URGENT! RICE APP or UCSC Physics

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klakhs
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2021 5:07 am

URGENT! RICE APP or UCSC Physics

Post by klakhs » Wed Apr 14, 2021 5:37 am

I was wondering if you guys could help me pick between the Applied Physics program at RICE, and the Physics program at UC Santa Cruz. I have to decide by April 15!

I was directly admitted into RICE, while I recently got off of the waitlist at SC. As of now, I know that I want to go into theory/computation, but I am unsure exactly which field yet (I applied in as condensed matter theory to both places). The chair of the Santa Cruz committee said that they took more experimental students this year since they took in a lot of theorists the past couple years, and that some of the theory faculty might be maxed out. On the other hand, Santa Cruz's astrophysics department is solid, and astro is something that I am eager to explore. RICE's Applied Physics program has been growing the past couple of years, and there are plenty of faculty ready to take in a theory student. RICE is also a private school, so there may be better funding / other opportunities. Other factors:

Financial Offer: Both schools are giving similar amounts, but Santa Cruz is much more expensive to live in compared to Houston. I have also heard that finding housing at Santa Cruz has been getting worse, and that some graduate students protested about this fact. Also, RICE's program does not require you to TA for first year, while Santa Cruz does.

Location: Both places are great, but Santa Cruz will have better weather overall. It is also closer to home for me, which doesn't matter much personally but could be a plus.

As of now, I am leaning towards RICE, but Santa Cruz sounds like a fine option as well. What do you all think? Any feedback would be very much appreciated!

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mcentag
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2021 11:09 am

Re: URGENT! RICE APP or UCSC Physics

Post by mcentag » Wed Apr 14, 2021 11:14 am

The schools have a pretty similar reputation. If you're planning on going into theory but are unsure of your preferred field, it's definitely best to head somewhere with more potential advisors across different fields. That's pretty important.

Just an undergrad though btw.

klakhs
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2021 5:07 am

Re: URGENT! RICE APP or UCSC Physics

Post by klakhs » Wed Apr 14, 2021 4:03 pm

I agree. Thanks for the input!



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