My S23 had a similar profile and a partially-overlapping list of schools. Two mentioned above but not on your list that were on my student’s list were U Washington and Whitman. Both give merit (max of ~$6K for UW and $30K for Whitman) - they won’t get you to instate UC prices, but they’re not so much more. You’re right that UC decisions have been weird, but I’d be surprised if your student didn’t get in to UCSC and Riverside - and probably one or more of the other UCs, but that’s a lot harder to predict. It sounds like you’ve looked at your school’s results with UC admissions - if not, there’s a ton of data available that might help you have a better sense of where your student stands.
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Here is a complete list of schools that have nuclear reactors on campus:
https://neup.inl.gov/SitePages/University%20Reactors.aspx
Many on this list will be a lot cheaper than Reed.
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I agree his ECs are a really nice mix! Apply with confidence.
In terms of those specific areas of Physics, generic Physics rankings are maybe not so helpful. I am also not sure it really matters, as you could get a solid Physics undergrad education many places, then look for cool internships, then pick your PhD program based on specialty.
But last I knew, two obvious programs to consider with those interests would be Wisconsin and Illinois. Of course those are farther away than you are hoping, but I think they are such a strong fit it is worth considering.
Even farther would be Rochester, but it is a smaller school, less reachy than many of its academic peers, does have a robust merit program, and is actually doing a lot of fusion research you could likely get involved in as an undergrad.
In terms of closer, Nevada (Reno) is the one that comes to mind.
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And some are on WUE!! Great list.
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Yes, they do really well with UC, best in the county with admits. A lot of the kids at his school end up in the T25-50 out of state. Out of 80 kids last year only 10 or 12 chose UC in the end.
According to USNews these are the top US graduate programs for Nuclear Physics.
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/nuclear-science-rankings
And here’s a list of institutions that engage in Nuclear Fusion research
You may also want to check out the resources of
I would note that most undergraduate Physics programs are going to be very similar as the curriculum is fairly standardized. They should offer at least a senior elective in Nuclear Physics. I would also note that it’s not necessary to attend a school that engages in Nuclear Physics research to be admitted to graduate school in the field though I understand that’s the field of research your son would probably like to be involved with during undergrad. My son attended a “general” physics undergrad and was admitted to master’s and PhD programs and is focusing on Nuclear Physics research (though not fusion). While his undergrad university did have a nuclear reactor, it’s used for producing medical isotopes for cancer treatment, not energy production or nuclear fusion research.
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I actually don’t know this! His school does not rank their classes. I will have to ask his counselor once school starts back up. I would assume he is based on what I know of others in his grade and their stats but I can’t say for certain.
I guess my question is how do you feel about all that?
A simple but likely effective, including cost-effective, plan would be to try to just go to most suitable UC or CSU that will admit him. Even if they don’t have a lot of his current research interests, he can seek out suitable summer internships, and then go on to grad school. And many people do change a lot in college anyway.
But there are at least two reasons I saw to consider alternatives.
One is just wanting to be at a good college doing research that fits his requirements. But in many cases that is going to mean going farther away than you want, and also likely paying more than his best in-state option.
The other would be to find a smaller college. Most smaller colleges are not going to be doing the sort of research he wants, although some mid-size privates will be. Again, I am not sure what that scenario will cost you, and it would likely be farther away.
Or, you could go back to that plan of just doing general physics in undergrad, but then you could look at lots of smaller colleges, and could potentially get more picky about location and maybe even cost (if merit is available).
Definitely lots of kids end up choosing alternatives to UCs/CSUs for those sorts of reasons. But it is going to be up to him and you what you all are comfortable with.
He is NOT weak on ECs.
This.
You have lots of options on the west coast or nearby. University of New Mexico is certainly worth a look see. What about Utah or Montana?
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Just a quick reminder that your son will be trained as a scientist FIRST, a Physicist SECOND, and whatever specialty/sub-specialty after that.
His courses in math, chem, writing, and everything else will be just as important to his development as classes in a specific content area where he hopes to do research. He’ll have time in grad school to specialize but he needs to build the strongest foundation possible first.
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Thank you for that. I just see so many kids who play 2 sports, and go to summer programs and have research papers published and then all these honors to list on their apps. He seems like he didn’t do enough, but he did really enjoy high school and took time to figure out what he likes.
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You see embellishment or overstressed kids or families paying for things that likely are not helping them.
Your son has done a lot, I’m sure nothing more important than taking care of the family.
And the fact you say he really enjoyed high school - well there are so many in the race not enjoying anything !! So that’s a huge win right there !!
And the sad part is many will end up in a similar place in life.
He’s got a fine profile and will do very well - and hopefully will stay cool !! Even the desert has air conditioning 
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But much of the Bay Area does not - so, ironically, we’re probably having a tougher time with the heat right now than many areas further south!
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This is what my gut tells me is the smart thing to do. We invested a lot in his high school and it was worth every cent. He had amazing teachers and really found his passion. Most of his classmates are aiming for Ivy’s or other prestigious private colleges but I just can’t see that that is the smart thing to do for undergrad. He can go east for grad school, but we have such solid in state choices here I feel like we should just go for one of them.
He really wants UCB, this is his top choice. I worry about many aspects of that school if he does get in. Crime, grade deflation, competition over collaboration, large class size, old and run down dorms, housing after dorms, uber competitive club culture.
I honestly feel like Cal Tech would be the best fit for him, but he is not really a super viable candidate for them.
Some of this is “over-sensationalized” in my opinion (as the parent of a rising sophomore).
That is really good to know. I have one friend with a rising sophomore who was happy there but not a STEM kid.
In fairness, my daughter is what might be considered STEM-light (she’s in the College of Natural Resources, so environmental science and related areas, rather than hardcore math and physics, but she has many friends in CS and engineering and other more typical STEM majors).
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For what it is worth, I personally think the same wisdom about what makes sense for college and what makes sense for grad school can apply to Cal and Caltech just as much as Ivies and such. Not that kids don’t enjoy those two colleges sometimes, but to me their real relative strength is in their grad (and in Cal’s case, professional) programs. For undergrad–eh, I don’t know, I think at least some kids would benefit from something different for college even if that sort of institution is eventually where they get a PhD or such.
Point being you don’t necessarily have to squash his dreams right now, but between us, if a school like that doesn’t work out I am not at all sure that would be bad.
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I totally agree. Anecdotally I did my undergrad at UCSC which was super low key under anyone’s radar back when I went, and absolutely loved it there. Had such great connections with my professors and really learned to love learning. I went to U Chicago for grad school (T5 for my field) and really didn’t enjoy it. Hated the culture.
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As most people on here will tell you, students can build relationships with professors at any size of school. If your kid goes to office hours and starts talking to the professor, a relationship will be built. But, if you think there are additional reasons why your son might want a smaller school than the UCs and Arizona publics, here are some additional options you may want to consider:
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U. of Montana: About 7200 undergrads and one of the schools where fusion is one of the areas of focus, per the list from @gwnorth.
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Occidental (CA): About 1900 undergrads and offers merit aid and is on the fusion list
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U. of San Diego (CA): About 5700 undergrads and offers merit aid and is on the fusion list.
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U. of Tulsa (OK): About 2600 undergrads and has bought in a bunch of National Merit Finalists via merit aid (I think at least 1/4 of the last two entering classes have been NMFs). Your son might not get the same offer as them, but I suspect there would be good merit aid here. On the fusion list as well.
Seconding Colorado School of Mines which is on the fusion list, has been mentioned several times, and has about 5700 undergrads.
U. of Nevada - Reno (17k undergrads, fusion list)) and U. of Nex Mexico (16k undergrads, fusion and reactor) are also smaller than most of the UC/Arizona publics under consideration.
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