Q&A: Is the San Diego state superior university for astronomy?
Question by Raj Gohil: Is the San Diego state great university for astronomy?
I am majoring astronomy. I want to go in either UCLA or san diego state college but housing are expensive UCLA so can tell me that is the san diego state is good college for astronomy?
Finest response:
Remedy by CrAck Daddy
nah thats a 2nd pace school. I suggest applying to starfleet academy rather.
What do you think? Solution under!
Concern by Anna: I want to start out mastering Astronomy from the first phase. Can you introduce me web page/internet sites to get started my perform??
I have to say, I have had no lessons, and I know absolutely nothing about Astronomy and want to begin from the initial.
Could you pleas give me the tackle(es) of any web site/web sites to commence my discovering??
Thanks a ton!
Most effective solution:
Respond to by rtlange268
room.com will give you a really good overview
What do you think? Answer down below!
August 1st, 2011 at 5:10 pm
I can’t speak specifically for San Diego State, but as a general rule of thumb, most of the “state” colleges are very “above average” in astronomy and physics. The question I have for you is, are you seeking an astronomy related profession, or are you looking only for vast knowledge and better understanding with an astronomy major on your resume?
There is a difference. For affordable colleges in astronomy, I would suggest Arizona State, but I’m not sure what “out of state” tuition requirements would be for you in that case.
August 1st, 2011 at 5:55 pm
i went to sdsu and had a few friends who were astronomy majors. it’s a tiny program but that can be a good thing: the classes are a lot smaller, you get more individual attention from professors and as you get in to your upper division work you’ll have an easier time getting an internship or research position because there’s a lot less people to compete with. on the other hand, it’s not as prestigious as ucla or any other uc school and the equipment isn’t as up to date due to less funding.
san diego state is a good school but it’s a whole different crowd than the ultra competitive students at ucla. yes, you’ll be surrounded by the best and the brightest at ucla but you’ll have to work incredibly hard — it’s great if this motivates you but it can be pretty intimidating too. it might be easier to graduate at the top of your class at sdsu, and although it’s not particularly well-known for its astronomy program, being the top of your class at any school looks good on paper. if you do plan to be an astronomer you’ll have to get at least a master’s degree, and whichever school you choose for this matters more than where you went for your bachelor’s. whatever school you choose, good luck!
August 1st, 2011 at 6:55 pm
Well it is the only California State school with an astronomy graduate program. They also have the Mount Laguna observatory which is pretty nice.
August 1st, 2011 at 7:34 pm
I live in San Diego, and wouldn’t recommend it for astronomy.
Much better choices:
San Francisco State (where Geoff Marcy, one of the first to discover exoplanets, teaches and researches)
Cal Tech (Pasadena), which owns and operates Palomar Observatory and Mt. Wilson Observatory
(I’m a docent at Palomar Observatory)
Good luck!
August 1st, 2011 at 7:49 pm
I’m not American and don’t live there but I’m hearing a lot of good stuff about the University of Arizona at Phoenix (which lent it’s name to the Mars lander) in the fields of space science and astronomy. Worth checking out.
August 1st, 2011 at 8:01 pm
This is a good one.
http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/%7Ekaler/sow/sowlist.html
Here´s another:
http://www.heavens-above.com/
And another:
http://bcs.whfreeman.com/dtu7e/default.asp?s=&n=&i=&v=&o=&ns=0&uid=0&rau=0
August 1st, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Hi All you need is curiosity. Here is a free program that can show you what you are looking at. http://www.stellarium.com/ Start with just your eyes, move to a good set of binoculars, then consider a good quality telescope. (Not the other way around.)
August 1st, 2011 at 8:57 pm
Start with the big picture. Atlasoftheuniverse.com is a great site for seeing the big picture. The film “powers of ten” will do the same. its viewable on a number of sites including powersof10.com.
August 1st, 2011 at 9:11 pm
if you want to start at the beginning don’t go web. get the book astronomy for dummies it really explains it in terms a beginner can understand then move on to the web and use the book as a reference and it will be a lot easier for you
August 1st, 2011 at 9:23 pm
Try http://www.starsurfin.com
My website isn’t of dubious quality and yeah Nightwatch is a great book for starters, so is Skywatching by David Levy which you can find in a library (unless you have a phobia of libraries)
August 1st, 2011 at 10:17 pm
Let me suggest that you do something radical: Read a book! You’ll get a much clearer and more complete picture of astronomy from a good book, than from a bunch of web sites of dubious quality. The book I’d recommend is NightWatch by Terence Dickinson (Firefly).