Hey /sci/, I want to pursue a Bachelors in Physics. I realize

>>8508190
>>8508190
>I can't really be dissuaded from continuing this path

there's a guy in my class who's a stoner and said he wants to major in physics.

the guy can't even study for his algebra class, and guess what physics is? physics is computing equations, it's not sitting around smoking weed and talking about space.

>>8508196
he's failing the class btw, but you should have inferred that when i said he's a stoner.

>>8508196
>smoking weed
Fuck that shit. Also, I am pretty decent at math, got through precalc without too much issue, considering that there were a lot of new concepts I wasn't familiar with.

>>8508190
>What can I expect at those higher levels

The same thing as in General Physics but now with vector calculus and ODEs. In graduate school you will again do the same thing but now with complex calculus and PDEs.

>What advice would you give a budding/prospective physicist

Skip undergrad physics and just major in math.

>>8508190
Firstly, don't go for pure physics. Go for Applied Physics/Technical Physics/Engineering Physics (name depends on the country).

Secondly, you must have to imagination. In physics, there are many problems that you better use your imagination to solve them or at least understand them. This doesn't always apply to QM.

Feel free to ask more questions if you wanna know sth else.

>>8508255
correction: "must have good imagination"

>>8508255
>Go for Applied Physics/Technical Physics/Engineering Physics (name depends on the country).

Terrible advice, go for a real engineering degree instead.

>>8508258
Why terrible? He wants to study physics, so he better studies applicaiton of it.

>>8508255
OP here, I have my heart set on Physics Education as of now. Not sure if I want to be a professor or not, probably will eventually though.

>>8508262
>he better studies applicaiton of it

Yeah, in a real engineering degree. Applied Physics/Engineering Physics is what many 4th year failures get after bombing the requirements for a real engineering program in the last semester but still want to graduate.

>>8508267
Guess it differs from country to country. Applied maths/applied physics grads are paid better than other STEM grads over here.

>>8508267
Engineering Physics is the hardest course in the engineering section at my uni. Not exactly for those prone to failure.

>>8508255
Are engineering physics and applied physics exactly the same? Cause that's how I've been explaining it to people but I didn't think it was 100% accurate.

>>8508283
Pretty much they are all the same. Only with small differences depending on the university. Basically it is a combination of physics, maths and programming, and incorporating them in various engineering fields.

>>8508297
Cool.

>>8508190
Bachelors of Physics here. If you want to go only as far as a bachelors, instead of physics, get an engineering degree, so you're hirable. You can't get a good job with just a physics bachelors. That being said, if you do that, you can easily teach yourself physics. It's all just math and following the laws of conservation. Also a shit-ton of approximations.

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749KB, 500x269px

>>8508190
>this kills the crab