Also take into consideration if you are contemplating starting a physics PhD 5 or 6 years from now - you may want to look at schools like Caltech & MIT for graduate school. You usually have to complete your undergraduate degree at a different school.
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Okay, thanks. I didn’t know that.
For financial aid purposes, it doesn’t matter who has custody. What matters is which parent provides the most financial support.
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That’s tuition only. You need to factor in room and board, fees, health insurance if needed, and your expenses (e.g. books, travel, etc).
You are spot on to discuss this with your parents. That’s what matters.
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@Anonymous02 if this is your real name, you will have to send an email to get it changed…which you probably should do asap.
Here is how:
Send an email to admin@collegeconfidential.com to request a username change. Be sure to include what you would like it changed to.
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You don’t need to be on a +2 track in math to be successful in physics. You don’t even need to be on the +1 track in math (which you are) to be successful in physics. What you need is to learn and master the material as it’s presented to you. If you look at the 4-year course plan for a physics major at the majority of colleges in the U.S., the plan assumes that people are starting in calculus or below; they are not assuming that people have already done multivariable calculus and AP Physics C, etc.
Since you’re so interested in physics, you may want to take a look at which schools are producing a lot of students who go on to earn a PhD in physics. This site has information both in terms of the total number of physics doctorates earned on the left hand side and then a per capita amount on the right. Please note that this source does not include all colleges in the U.S.
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/dataverse/top-feeders-phd-programs#physics
For a broader picture, this resource has the doctoral recipients from all colleges and you can filter by years, field, region, etc.
https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/jonboeckenstedt/viz/DoctoralRecipients1958-2023/AllData
One idea you might want to consider is how much research you will have access to, particularly early on in your career, if there are a large number of physics grad students available. How long will it take to get to some of the more “interesting” aspects of the work besides doing the grunt work (though there is definitely something to be learned from grunt work and will happen almost anywhere…the work needs to get done). That is one area where schools that focus on undergraduate education can really shine, even if they don’t always have the latest and greatest equipment (though some definitely do).
So, you’ve indicated your willingness to go bigger than the 4-10k undergrad body you mentioned. Are you open to going smaller? If so, how much smaller?
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You don’t need to be on a +2 track in math to be successful in physics. You don’t even need to be on the +1 track in math (which you are) to be successful in physics.
Thanks. I kind of assumed that being only 1 year ahead would put me at a disadvantage because many of my friends are two years ahead in math and physics and we’re not even at that great of a public high school.
Thanks for the resources. I did factor that into my research but I didn’t use those exact resources.
So, you’ve indicated your willingness to go bigger than the 4-10k undergrad body you mentioned. Are you open to going smaller? If so, how much smaller?
I am open to going to a smaller sized school. I’d prefer bigger schools like I said because I don’t know that I want to know everyone at my school (I think I’d enjoy knowing that there’d be a possibility of meeting new people on campus for example), however, I don’t think going to a school with 1000 or 3000 students would be too bad. My high school has around 1100 students and I’d prefer something slightly bigger so it feels like a step-up but at the same time college will most likely always feel like a step-up no matter the size.
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Probably should have added more information to my post lol
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I sent you a message.
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Ah, okay. Thanks
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You’re fortunate that U. of Maryland is your in-state flagship. It’s a great school, especially for your interests. That said, below are a few schools you may want to investigate.
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Allegheny (PA ): About 1200 undergrads
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Binghamton (NY): About 15k undergrads
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Brandeis (MA): About 3600 undergrads
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College of Wooster (OH): About 1700 undergrads
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Kenyon (OH): About 2200 undergrads
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Michigan State: About 41k undergrads
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Oberlin (OH): About 2900 undergrads
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Stonehill (MA): About 2600 undergrads…this one is Roman Catholic, but my sense is that it has more of a focus on social justice and that it’s not a “very” religious school
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SUNY Geneseo: About 3900 undergrads
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U. of Rochester (NY): About 6600 undergrads
If your family runs the Net Price Calculator at some of the schools that don’t offer merit aid and finds that they’re affordable (like Cornell, Wesleyan, Haverford, etc.), then let us know. All the schools I mentioned offer merit aid, though I suspect that Allegheny, College of Wooster, Stonehill, and SUNY Geneseo will give you your best prices.
Take a look at the University of Arizona, especially the Research and Facilities sections of its website. It offers a program that may align well with what you’re looking for and could serve as a useful benchmark as you evaluate other schools. While its cost of attendance is higher than your target and it doesn’t meet all of your criteria, it’s still worth looking at because of its academic strengths and research opportunities.
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Most of these are great suggestions but I’d take Stonehill off the list. It’s a wonderful place to study accounting; early childhood and special ed are particular strengths. It is not a research-focused university, and certainly if you are comparing it to UMD it falls short academically for this student’s interests.
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UMD will be hard to beat. But I have read good things about Stonehill for astronomy and physics, which is why I mentioned it. As it offers a major in philosophy (which is becoming rarer than I would like at many colleges) plus the more standard psychology,and I think it stands a good chance of being a less expensive option for OP while being within the requested driving distance, I thought it worth mentioning. But you raise points that OP would do well to investigate for Stonehill as well as any other institution.
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For colleges that use only the custodial parent finances, the custodial parent is the one providing more financial support. But some colleges (including Cornell) require both parents’ finances. Be sure to check whether a college uses the custodial parent only or both parents before using the net price calculator.
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Do the state laws regarding LGBTQ+ issues matter to you? This can affect the situation on an LGBTQ+ friendly campus in an unfriendly state.
You can see state ratings map linked below, or check specifically for sexual orientation (LGB issues) or gender identity (T issues), or click on a state for a list of specific policies.
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I don’t really care too much about the law but I think it’s important enough that I’d factor it into my decisions. Basically though, I just don’t want to go anywhere like Alabama, for example. Thanks for the resource, it seems quite interesting and useful.
Wow! Thank you very much. I’ve never heard of several of those schools so I really apreciate it and I’ll look into them.
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Sure, thanks! That’s one of the schools on my list because a family member might be relocating there. Not entirely sure though if they will.
Is it possible to add chem senior year? Not having chem is likely going to be a disadvantage at some schools, especially the more selective ones (assuming your school offered chem.)
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