Physics GRE Discussion Forums

Which has a better condensed matter program? Rutgers has more faculty members and has great facilities, but Boston University is doing a lot of quality research and recently hired 3 new faculty, 2 in condensed matter. But Boston's physics department appears to be confined to one building, so I am not sure how much lab space they really have.

Can anyone with a better knowledge of either or both schools help me out? Also what is the department culture like in each?

They're both good. So you should probably go to the university where you can be happy and comfortable.

I would recommend visiting the departments' open houses. You will be given lab tours and can hang out to explore. You can converse with the current and prospective graduate students, since they will be your future colleagues, and assess if any space constraints at BU are going to be a serious issue. Good luck!