Rankings for Science

collegehelp
Tue, 29 Aug 2006 08:28:32 +0000

molliemae-
Cornell is very good for physics, applied physics (engineering physics), and astrophysics/astronomy. It is a top-10 school in particle physics, quantum physics, and condensed matter physics.

Cornell’s Arecibo Radio Observatory in Puerto Rico is a wonderful opportunity. Internships there are part work, part summer camp. Great lecture series, many visiting astronomers/physicists, great friendships with students from around the country. There is not much to do at night besides work or get-togethers on the hut porches. Met the woman who discovered pulsars this summer.

Arecibo has a very huge dish, spherical…much bigger-looking in person. Wonderful permanent staff from all over the world who took turns with internationally themed dinners. Watched dvds that featured the dish including Golden Eye, Contact, and an episode of X-Files. Saw the hut where Jodie Foster and Mathew McConaughey made out. Swam in a bay with algae that glows in the dark. Rainforest hikes, huge caverns, Old San Juan, gorgeous beaches…along with hard work. 185 steps up from the dish to the VSQ (visiting scientist quarters) through woods with lots of lizards and snakes (harmless). The road around the dish is a good jogging track. If your son goes to Cornell, he should apply for an internship at Arecibo.