Where Should I Go?

novice99
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:11:34 +0000

I am going to be a high school senior (Class of 2010) and planning out my future education as best as I can. First of all, I have near perfect grades (GPA: 3.96 unweighted, 4.19 or so weighted), have a 34 on the ACT and 2280 on the SAT (760+720+800). My extracurriculars and whatever else are fine, and I plan to study/major in physics in college. Now my first choice, based on geography and prestige and level of education is Stanford University, my second being the California Institute of Technology; however, I have recently been pointed to the US Navy’s NUPOC (Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate) program ([Navy Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate (NUPOC) Program: Navy Nuclear](Undergraduate College Opportunities in the Navy | Navy.com)) as a great career path in physics/nuclear physics. The catch (I think) is the minimum 8 years of service required after college graduation in return for all the pay and benefits received. My question is where should I go from here? Should I attend the US Naval Acdemy and then enter NUPOC; attend Stanford/Cal-Tech/or another school and enter NUPOC; or attend Stanford/Cal-Tech/or another school and find a job elsewhere (other than the Navy). My main goals are to not accumulate great debt in college, earn an advanced degree in physics, and head on to a stable, interesting, and well-paying career.