Physics Undergraduate College Search Advice

merc81
Mon, 21 Jan 2019 16:48:55 +0000

Regarding your overarching question, I’d recommend the strongest undergraduate education, however defined, your budget permits. With proper support and mentoring, your son would be lined up for employment or funded graduate studies, possibilities that would be strengthened through a top undergraduate education. Not incidentally, I recommend you ignore graduate department rankings, in that they’re designed for a specific purpose that doesn’t apply to a search for an undergraduate college. You may want to consider that candidates for the Apker, a national award regarded as the highest honor for physics research by an undergraduate student in the United States, originate from a variety of institutions: https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201808/apker.cfm. This might lend you confidence with respect to the breadth of schools your son might consider.