<p>You’ve already received a lot of great advice on this thread. I’m going to toss in a bit more, both as a university professor (social science, not physics) and as the parent of an MIT physics major. The only thing I’d add to what you’ve read here is to keep an open mind about a second major. If you take a few courses in another field and then decide that either 1) physics is really not your cup of tea, or 2) you really aren’t cut out to be a physicist after all, then you can opt to do the Course 8 flexible option and combine it with a second major. This is all explained here: [MIT</a> Department of Physics - Physics Degree Requirements](<a href=“http://web.mit.edu/physics/undergrad/majors/degreereqs.html]MIT”>http://web.mit.edu/physics/undergrad/majors/degreereqs.html). Keep your options open. If you do well in 8.03, you should be able to land a physics UROP. They’re notoriously difficult to find, but if you persist and talk personally with a few professors about your interest, you’ll have a good chance of success. My daughter landed a summer paid UROP in plasma physics after her freshman year.</p>
<p>Anecdotally, my daughter has taken quite a few course 6 classes along the way and now is thinking of double majoring in 6 and 8. Still, she’s going to wait and see how she likes Quantum Mechanics before making the final decision. Again, a little advance planning can really help you maintain a range of options.</p>