UC Berkeley vs Cornell vs Cambridge (UK) [for Physics related studies]

e2042dr
Sun, 26 May 2024 07:30:45 +0000

Hello everyone, sorry I was a bit busy with AP exams and finals this past month, but genuinely thank you so much for all the responses and information! After weighing all my colleges, I narrowed my list down to two, UC Berkeley and Cambridge. I am currently torn deciding between the two and am trying to learn a bit more about Cambridge and its Natural Sciences (Physical route) progam. I already know quite a bit about Berkeley’s Engineering Physics program, since I live nearby and know some students there. @Twoin18 From your post I got the feeling that you attended Cambridge (could be wrong), and I would really appreciate if you could help me with some questions I had about Cambridge. Though of course, I would love to hear from others as well if you all might know anything.

Also, just an additional note, the original post was actually written by my dad if you couldn’t tell by the writing style (not sure why he was writing it from my perspective haha), so that’s why it has some slight mistakes in there about program names and is even missing a whole college lol (UChicago, not that it matters now). For the most part what he said is true, but I would just like to add that I mostly likely intend to do a PhD in physics (or a related field), and that if I did it, I would probably do it in the US. So with some of my following questions, I am trying to gauge how possible it is for me to go from a Cambridge bachelors + masters (3 + 1 years) to a PhD at a top US physics university. Also, I wrote and sent some of these questions to an American Oxford CS+Math student I found, so that’s why it may sound like I’m talking about Oxbridge in general and addressing someone.

—1) What is the undergraduate research culture like?
I know at American unis, for more science-heavy subjects undergrads really try to go for research positions in professors’ labs or other research opportunities during term and/or break, especially since it is quite important for US grad school applications. Is undergrad research less emphasized in the UK with the focus being placed more so on studying/final exams performance? I’ve heard that Oxbridge terms are short and extremely busy, but is it somewhat common to land research positions on campus during break? If not on campus, are opportunities during break like REU/SURF (research at other universities/locations) somewhat common? Also, if undergrad research isn’t common, is it because the students don’t really seek it out, or is it because it difficult to enter profs’ labs?

—2) What about the internship scene?
This is very similar to the first question. I realize that Silicon Valley probably has a lot more opportunities in this regard, but how is the availability of internships at Oxbridge/near London and do students usually do some during breaks? I realize that the landscape changes drastically between cs and physics, but I’m still just curious.

—3) What does the path/future prospects for most STEM students look like after graduation?
Do they mostly go to grad school elsewhere in the UK/work in London, or is going to the US for grad school also somewhat common? Would there be any possible roadblocks trying to do the latter, with the UK to US shift?

—4) To what extent is it possible to explore computer science or engineering through the Natural Sciences?
From my understanding, there aren’t any cs or engineering courses offered in Nat Sci. I think there was a cs course until a few years ago, but I believe they removed it. After this change, I heard that there were some cs skills integrated into the physics courses since cs is used heavily in the sciences now for vairous reasons, but to what extent would this cs learning be? Also, would the lack of cs courses cause any issues in perhaps pursuing a field such as quantum computing, that is very much physics but also heavily cs depending on what side of it?

—5) How might the academic system depending almost entirely on the year-end exams affect your degree and application to grad schools?
I saw this earlier in the thread, but is it really only 3rd year results that affect future jobs/higher education?

—6) How have you found the tutorial/supervision system?
This is a major “selling point” or at least difference between Oxbridge and lots of other unis, so I was wondering whether you’ve found it particularly valuable as a learning experience so far? Basically, if you don’t mind me being a bit more direct, does it live up to what it’s made out to be?

Well then, these are the main questions I had about Cambridge, some of which I realize some are a bit vague. Since I am trying to get a feel for the system there, I would greatly appreciate any and all information even if it’s not directly related to these questions. Thanks in advance!