Hello, my son has been admitted at Williams, Brown (also Pomona, Tufts and Middlebury but the first two are his top choices so far). He would like to study hard Science and then apply it to the environment. So Physics with a concentration in Environmental Science seems a possible path. He is aware of the different settings and size of the two schools and he is fine with both. What will be the best choice to get solid foundations in Physics and at the same time explore with courses and undergrad research in Environmental Science what to do next?
Williams and Brown would be equivalent for the study of physics. For physics in combination with environmental studies, though, the programs and opportunities available at Williams would seem to make it the stronger choice.
Just wondering, what makes Williams and Brown his top choices? They are very different…
I’m not too familiar with the physics programs at any of these schools, but I’m an environmental studies (environmental science track) major at Tufts and have had a great experience so far. It has been easy getting research opportunities, and I will be getting published before graduation! Also, it’s relatively easy to pair the environmental science major here with another, which is what I have done. My other classes consist of a lot of Earth science (think geology, oceanography, technonics, the science of climate change, hydrogeology, etc.), as well as broad sciences like bio, chem and physics. I’ve also taken a couple of engineering science courses which have been good for practical application.
If physics and environmental science are the disciplines your son hopes to pursue after college (outside of academia), chances are he’ll have to get a(n) MS for career advancement, which is what I plan to do right after graduation. That being said, I would recommend that he chooses the school at which he feels he’ll have the best experience. Unfortunately, though, current circumstances are prohibiting visits.
So, that being said, here’s what I know of the Tufts physics dept:
-it’s super small, closer to the size of the departments at Williams and Pomona
-since there is also a master’s and PhD program, it attracts a lot of established students and professors
-in fact, Tufts professors were involved in the dioscovery of the Higgs Boson Particle
-there will be a good amount of research opportunities for undergrads to work with PhD students and professors on projects
-from what I’ve heard, the major itself is pretty rigorous
Sorry that that’s all I know about the Tufts dept, but nonetheless I hope it helps.
In terms of the other schools – I toured them all when applying to school, and for some reason I remember Pomona having a particularly strong program and amazing facilities (they made sure to take the tour through the new physics/astronomy building). Pomona has an environmental analysis major, but not environmental science.
I agree with the above poster – Brown probably has a stronger physics dept, but Williams is very good for both subjects.
Physics seems decent at Midd, but its environmental studies program is probably one of the best in the nation; after all, it was the first.
In short, there’s no wrong choice to be made here. I would say, though, that Brown and Tufts are very different from Midd and Williams. Pomona is interesting because it has the consortium, but I don’t really know how integrated the schools are (from what I’ve heard, Pomona students think they are better than those at the other four schools). Tufts is nice beacause it’s close to Boston and is a LAC at heart; nonetheless, it has resources of a research university that caters to undergrads. Williams and Midd are all about their undergrads and are in the middle on nowhere, which is great for the right type. Brown doesn’t have much distinguishing itself characteristically besides its status as an Ivy in my opinion, but I’m sure some will resent me for saying that.
In terms of earning potential, which I spent a lot of time studying before applying to many of these schools, I found that Tufts graduates end up earning the most, followed somewhat closely by Brown, and then distrantly by the other three. However, this isn’t of very much help since your salary will depend a lot more on your major than your college’s name.
If your son wants an undergrad-focused experience with research experience and EASY access to a big city, he should go to Tufts (and I say this because, being a SoCal resident myself, it is not a short trip to get to downtown LA from Pomona). If he wants to be in the middle of nowhere with a tight-knit community, I would choose Williams over Midd. And if he wants a great undergrad-only school with immediate access to other adjacent schools that form a larger community, he should go to Pomona.
If you or your son cares at all about “street cred” in terms of how well-known these schools are to the larger public (many of whom didn’t attend college), I would say Brown > Tufts > Williams > Pomona. But that really shouldn’t matter. All these schools are held in high regard within the realm of employers and graduate schools (especially graduate schools). Sorry for the novel of a response…
Regarding physics at Williams, note its success in producing Apker recipients:
https://physics.williams.edu/articles/augenbraun-apker-winner/
Both fantastic schools. For a university, Brown has a strong liberal arts reputation. Williams is top notch with an impressive teaching faculty and is in a location where you can practically feel the environment. Probably an academic tie, so really more about the type of place you want to be in. Best of luck.
Is he interested in grad school after college? If that is a factor then he really has the opportunity to do both-- Williams for undergrad opens up the opportunity to attend grad school anywhere. Part of the reason I chose Williams was because I would never have another opportunity to live and study here while Brown will still be available when I graduate. How important is class size? I really appreciate our small classes and tutorials so they were another consideration when I was making the choice a year ago. Research is super accessible at Williams and the students within both envi and physics form tight-knit, collaborative communities. I agree with the other responses: both are fantastic colleges, it really comes down to size and location preferences.
The Apker award is not particularly relevant when comparing LACs and Unis because LACs have their own category (which is much less competitive). Also, Williams has won one award in the last 10 years which is not frequent enough to put much weight in it. Also, the OP is talking about applied research, not pure physics research, so you need to find physics professor who is doing research in environmental science (not a traditional physics field) or an environmental engineering department doing research in an area that is based on physics (engineering is just an applied science).
Most of the applications of physics to environmental problems tend to revolve around polution control and remediation, clean energy as well as some climate change - not areas associated with the “wilderness”. The “wilderness” tends to be more biology centric.
Middlebury and Tufts are the two strongest environmental programs whether measured by academic awards (Udall Scolarships) or industry reputation.
Middlebury has a physics professor who has written a textbook on environmental issues, but it appears that he may have emeritus status.
https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/people/richard-wolfson
Tufts has a physics professor who does research into surface science (pollution control) and climate change.
https://rtobin.phy.tufts.edu/rgt_research.html
Tufts engineering is organized around interdisciplinary themes one of which is the environment, so there are several research labs doing environmental research related to physics.
Archivists will want to note that during the years the Apker was awarded in an entirely open field (1978–1994), graduates from four LACs — Hamilton, Reed, Macalester and Amherst — were honored.