Going to college without a high school education.

I get that. But for CalTech, overall, you’re gonna need an SAT score increase of roughly 400 points which is extremely difficult if you are starting from 1900. 1500 to 1900 is much easier than 1900 to 2300.

A 1930 is pretty damn good for NOT GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL. Students who take the traditional path find that their scores improve with time, further schooling, and familiarity with the test. Getting into college isn’t even the first hurdle here. As other helpful posters have been advising, there are other steps to take first: GED, learning how to study, accumulating grades to prove to four-year schools that OP can do it.

There was a whole lot of other stuff in that first post besides “1930” and “CalTech.”

@CaliCash I’m sorry, but you obviously do not understand the OP’s situation. If OP applies as a transfer, the SAT won’t even be taken into account at most places. I have no idea why you are being so negative.

OP, it sounds like you are quite bright naturally. If you can score a 1930 on the SAT without really going to high school, I’m sure you can succeed once you obtain the necessary background material. I didn’t break 2000 on my SATs and went to one of the best high schools in the country (STEM magnet school- took Calc BC as a junior). You’re on the right path now. While you may not get into Cal Tech, I’m sure you’ll end up getting a great education. Don’t ever lose that love of learning!

I do understand that the post was tl;dr for some folks. Just to reiterate; the plan so far is get my GED, take my SAT, go to community college for advanced math and computer sciences, THEN apply at bigger schools. Thank you bodangles for actually getting my post.

Also in thinking of more ECs I could do in community college; I think I’ll start a STEM club for the sole purpose of hosting fundraisers like ‘Schrödinger’s Raffle’ and ‘Einstein vs. Bohr Tug of War.’

I’m enjoying this far too much.

Thanks guineagirl. To be perfectly honest, I prefer University of Chicago or Columbia over CalTech, but obviously I want to try to keep my options open. There’s the added benefit that if I do get accepted and don’t go, I can frame the letter on my wall and send daily pics of it to CaliCash.

@Donutholez, We’re a longtime homeschool family and I have never heard of a situation like yours. Good for you for going after what you want. You should be very proud of yourself. Please keep us updated as your journey progresses. There are many knowledgeable posters here who can guide you when/if you have questions. However, CaliCash is a relatively new teen poster, so you may want to view her comments through that lens.

Good luck to you.

Are you a CA resident? If not, then UCLA is highly unlikely. First, the UC system is very GPA-driven in admissions. Second, they cost over $50k per year for out-of-state students, and make very little aid available. That will be the case with many elite public universities. If you are a CA resident, the scenario changes radically (also true for most states). They have ongoing transfer agreements with community colleges in the state, and a high GPA can get you into a UC. What state are you in?

You should also look into the CLEP tests. My best friend earned a lot of college credits through them, which helped her obtain her BA and MA as a middle-aged woman.

The aid was definitely an issue for UCLA. I’m from California, but I’m living in Pittsburgh now; I will most likely take it off my list and replace with somewhere else. I also don’t see a point in CLEP tests to earn credits unless I’m already knowledgeable in a certain subject and I want to skip it; I want to go to university to learn, my endgame is not just a degree.

Pitt probably has a good transfer agreement with local CCs. Temple is also affordable in-state, and has a lot of non-traditional students.

Pitt is more of a last resort for me. Their physics program is okay, but I don’t find it to be serious enough and it is extremely general. I’d get a better fin aid package from schools like University of Chicago and Cornell, with better programs. If I absolutely can’t get accepted anywhere else, Pitt it is.

UChicago has a general core all students take, including physics majors. https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/academics/core
The same is true at most universities, but some have more gen ed requirements than others.

Undergrad physics classes don’t really vary much from school to school. There is a pretty standard sequence: 2 semesters of cal-based gen physics, modern, 2 semester of physical mechanics (some schools combine these into a single intermediate course), 2 semesters of electromagnetism/wave theory, 2 semesters of quantum, and thermal dynamics. Then students have a certain number of required electives that they can select from. There are a lot of non-physics classes required for a degree.

UChicago is also unlikely to give you transfer credit. https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/applicants/transfer/credit If you want credit for the classes you take at the CC, you will have more likelihood of having them accepted at a public university, especially an in-state one with a reciprocity/articulation agreement. I would take that into consideration bc you are going to most likely need grad school.

Fwiw, programming is important. My physics major has had to do programming in Fortran, C++, Python, and he just returned from a conference where he learned some other type of coding, but I don’t remember what.

Thank you, that was really helpful. I was told by an advisor at Pitt that it was four years of straight physics, which is why it requires a subject GRE to get in. I wouldn’t be surprised if that were untrue; this advisor was kind of awful.

As far as transfers go, I’m not too worried. I don’t think a class in CAD programs would transfer to physics (or does it? ). I’m not sure how I feel on doubling up on math, so maybe I would replace some of the more advanced ones with more computer sciences.

Looking into jobs for physics majors, especially in the field of optics…it seems like a PHD or Masters is required for almost all. Do you recommend one over the other?

And thank you for letting me know about programming. I did see that most of the careers required a large amount of programming knowledge but I didn’t see any programming classes in the curriculum.

The GRE is for admission to graduate school https://www.ets.org/gre/subject/about/content/physics

I don’t think the advisor is wrong, per se, but not literal. It is correct that is takes 4 yrs of straight physics to fit it all in b/c pre-reqs determine how things flow. Look at the BS to grad school chart at the bottom of this page:http://www.physicsandastronomy.pitt.edu/undergraduate/programs/bs_physics

The rest of your courses are a mixture of gen-ed and required courses. The required courses are going to be a mixture of math chemistry, additional physics, programming, etc.

FWIW, I would not consider a masters and focus on a PhD. I know absolutely nothing about optics, sorry. (

At Pitt they “strongly recommend” taking a subject and general GRE before applying as an undergrad. It’s in their admissions section. Maybe they use it as a sort of placement test?

That makes sense. I didn’t notice the chart before. I still am not a huge fan of Pitt though; it should be noted that my credit is BAD so loans are not really possible for me. I’d have to get a full ride merit scholarship to go there, it seems. Hence why I’m still looking at University of Chicago.

I guess I have to face the fact that I need a PHD too. Is there funding for grad school or is it out of pocket?

I also just checked the University of Chicago Physics admissions page; they give you a math placement test so I think I’ll stick with doing advanced math at CCAC in order to get placed at higher level.

@Donutholez That page you are looking at for admission requirements at Pitt is for grad school; look at the address at the bottom. Transfer admission requirements are here https://oafa.pitt.edu/apply/admissions-process/transfers/
The GRE is strictly used for graduate admissions (I have never heard of an undergraduate degree requiring it; that’s what the SAT is for).

UChicago and most of the other schools you listed do not offer merit scholarships. They only offer need based aid.
VT is going to be OOS tuition as is UCLA.

My advice is to really understand the process you are entering into. Transfer credits are going to cost you time and $$ and will not likely gain you any ground at the schools you have listed. Top schools admit very few students to begin with and even fewer transfer students. Any state schools outside of where you currently live are going to consider you out of state.

You also need to realize that the courses and sequence of undergrad physics is pretty standard. Where you see a difference is in grad school. The idea that Pitt is limited as an undergrad is just not a real world scenario. Merit scholarships as a transfer student and what info is required for transfer students to submit are the 2 major issues you need to investigate. You work forward from that scenario, not from a list of schools first.

I don’t want to discourage you, but admissions is extremely competitive. You need to have a realistic vision going into this or you might end up discouraged at the other side of your CC experience. It is better to have a game plan up front than feel like you are facing a cliff 1/2 way through.

Okay, I see now for the GRE. @Mom2aphysicsgeek, I do get what you are saying. But there are multiple reasons I don’t want to just go right into a 4-year. And my interest in computer sciences is also important; at CCAC, after I take the first year and and hopefully get excellent grades, I can join honors (which is extremely easy to get into there) and I won’t have to worry about costs.

Everyone is getting REALLY hung up on the list of schools. Let me just say that I’m not asking about my chances of admission, because I don’t see a point in saying I won’t get in three years from now when I haven’t even begun testing.

As well, let’s just consider my time in community college for personal betterment, and an extension of what I’m interested and NOT something that needs to count towards a degree.

What I said to CaliCash still applies; I know very well that admissions are EXTREMELY competitive. However telling me not to try for where I want to go because I might be disappointed is very pointless. I appreciate the information about gen-ed and the GRE though.

Also, community college is really a must for you because of your lack of high school education. If you were trying to get admitted to elite schools at this point, it would be virtually impossible because you haven’t graduated high school. After getting a GED, taking enough courses at a CC to become a transfer student so that they no longer care about your high school history, then admission is a possibility, albeit not a high one. Have you taken classes yet? May I suggest that you start off slowly - don’t take 5 classes your first semester, take 1-2 if financial aid will allow for it. It was a shock for me when I entered cc, and I came a rigorous home school high school background. You’ll need a good GPA to have any chance of getting into the schools you are aiming for, so you don’t want to overload yourself too much at the start.

Best of luck with all your future endeavors, you are a bright person and I’m sure you’ll do great no matter where you end up.