnished.</p>