<p>I know that MIT is a great school for all sciences…I was just wondering if anything in particular stood out about MIT’s program in physics compared to other top science universities. Any ideas? Anyone?</p>
<p>Apart from the fact that it’s the top undergraduate physics program in the world?</p>
<p>Well, I like the way Dr. Nancy Kanwisher described the opportunities for undergrads at MIT:</p>
<p>“MIT is the most intellectually exciting environment I have ever seen. It is also also the closest thing I have ever found to a true meritocracy. At MIT no one cares what you look like, how you dress (to put it mildly), who you know, or whether you are 16 years old or 60. They only care if you have an interesting idea.”</p>
<p>“Get involved in research as soon as possible. Lots of universities have good courses. What is most special about MIT is the fact that our undergraduates can become central players in the hottest, most revolutionary, most life-changing research going on anywhere in the world.”</p>
<p>Source: [MIT</a> Admissions | Blog Entry: “Q&A with Prof. Nancy Kanwisher '80 (CPW Preview!)”](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/pulse/faculty_at_mit/qa_with_prof_nancy_kanwisher_8.shtml]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/pulse/faculty_at_mit/qa_with_prof_nancy_kanwisher_8.shtml)</p>
<p>You should visit the physics department website and explore all the research that’s going on there. An undergraduate can participate, far more than at other institutions. Really.</p>
<p>I made a fairly long post on MIT physics in this thread.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/892174-mit-v-cal-tech-v-harvey-mudd.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/892174-mit-v-cal-tech-v-harvey-mudd.html</a></p>
<p>In short, I find almost no fault to the Physics department here. In fact, I like the physics department even more than the “famous” engineering ones. The curriculum is extremely strong, the teaching is well organized and excellent, the professors really care about you, and the research opportunites abound, + we have Wolfgang Ketterle. What else is there to say?</p>
<p>I would say the rigor of the year-long physics labs set it apart from its peer schools.</p>
<p>How many hours do you have to study per week for Physics program?</p>
<p>It depends highly on how well prepared you are, how many physics classes you are taking. I know some of my super genius friends who rarely go to lecture, and work maybe 2 hrs a week on physics; others spend 6-8 hrs /class/week.</p>
<p>I think the average physics pset will take you probably 5 hrs-6 hrs to complete; however, some of that time is spent learning the material too and experimenting around, so the “actual” time is more like 3 hrs. That’s for a topic that’s new to you.</p>