College Bound Atlasians?

[muon2]

University of Chicago, class of 1973.  I am arranging to go back in time.

Beats me. I didn't start college until Ford was president.

It's hard to say when I completely finished since I have been at a college or university ever since. Student slowly morphs to professor.

[muon2]

     I'll be going to UC Berkeley.

That's my number 1 school choice, but I live in Washington, so I can't afford it... why do I have to love a public out-of-state school?!

Isn't UDub (my apologies if calling it that is a sacrelige) a very good school in its own right?

Well, it may be, but Berkeley is perhaps the premier public school in the world.

     Washington has a burgeoning physics department, though it is still a mere shadow of Berkeley's physics department.

The Princeton Review's Gourman Report ranks physics undergraduate programs. Berkeley and Illinois are the public schools in the top 10. Washington is one a large group of public universities ranked from 11 to 25.

One thing to take care of is the specific instructors for core undergraduate courses. The material is much the same for any institution, so the individual teaching quality can make a big difference. Many students opt for high quality small schools with that emphasize teaching standards for that reason, even if the undergraduate research opportunities are less (and yes, that included me.)

[muon2]

Tufts University, was class of 2012 but now class of 2013, trying to decide between poli sci and international relations

Don't be IR! Resist the borg!

I went to Tufts, class of 2005. Not IR.

Well, the main reason I chose it over more typical choices like Berkeley and UCLA was because of its' international relations program. However I suspect I enjoy political science more, but at the same time there's really not that much of a difference between the two. Considering picking overlapping electives for both majors at first and if I do well enough pursuing a double major. How's the school by the way? Visited in January (christ Boston is cold) but obviously would like some experienced advice.

Tufts is a good school and the Boston area is great for students with so many different schools contributing students and culture. Boston is cold, but it's not Minnesota.

The first two years will most likely be general courses and introductory material that would be common to both. Make sure that you have take the introductory requirements for both that would be prerequisites to higher level courses in both majors. That will give you the flexibility to pick one or both majors when you get towards the end of your sophomore year.