<p>I just wanted to know how is the physics program of St. Olaf and Dickinson? Is it the right choice for undergrad physics?</p>
<p>BumpBumpbump</p>
<p>If you want to know about job, internship, and grad school placement from these physics programs, it is perfectly OK for you to contact the departments directly and ask them. They will be happy to tell you where their students end up.</p>
<p>Since you are down to two schools, I’d try to visit them both. Arrange to sit in classes, tour the lab facilities, talk to a professor and current students. If money is an issue and you get significantly more at one school, that will play a role in the decision. If location is an issue, that can also play a role in the decision. If your child feels more comfortable/happier at one school that should also be considered.
I looked at Dickinson with my D (a chem major) and the school was one of her top choices (although for full disclosure she will be attending a different LAC next spring) – she really liked their new science building. I don’t know much about St. Olaf but it appears to be an excellent school as well.</p>
<p>^I’m an international student and it is not possible for me to visit the campus.</p>
<p>You may also want to check out St. Olaf’s neighbor Carleton. Compare the physics and math sections of the course catalogs to see how extensive the course offerings are.</p>
<p>Dickinson’s physics offerings appear to be extremely limited.</p>
<p>[Carleton</a> College: Physics and Astronomy: Physics Courses](<a href=“http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/physics/courses/]Carleton”>http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/physics/courses/)
[St</a>. Olaf College | Academic Catalog 2011-12](<a href=“St. Olaf College < St. Olaf College”>St. Olaf College < St. Olaf College)
[Dickinson</a> College - Physics & Astronomy Courses](<a href=“http://www.dickinson.edu/academics/programs/physics-and-astronomy/Current-Courses/]Dickinson”>http://www.dickinson.edu/academics/programs/physics-and-astronomy/Current-Courses/)</p>
<p>When we visited St. Olaf 2 years ago, their Physics department had just won a national contest against most of the major colleges. It is still listed on their web site for the Physics department. St. Olaf is an excellent college and one of the friendliest campuses I have ever visited. It can get brutal cold in the winter, and they do not have a Greek scene, but it is a great college. Their new science building is amazing.</p>
<p>We have also visited Dickinson. It is a good college, close to Gettysburg and F&M, and is known for their international focus. I would think that Dickinson is stronger in the Humanities than the sciences, thats the overall reputation. Both schools are similar overall academically.</p>
<p>^ I could almost have written that post! Both are wonderful schools, but I personally would give the edge to St. Olaf. They have a very strong international focus as well as wonderful science. If the winters weren’t so brutal my D would have gone there.</p>
<p>Thanks for the posts above.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I think the severity of Minnesota winters is greatly exaggerated in the minds of many people. Yes, we do get some extreme cold, but it usually lasts 2-3 days and occurs maybe 2-3 times per winter. When we do get subzero temperatures it makes national headlines—that’s about the only time anyone ever hears about Minnesota weather—and a lot of people then wrongly assume it must be that cold here all winter. In fact, average winter temperatures in Minneapolis are almost identical to those in Middlebury, VT, which is to say not balmy, certainly a wintry northern climate, but hardly the Siberian wasteland that many people envision. You’d rarely hear someone say they declined to attend Middlebury because the winters are “so brutal.”</p>
<p>^Thanks for the post!</p>
<p>Part of the brutality is that winter lasts so long. April is often still wintry up there.</p>
<p>I recently took a personalized tour of the science facilities at Dickinson guided by chemistry professor Cindy Samet. In the past few years Dickinson seems to have taken up a renewed commitment to excellence in the sciences. All science facilities newly renovated, and are LEED certified (I believe). I can’t weigh in too much on St. Olaf as I haven’t visited the campus, but that name is often thrown in with the top intellectual institutions in the country. Both are excellent choices.</p>