Help us choose a good college for Astrophysics

NiceUnparticularMan
Sat, 10 Feb 2024 18:48:47 +0000

My two cents is to maximize her chances of getting into a good grad program, she should focus on being one of the top Astrophysics students in a reputable Physics department. Adding engineering to me is unnecessary unless she actually wants to be an engineer instead.

Most people would probably agree Illinois has the best Physics and Astrophysics department on that list, but that really is going to matter much more for grad school. So if she wants to pick for cost, non-academic reasons, or so on, that’s all fine.

But if she is truly indifferent on those other dimensions, then I would suggest Illinois. Great Physics department generally, excellent in Astrophysics specifically, well-proven track record of placement in grad programs, fun all around university which would also be good for almost anything else if she changed her mind . . . .

But again, all that could be trumped for other reasons, at least for undergrad.