5 answers
Emily
Student
Naperville, Illinois
5
Questions
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Is it easier to get into more prestigious universities if I applied as an astrophysics major rather than a physics major?
I'm a highschool student trying to decide what type of major to apply to.
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5 answers
Jordan Wilk
Statistical Programmer
18
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
Jordan’s Answer
Hi Emily,
Typically, the "difficulty" of being admitted to a particular program is based on the requirements that the program/college has, how competitive that cycle's application pool is, and how many seats are available for that particular program. Programs with a smaller number of available seats may be more difficult to enter simply due to the fact that they have to be more selective, for example. If possible, I suggest seeing if you can find any admissions data from previous years and get an idea of how many applicants were accepted, and if they disclose average GPA, test scores, etc. to get an idea of what to expect. From this perspective, I would assume that the astrophysics program may be more difficult to enter, but this is just my assumption without knowing the school or program in particular.
As food for thought, entering as a physics major would leave multiple different paths available to you, should you end up not liking astrophysics as much as you thought you would. There is also usually the option to change majors at a later time, or you can simply focus your physics electives towards those similar to astrophysics, allowing you to learn and experience some of the same material you would if you went straight into astrophysics.
Typically, the "difficulty" of being admitted to a particular program is based on the requirements that the program/college has, how competitive that cycle's application pool is, and how many seats are available for that particular program. Programs with a smaller number of available seats may be more difficult to enter simply due to the fact that they have to be more selective, for example. If possible, I suggest seeing if you can find any admissions data from previous years and get an idea of how many applicants were accepted, and if they disclose average GPA, test scores, etc. to get an idea of what to expect. From this perspective, I would assume that the astrophysics program may be more difficult to enter, but this is just my assumption without knowing the school or program in particular.
As food for thought, entering as a physics major would leave multiple different paths available to you, should you end up not liking astrophysics as much as you thought you would. There is also usually the option to change majors at a later time, or you can simply focus your physics electives towards those similar to astrophysics, allowing you to learn and experience some of the same material you would if you went straight into astrophysics.
Anika S
Software Engineer Intern
100
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Anika’s Answer
Hi Emily,
Choosing the right major to apply to can be strategic, but it's essential to balance your genuine interests with the competitive landscape of college admissions. Here are some considerations to help you decide whether to apply as an astrophysics major or a physics major:
Interest and Passion: Admissions committees look for students who are genuinely passionate about their chosen field. If your application reflects a deep interest in astrophysics through relevant coursework, projects, extracurricular activities, or independent research, it can make you a strong candidate.
Selectivity and Competition: Some universities may have different acceptance rates for different majors, but this varies widely. In some cases, specialized majors like astrophysics might have fewer applicants, potentially making it less competitive. However, this is not a rule and depends on the specific university.
Program Availability: Ensure that the universities you are applying to have strong programs in astrophysics. Some prestigious universities might not offer a distinct astrophysics major at the undergraduate level but may have strong physics programs with opportunities to specialize in astrophysics later.
Choosing the right major to apply to can be strategic, but it's essential to balance your genuine interests with the competitive landscape of college admissions. Here are some considerations to help you decide whether to apply as an astrophysics major or a physics major:
Interest and Passion: Admissions committees look for students who are genuinely passionate about their chosen field. If your application reflects a deep interest in astrophysics through relevant coursework, projects, extracurricular activities, or independent research, it can make you a strong candidate.
Selectivity and Competition: Some universities may have different acceptance rates for different majors, but this varies widely. In some cases, specialized majors like astrophysics might have fewer applicants, potentially making it less competitive. However, this is not a rule and depends on the specific university.
Program Availability: Ensure that the universities you are applying to have strong programs in astrophysics. Some prestigious universities might not offer a distinct astrophysics major at the undergraduate level but may have strong physics programs with opportunities to specialize in astrophysics later.
Martha Kramer
Corporate Training, Communications
331
Answers
Stamford, Connecticut
Updated
Martha’s Answer
Hi, Emily, what is the thinking behind your question - that they want to maintain smaller majors so they would be more likely to admit you? This is risky. With all else being equal (grades, scores, activities, essay, interview, etc), a student declaring a smaller major might get in, but the next year not get in. There are so many factors in the admissions process, which is largely undisclosed, that I would not use this to decide your major.
This is especially true if you don't have a track record of courses and activities to back up the astrophysics major. That could signal an attempt to game the system, which would be a negative with admissions officers.
So how should you decide?
- First, check if the school even has an astrophysics major. Some do; some have astronomy instead; some have a concentration within physics, etc.
- Check the requirements and the course choices for both majors and see which appeals to you more
- If you are interested in research, see which provides more and/or better opportunities for research
- If you truly don't know if you want astrophysics for a career, go with physics. You would study a lot of physics in either case and the general major would give you more options
The link below provides more criteria for deciding between the two majors. Also realize that colleges consider your declared major in admissions as a best guess. For most majors, you don't actually declare until later in sophomore year.
Good luck!
College Vine - https://www.collegevine.com/faq/21997/physics-vs-astrophysics-which-major-should-i-choose
This is especially true if you don't have a track record of courses and activities to back up the astrophysics major. That could signal an attempt to game the system, which would be a negative with admissions officers.
So how should you decide?
- First, check if the school even has an astrophysics major. Some do; some have astronomy instead; some have a concentration within physics, etc.
- Check the requirements and the course choices for both majors and see which appeals to you more
- If you are interested in research, see which provides more and/or better opportunities for research
- If you truly don't know if you want astrophysics for a career, go with physics. You would study a lot of physics in either case and the general major would give you more options
The link below provides more criteria for deciding between the two majors. Also realize that colleges consider your declared major in admissions as a best guess. For most majors, you don't actually declare until later in sophomore year.
Good luck!
Martha recommends the following next steps:
Joseph Neilson
Radiation Detection Physicist
219
Answers
Oxford, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Joseph’s Answer
From my recollections of applying for degree courses on the UK side of "the pond", I don't think there was much difference in the advertised grade requirements. I chose a BSc "Physics with Astrophysics" program because I was more interested in the astro side of things, not because of any difference in how easy it was to get in.
If anything, I'd have thought that narrowing your field down narrows down your options to avoid modules you find challenging - and maybe some admissions processes might make a narrower and more challenging field like astrophysics be slightly more difficult to get into to make an allowance for that. I know I personally started to find some of the final year astro modules a little too abstract to get an intuitive understanding of, but I don't know whether admissions decisions take that sort of thing into account.
What I did notice was that in a year when the astrophysics option was undersubscribed, they did make more exceptions for students that didn't quite make the advertised grades, making it slightly easier to get into - but that depends on what courses everyone else in the year applied for, and can't be relied on to always make a difference.
If anything, I'd have thought that narrowing your field down narrows down your options to avoid modules you find challenging - and maybe some admissions processes might make a narrower and more challenging field like astrophysics be slightly more difficult to get into to make an allowance for that. I know I personally started to find some of the final year astro modules a little too abstract to get an intuitive understanding of, but I don't know whether admissions decisions take that sort of thing into account.
What I did notice was that in a year when the astrophysics option was undersubscribed, they did make more exceptions for students that didn't quite make the advertised grades, making it slightly easier to get into - but that depends on what courses everyone else in the year applied for, and can't be relied on to always make a difference.
Andrew Au
Professor of Mathematics & Statistics, Retired
176
Answers
Updated
Andrew’s Answer
There is no astrophysics program in undergraduate school. Astrophysics is a subdiscipline of physics in graduate school. Therefore, you can only declare physics as your major as an undergraduate.
There are different criteria for admission in “prestigious” universities. However, there is a general attempt to soar up enrollment in STEM area for women and minorities. Therefore, a major in physics or engineering may constitute an advantage for admission.
Nonetheless, maintain a high GPA and complete AP Math and AP Physics courses would be very helpful in your college quest.
There are different criteria for admission in “prestigious” universities. However, there is a general attempt to soar up enrollment in STEM area for women and minorities. Therefore, a major in physics or engineering may constitute an advantage for admission.
Nonetheless, maintain a high GPA and complete AP Math and AP Physics courses would be very helpful in your college quest.
I'm not totally familiar with the US education system, but I don't think that's quite accurate. It may be true at some institutions, but I'm fairly sure there are US undergrad programs that offer an astrophysics major.
It's also certainly not the case internationally. Here in the UK, it's a bit different as we don't really have a major/minor system - you apply to a particular program when you apply to university; but astrophysics is certainly an undergrad option.
Joseph Neilson
Personally, I did a BSc program in Physics with Astrophysics (which I suppose is a bit like Physics major with Astro minor, but it doesn't really work like that); and when I was applying, some of my other options did include straight astrophysics (or "astronomy"/"cosmology") degrees which would have been equivalent to a straight astrophysics major.
Of course, the content of these programs is largely a set of core requirements similar to a physics major, plus a set of astro-specific additional modules, but they are awarded as degrees in astrophysics rather than just physics.
Joseph Neilson