<p>I have to decide on a college very soon and I don’t know which to choose. I want to double major in physics and neuroscience. Then go onto pursue my Masters in one of those fields. I’m considering UC Irvine, UC Santa Cruz and St. Olaf College. St. Olaf College has a good life science program and obviously, so do Irvine and Santa Cruz. St. Olaf offered me a great financial aid package. I would pay about $2000 a year (not including loans) while I would have to pay $10,000 or more per year for UCs. I’m a bit lost. Please answer a few of the questions below. At this point, anything would help!</p>
<p>Which has the better physics program, UC Santa Cruz or UC Irvine?</p>
<p>Will I still get a good education if I major in physics in a less known liberal arts college?</p>
<p>Has anyone ever heard of St. Olaf College and if so, what do you know about?</p>
<p>Is getting individual attention from your professors worth going to a liberal arts college over a UC?</p>
<p>I’m generally a very quiet person so my teachers have told me that if I went to a liberal arts college, it would be easier for me to get recommendations from my professors for graduate school and build connections that would help me find jobs/internships. Does it look better to apply to graduate school from a small liberal arts college with good recommendations or to apply from a reputable school?</p>
<p>I also got into San Jose State University where I would only pay $1000 a year. Should I consider going here for 2 years and then attempt to transfer to a school better than the 3 I’ve mentioned in the beginning?</p>
<p>St. Olaf’s is a very good school. I imagine you are from California given your other choices so think of it as going to Pitzer or Occidental. If you are familiar with Reed College in OR than it is on par with that level of Liberal Arts school. If you are up for taking on a new environment, I think you should go to St. Olaf’s. If not save your money at go to San Jose State, but honestly I would not pass on the opportunity you have at St. Olaf’s.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus: "Carleton was not on your application list? "
It wasn’t since I didn’t do well in my sophomore year and I didn’t think my SAT score (2000) compensated for my gpa. I was thinking of maybe trying to transfer there in 2 years if I decided on St. Olaf.</p>
<p>@fliqer: Do you mind telling me anything else you know about St. Olaf? I’m worried because some people have told me that it only has a good reputation in Minnesota and it isn’t as talked about as Reed or Carleton.</p>
<p>People in academia/people on graduate/med school admissions committee’s KNOW St. Olaf’s don’t worry about it lacking reputation. It has been around since the 1870’s.</p>
<p>It does look like St. Olaf’s physics department offers the core junior/senior physics courses (374, 375, 376, 379, 385, 386), but no junior/senior level electives like astrophysics. Most of these are offered once per year, but 379 (statistical and thermal physics) is offered once every two years.</p>
<p>For what its worth, I live in California and had heard of St. Olaf’s College because one of the country’s finest contemporary writers, Siri Hustvedt, graduated from there. She went on to get her PhD in English Literature from Columbia University. I also have to admit that, shamefully, I had never heard of Carleton until my daughter started 11th grade and I took a look at the U.S. News and World Reports list! And I consider myself a fairly well educated person. My point is that just because the general public has not heard of a school – especially a small one – does not mean that it is not a fine institution. That said, if I intended to live in California after graduation, I’d probably choose a UC.</p>
<p>Reed actually offers one of the strongest science programs of any LAC, far above Pitzer, Occidental* or St. Olaf’s level. Looking at these schools’ respective course catalogs and graduation requirements would tell you as much (though of course at Pitzer–which doesn’t actually have its own physics major, but shares it with Claremont McKenna and Scripps–you would be able to take science classes at Harvey Mudd, which is the LAC version of Caltech or MIT).</p>
<p>I myself am biased toward private LACs over big state schools, so I should be encouraging you to go to St. Olaf’s, but I don’t know if its science program is robust enough to provide the same opportunities as the UCs.</p>
<p>I suppose, however, that finances are an even bigger concern here. You say that you’d have to borrow money to attend St. Olaf’s…? How much debt would you accrue over four years if you went there? Would your parents be able to pay for you to attend one of the UCs? If the UCs were within your family’s budget and you wouldn’t have to take out loans to attend, I’d urge you to go to one of them. Debt is the one thing you want to avoid/minimize at all costs. If, however, you’d have to take out loans to go to a state school, or if your family isn’t capable of paying for a state school… then I suppose St. Olaf’s would be your best option.</p>
<p>*Occidental’s physics course catalog is actually pretty extensive, though a lot of the classes it offers are either fluff for non-majors, or slow-paced introductions to concepts that wouldn’t merit their own separate intro course everywhere. That being said, it seems Oxy offers some cool upper-division physics electives, which is great.</p>
<p>Yes, the question on the costs needs to be made clearer. What would the net cost of each school be after deducting non-loan financial aid from the cost of attendance?</p>
<p>“I’m generally a very quiet person so my teachers have told me that if I went to a liberal arts college, it would be easier for me to get recommendations from my professors for graduate school and build connections that would help me find jobs/internships.”</p>
<p>Listen to your teachers. They know you well and are making a recommendation that makes a lot of sense. It works for you financially, as well. And St. Olafs has a strong reputation with the added benefit (which I didn’t know about) of taking classes at Carleton if you need more options (look into this to see what the limitations are, if any).</p>
<p>If, after a year at St. Olaf, you find you aren’t fitting in, then you can always transfer to a UC - but it would be a pity to miss an opportunity like this without at least having tried it.</p>
<p>The only reason not to would be if a) you are very advanced in your studies of physics or neuroscience and need graduate level courses by junior or senior year, b) St. Olaf’s doesn’t offer the fields you want to study (check the course catalog) c) you aren’t a good fit culturally with the school or d) the brutality of the winter would prevent you from taking advantage of the opportunities in Northfield</p>
<p>For your general ed requirements outside of physics, would you rather…</p>
<p>Write essay exams and papers utilizing critical thinking skills? If so, go to St Olaf. Exams in many classes will be essay based. Professors will grade your exams and papers.</p>
<p>If you are happy taking multiple choice exams, go to a UC. TAs will grade your exams and papers.</p>