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…