eCosmology

Best universities for quantum physics and mechanics?

I wanna study quantum mechanics and physics but have no idea where to start from, my school counselor isn't much help, but he does say my SAT scores are very good (2230). I tried looking up some universities and found MIT to be interesting. I really need help with this please, anyone?

Public Comments

1. Your undergraduate years are going to be mostly the same anywhere you go. I am hoping to follow a similar path and I am at the University of Iowa (Not a big-name physics school). Go somewhere close or fun for now- worry more on this when it comes time for graduate school.
2. - Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Harvard University - California Institute of Technology - Princeton University - Stanford University - University of Colorado--Boulder - University of California--Berkeley - University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign - Cornell University - University of Maryland--College Park
3. Quantum physics covers a very broad spectrum of current physics research. So what exactly you mean by quantum physics will have some bearing on which schools are the best. So does whether you are interested in experimental or theoretical work. But you really do not need to know exactly what you are interested in until you get to graduate school. At the undergraduate level you learn basic physics that is taught at almost every school and they will all teach quantum physics equally well at that level. So what you should really be looking for is a school with a strong reputation in physics and a strong undergraduate research program. Almost all of the usual suspects will provide this (the Ivies, MIT, Caltech, Stanford, etc). These schools are probably the best because they are good across the board, so you will be able to find professors and research groups that do what you want to do, once you figure out what you want to do. Some state schools (Berkeley, UCLA, Texas-Austin, Michigan, Illinois, and perhaps some others) also have are good in a broad spectrum of physics. The smaller technical schools (Harvey-Mudd, Case Western, etc) can also be good choices, but they may not have the broadest research. So, if you can, stick to the Ivies/MIT/Caltech/Stanford, but if you can't try some of these other schools. In the end, where you get your graduate degree will be important, but you will know where to go by that time. In the end, you also need to like the school you attend, so don't forget that. And remember that you get what you put in, no matter where you go. But some schools do have better resources. I do agree with one of the other answerer's lists, but let me comment: - California Institute of Technology - with MIT this is the premier physics school in the world - Massachusetts Institute of Technology - with Caltech this is the premier physics school in the world - Harvard University - Very strong and can access some of MIT's resources - Princeton University - Very strong - Stanford University - Very strong - University of Colorado--Boulder - Very strong for atomic physics, not strong for other fields, a good choice for graduate school if you like atomic physics, but not the best undergrad - University of California--Berkeley - Strong state school - University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign - Very strong in condensed matter, not as strong in other fields but still good in almost everything - Cornell University - Strong - University of Maryland--College Park - Similar to Colorado