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Hello, I am looking for a good college in the area of Theoretical Physics/particle physics/mathematics. My initial (Top) choices are MIT/Princeton (I have many others in mind, but these two are which I am aiming for), although I know there must be better than princeton. My transcript is a little above okay, and my class rank is in the top 10%. But I am publishing a physics theory (and most likely others) in which I have been working on for a few years and I am wondering if that will increase my chances (if the theory is accepted). Any suggestions for a different college for that/those Major(s)? Chances of getting in?

By George Hagstrom (Eldoop) on Tuesday, July 09, 2002 - 12:21 pm: Edit

Caltech is definitely one place to consider. They have a very research oriented admissions program, and an excellent faculty in theoretical physics. They are probably ahead of MIT and Princeton in my mind. Try UC Berkeley or Stanford, (SLAC) or Harvey Mudd as well. For safety schools, you can't beat UCSB (which has multiple nobel prize winners in their Physics faculty), and UT Austin or even UC Boulder (NIST). U Chicago and Harvard are tempting, but I would trust MIT and Caltech more to provide a rigorous education. I get the idea that you would be admitted to Caltech. They include faculty on the admissions committee and specifically request copies of student research projects. Caltech also has a very small student body, which means more access to research opportunities because it still has a large faculty. Good luck.

By cmy on Tuesday, August 20, 2002 - 11:02 pm: Edit

Consider Cornell as well. They have an extremely strong physics department.