Nelourir Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 (edited) Hi everyone,I'm new to the forums but I thought it'd be as good a way to find opinions as any.I'm in my second year and I'm pretty sure I will study theoretical physics in uni after the IB. I don't know how well I'll be doing (in uni) but I'm kind of thinking of getting a PhD altogether seeing as IB already ruined my life...My question is: (assuming I don't have any scholarships) should I pay less and enter a less prestigious (I say prestigious because I'm not entirely convinced on their academic superiority) university and finish my Bachelor/Honours/Master there then try to get into a 'better' uni for a PhD? Should I do my whole undergraduate and postgraduate education at one of those prestigious unis? Or do you think that in the end which uni you went to doesn't matter...Thanks for your answers. Edited February 28, 2011 by Nelourir Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrypton Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 For most subjects, it doesn't really matter where you do your undergraduate studies. This is because the only thing you'll be doing at the undergraduate level is taking courses, listening to lectures, completing problem sets and taking exams. And you'll get good and bad lecturers everywhere, so more going to more prestigious universities won't do you much good. Now of course there are certain universities that are world known for some courses, like Cambridge for Mathematics, for example. Getting a degree in Mathematics from Cambridge is respectable, but in no way much better than any other university.Now for graduate studies, you would want to go to a place where you can work with great people in your field. But even then, you might find that you'll end up going to an overall less prestigious university, but one that is great for your field. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
timtamboy63 Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 Alternatively you could go to somewhere like MIT where they'll give you financial aid if you go in, and it won't affect your admission chances. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proletariat Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 Look at where you want to spend your life for the next four years. Location is one of those aspects that are very important, but a lot of students who are just focusing on academics might overlook. I'm going to McGill because Montreal is one of the greatest cities in North America first, and because of its prestige second. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insomnia Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 I don't really think it matters that much how prestigious is the university. For me, I would say it's the atmosphere and the people at the uni that matter the most. because, for example, if you go to a prestigious university but then don't enjoy it there, than is that really how you want to spend four years of your life? I don't think it matters how prestigious the university is, as long as you like it there and you end up getting the education that you want. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelourir Posted March 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2011 Yeah, I can see how liking the uni is important, but the problem is that it's hard to know if you're going to like it or not, especially since I live in Australia and I can't really visit them easily. I'd like to think I get good enough grades to get a scholarship but up against the world I don't know if it'll be enough. That's why I'm trying to get an idea of how important it is to go to a good uni for a bachelor. I've looked at a couple of rankings of unis but it seems that it's not necessarily representative of how good they actually are and that 'prestigious' uni always come at the top of the list. And by prestigious I meant unis that say they are good for maths/physics/enginnering/law... Which uni would you recommend for physics if you had a scholarship and which would you recommend if you didn't?Thanks for your help. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.