I want to become an astronomer. Is my plan good enough?

Question

I'm currently a high school sophomore. I'm trying my best to get A's, volunteer as much as possible, get great SAT scores and all that stuff to get into a good college.

And I was planning to go to undergrad school for 4 years, majoring in physics.

Then I'll go to grad school for _ years (Ph.D) to major in astronomy.

Is that good or is it the other way around? What should I major in exactly? Thanks! =)

And if you could list the top colleges for physics and astronomy, then that'll be great!

Answer 1

Sounds like a plan!  Make sure to spend your summers in college doing REU (research experience for undergraduates) programs to prepare for graduate school.  Majoring in physics is the best way to go, but make sure you take astronomy, math, and some computer science as well.

Good graduate schools (in no particular order) are Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Cornell, Columbia, UT Austin, U Washington, U Chicago, U Toronto, U Hawaii, U Arizona, U Michigan, U Virginia, Ohio State, Clemson, Purdue, UC Santa Cruz, UCLA, CalTech, U Wisconsin, and Stanford.  Any of these would also be good for undergrad, or you could consider a liberal arts college - that's where I went - where professors can get to know you better (good for recommendations and doing research as an undergraduate).

Answer 2

You're right on track.  Here's a few hints, though.

To see a list of the top 50 research universities, use this link (it will give

several choices--just pick the top 50 for 2007. It will open in a Word file you can print:

http://mup.asu.edu/research_data.html

Look at schools with good programs in astronomy and physics--NOT at schools with "name value."  The best way to find these is to talk with professors at some schools.  Believe it or not, you can do this quite easily.  Go to the astronomy or physics department page of a school and  get to the faculty listing page--they will allhave their e-mails listed.

This will actually work--professors rarely get inquiries from you ng people and are delighted when they do.  Pick someone who does work in an aea you are interested in. For instance, if you find the study of stellar evolution or the research on finding extra-solar planets intriguing, pick a professor who has published work in that area (you'll have to do a bit odigging or read their on-line CV (curriculum vitae) to find the right people.

They can--and if you ask--will--tell you whether their undergrad program is a good one for you, and suggest others.

A second tip: for what you want, finding a good undergrad program is important--but even if it's not one of the very top ones, that's fine---as long as it's reasonably good.  What will get you into a good graduate program is your undergraduate record--NOT the school you go to to get your BS degree. If you get involved --then--in internships, working as an undergrad research assistant, etc. so you stand out from the crow--you can write your own ticket.

Answer 3

That's a pretty good plan.

If you can find a college with a good physics & astronomy program you can get a good physics degree and take astronomy electives.

The physics is more important than the astro for undergrad.

While you are in high school, take as much physics and math as you can. You will need calculus, so if you can, take it in high school.

If not this is the first course you should take in college.

If you have a local college/uni with astrophysicists see if you can do a summer internship or something. I have a high school student working for me this summer.

Once in college, make sure you apply for REU programs (research experience for undergrads). Getting research experience as an undergrad is a huge deal once you start applying for grad school

For choices of schools - there are lots of options.

I'm happy to give advice on that stuff. Contact me thru my profile

ADDED: what's with the thumbs down? I didn't say anything offensive, and I am an astrophysics professor - it is my job the mentor people on this stuff even beyond PhD and train them as astropnomers - so  I think I have more experience in this stuff than the average answerer.

If it's because I didn't list colleges - that's a difficult thing to do - just because somewhere has a good reputation doesn't make it the right place for a given individual - I prefer to answer those questions offline and more personally.

Answer 4

That's as good a plan as any.  As you go through your undergrad precisely how you should progress will become abundantly clear to you.

Good schools for this off the top of my head would be MIT and CalTech.

Answer 5

I thought it would be good to answer this from the perspective of someone who was on the same path as you but didn't become an astronomer because of some choices I made.

Much like you I was an A student, good at math and science, did well on my SATs.  By my junior year I was wondering the very same thing you were.  I wrote about 45 letters to the chair of every Dept. of Astronomy in the US asking this question.  The overwhelming response was (every single one wrote me back!) that you should have a solid foundation in Physics and Math in order to go on to your Graduate degree in Astronomy / Astrophysics.

However, the mistake I made was going to a small, Liberal Arts college that was very strong in science and math but did not have any Astronomy.  As much as I like Physics I didn't get exposure to any Astronomy during my 4 years of undergraduate work.  I was able to get one summer intern job at a Radio Astronomy observatory but only as an operator overnight.  By the end of my 4 years I was tired of college and still hadn't had a single Astronomy class (I'm now a Computer Architect).

My advice to you is to go to a college or university that offers Astronomy/Astrophysics as path of their undergraduate degrees so you stay exposed and start to formulate your future specialty path.  There are many universities that offer this that based on your grades and desire will offer this.  Unless you are obsessed with going to a top tier, highly competitive, school like Princeton, Harvard, MIT, CalTech, etc. there are many other  universities such as U of Arizona, U of Mich, U of Colorado,  U of NM, Hawaii, etc. that have great Astronomy programs!

Keep your passion alive by being in as many Astronomy functions, groups, activities, and internships as possible.  Don't worry about how much you know - the passion counts!  I got my radio astro. summer job just by repeatably pestering the Professor with my desire and passion to learn.  I just started cold calling every university for summer work until one Prof said 'well, we do need someone to help...'.  It paid off - but took some time.

Final note - if you really love Astronomy then you will find a job - don't worry about the money.  The job will find you if you live for it.  I missed and regret it.  Don't do what I did!

Hope that helps!!

Answer 6

Also join local astronomical societies where you go.  There are not a lot of good jobs out there for astronomy degree people.  Our club president has 2 astronomy doctorates but he sells solar equipment because he hasn't been able to find a full time job at a college or an observatory in the United States yet.  

It is a wonderful ambition and you will love it but dont do it for the money.  I suggest that maybe you look at engineering for a minor so maybe you can have a better chance of building or creating some new wonderous astronomical equipment some day.  

Answer 7

Not sure if this helps but i did a degree in Physics and astronomy, but i did it in Ireland. Im not sure if there are any courses like that in america, but try looking for some that teach astronomy courses as undergrad, u will appreciate it more when u do a phd.