<p>My d has been accepted to penn state. Does anyone know the pro’s and con’s of the science department?</p>
<p>Top Program in many areas with numerous faculty doing research. Since its large it will require your D to take inititave to talk to profs to get an undergrad research position.</p>
<p>Penn State is very strong in the sciences. Penn State is large enough to offer a variety of sciences course that has enabled my daughter (who is only a freshman) to explore many different majors. If you your D is motivated the professors and advisers are always willing to speak with the student. My daughter went to a private high school which had quite a rigorous science program and she finds Penn State quite challenging; however she is always able to get help from the TA and faculty.</p>
<p>I’ll be honest, since that’s what prospective students deserve - honesty.</p>
<p>If you’re aiming to be a physics major, I would suggest you go elsewhere. The Physics Department here has an awkward approach to teaching that frustrated me and many other students. Two 50-minute lectures/week, crappy textbook (Halliday, Resnick and Walker - my guess is that this book is used because it has a WebAssign feature [for an extra fee that you will need to pay, of course!]), silly labs with crappy equipment.</p>
<p>It blows my mind that for a 4-credit physics course (this is true for both mechanics and e&m), we had two 50-minute lectures and two 50-minute labs each week. Others will say, oh, just read the book, but the book tends to be short and does not provide clear explanations or views into the thought process.</p>
<p>Ugh. If you’re going for engineering, you only have to take a few physics courses, so you’ll probably be fine…but be warned that the physics courses that you do have to take will probably be annoying.</p>
<p>I’m in EMS and I love the faculty and structure of courses. I don’t really have any qualms with the Math Dept. either. It’s just physics – I love the subject, but man, teaching does not seem to be a concern over there. Maybe the upper-level physics courses are better, but I’d be too traumatized to try them out.</p>
<p>I do WebAssign in AP Physics, I HATE IT!</p>
<p>Well the higher level physics classes I do not believe function in the way you are talking about setz. As with all majors…you start out with huge classes and filter into smaller classes, it’s the way of a big school. I would say setz that unless you are a physics major, you really can’t make a assessment of the physics dept…</p>
<p>As for the op, I do not know much about the actual sceiences depts. however many of them jointly work with the engineering depts. here (For instance mathematics works with Comp Sci and others.) and I can tell you that the classes that are cross-listed with comp sci have been pretty good IMO.</p>
<p>But yes Phys 211 & 212, (Calc based Mech and E&M) have been my least favorite classes thus far.</p>
<p>Another perspective from the parent of a PSU (University Park) Physics major: D is in her sophomore year, part of Schreyer’s Honors program. She was able to find very rewarding Physics research work on campus last summer after her freshman year, and continues with the project part-time to date. A PSU advisor frequently communicates with her about opportunities available to her, and from this information she was able to attend a Women in Physics Conference this past January; she reported back that the conference was most informative, and allowed her to make new contacts and friends. These experiences in turn helped propel her into a summer fellowship this year at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as earning a Goldwater Scholarship. My personal experience with Physics when I was a student in a different college many years ago was tragic, but I cannot say enough about the opportunities that the PSU Physics department and the science advisors in general have given to my D. Many doors have been opened, and the advisors have been encouraging and pro-active in guiding her.</p>