What should I consider when choosing a university?

  • Schools
  • Thread starter Grands
  • Start date
  • Tags
    University
In summary: EnglishIn summary, a new user from Italy is seeking advice on choosing a university. They have doubts about sharing personal information on the forum and are wondering if it could potentially be traced back to them. The user is interested in discussing their interests and financial situation, but not personal details. They also ask for recommendations on Italian universities, particularly for mathematics and physics, and mention Pisa as a potential option.
  • #36
@fresh_42 what I have to do?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #37
Grands said:
@fresh_42 what I have to do?
As your threads are all more or less of the same topic, you could stay within one instead of opening a new one. In general it's 1 topic = 1 thread. I got a bit of the impression, that you do not really read the answers you get, or don't take them seriously. It's true that we don't have many members from Italy and therefore only a few who can answer specific questions about Italy. But even Italians usually won't have a complete image of all possible Italian universities and their programs in a specific field. If someone studied Physics in Rome, he will probably don't know the nuances between a study of mathematics in Pisa and Siena. On the other hand is Italy not so much different from other European or North American countries, so you could either make use of the many experiences which had been offered to you, or keep ignoring them, in which case another new thread won't make any difference. E.g. I couldn't answer which school in Pisa is famous for which courses, but this is something you could easily find out on the internet. The same is true for the difference between computer engineering and computer science. In general there are differences and which have been mentioned, in Italy as well as in any other country, but if you want to know details, you should read the programs the universities offer.
 
  • Like
Likes Grands
  • #38
Grands said:
Hi guys, I'm new in the forum, and I'm from Italy.
I hope you will understand my english.
I'm opening this thread because actually I have difficulties in choosing my university.

Actually I'm at the last year of the high school, based on Science, it's called "Liceo Scientifico", you can Google it if you want more informations.

Anyway, this year I have to choose university and I have doubts about what to do.

Can I make questions on this forum and describe my situation in order to obtain some advices ?

Thanks for the help.
Johnsmith5969 said:
Yes you have to go by appropriate path. I mean you have to select university on the basis of your high school percentage as well as your interest. select the subject you are interested in. like in science you can choose Physics, Chemistry, Biology. and in these you have to select your specification like in Chemistry you can select Organic, Inorganic, Analytical etc. If you are interested in Arts, you can choose your subject.
I returned to this topic a few weeks late.
Suggestions above quoted seem right. If you know you want to study for a degree in a science, then find the nearest university at which you could be admitted for whatever cost or price is reasonable for you; attend, earn your degree, and find and take a job. You might also consider possible major field in Engineering instead of purely sciences in order to make yourself more marketable.
 
  • #39
symbolipoint said:
Suggestions above quoted seem right. If you know you want to study for a degree in a science, then find the nearest university at which you could be admitted for whatever cost or price is reasonable for you; attend, earn your degree, and find and take a job. You might also consider possible major field in Engineering instead of purely sciences in order to make yourself more marketable.
Are engineering majors more marketable then Physics ones?
 
  • #40
Grands said:
Are engineering majors more marketable then Physics ones?
YES! Although so much depends on HOW YOU DEVELOP YOURSELF - what electives do you choose other than the program's courses; what internships might you find? Do you participate in some research and learn specific (and potentially marketable) skills?

Physics is a science, and the emphasis is on understanding matter and energy, and explaining.
Engineering is for design and technology, and the emphasis is, naturally, on designing.---- What should be added, is that engineers also need to solve problems, like to find remedies for bad situations. Remember the reports a few years ago about the miners trapped underground, and the great need to rescue them (South America)? Who figured out how to, and did much of the work? Engineers mostly.
 
  • Like
Likes Grands
  • #41
symbolipoint said:
YES! Although so much depends on HOW YOU DEVELOP YOURSELF - what electives do you choose other than the program's courses
Unfortunately in Italy you have to choose standard majors, you can't personalize them, once yo have chosen you have to study what courses are indicated.
If you chose a Physics degree you can't study engineering courses.

symbolipoint said:
What should be added, is that engineers also need to solve problems, like to find remedies for bad situations.
Remember the reports a few years ago about the miners trapped underground, and the great need to rescue them (South America)? Who figured out how to, and did much of the work? Engineers mostly.
Nice story, thanks.
 
  • #42
Grands said:
If you chose a Physics degree ...
nobody will recognize if you attend
... engineering courses.
 
  • #43
fresh_42 said:
nobody will recognize if you attend
Yes but what can a person do if are at the same time of the day?
And although this, who will allow you to write in you CV that you attended engineering courses ?
 
  • #44
Grands said:
Yes but what can a person do if are at the same time of the day?
And although this, who will allow you to write in you CV that you attended engineering courses ?
If it is the truth, you can just claim it. If you want to have a proof, either inscribe yourself in two studies, which is basically possible, and in case they are related often manageable, or speak to the professors and ask whether you can get a certificate for his lecture. If they don't want the additional work to do (corrections, exams), then ask whether you can get a note, that you've attended the lecture. STEM classes are often not so crowded that they try to get rid of students as in other fields. More than denying it to you cannot happen. Be creative!

Of course there is a prize to pay: more work, the entire thing usually takes longer, and courses might be shifted compared to their usual order, because of schedule issues.
 
  • #45
fresh_42 said:
If you want to have a proof, either inscribe yourself in two studies, which is basically possible,
It's impossible in Italy.
The only solution would be ask a friend that study engineering to make registration of the lessons.
 
  • #46
Then study one after the other and ask which qualifications of the first you will have to get, in order to shorten the second.
Or start to support them:
https://www.suedtirolnews.it/politik/doppelstudium-soll-auch-in-italien-moeglich-werden
(Although this is an article of an Italian newspaper (Bolzano), I haven't found an Italian version. Sorry. But Google translate might help.)
 
  • Like
Likes Grands
  • #47
Grands said:
Yes but what can a person do if are at the same time of the day?
And although this, who will allow you to write in you CV that you attended engineering courses ?
TRANSCRIPTS! Official University Transcripts!
 
  • Like
Likes Grands
  • #48
fresh_42 said:
Then study one after the other and ask which qualifications of the first you will have to get, in order to shorten the second.
Do you suggest to get to bachelor's degree?

Or start to support them:
https://www.suedtirolnews.it/politik/doppelstudium-soll-auch-in-italien-moeglich-werden
(Although this is an article of an Italian newspaper (Bolzano), I haven't found an Italian version. Sorry. But Google translate might help.)
It's an article written in Sud Tirol with is a part of Italy where people speak german.
How I can activate Google translate?
 
  • #49
symbolipoint said:
TRANSCRIPTS! Official University Transcripts!
Really?
 
  • #50
Grands said:
Yes but what can a person do if are at the same time of the day?
And although this, who will allow you to write in you CV that you attended engineering courses ?
symbolipoint said:
TRANSCRIPTS! Official University Transcripts!
Grands said:
Really?
Maybe I misunderstood.
You can report courses you attended at a university, onto your C.V., and the official proof that you earned credit in such attended courses is your university transcripts.
 
  • #52
symbolipoint said:
Maybe I misunderstood.
You can report courses you attended at a university, onto your C.V., and the official proof that you earned credit in such attended courses is your university transcripts.
You can't make exams of a course outside your major.

fresh_42 said:
Thanks, as you can see you can't take a double degree, I don't know if one day will be possibile.
 
  • #53
Grands said:
You can't make exams of a course outside your major.
...
Why does that mean anything here? If you enrolled in the course, either inside your major or outside your major, and you earned credit in the course, then you may report this credit on your C.V., and you will be able to show the credit on your transcripts. How one is not able to take an exam for the course makes no sense. Either the student attends and earns credit in the course or does not attend nor earn credit in the course. To enroll in, attend, succeed in a course, ANY course, and then to not be assessed and the results officially recorded makes absolutely no sense of any kind.
 
  • #54
symbolipoint said:
If you enrolled in the course, ...
This is the hurdle. There aren't courses which aren't related to specific studies. So without cheating, it isn't possible to do an exam.
 
  • #55
fresh_42 said:
This is the hurdle. There aren't courses which aren't related to specific studies. So without cheating, it isn't possible to do an exam.
I am not able to understand this. Try to explain very clearly. Student can enroll in a course or cannot enroll in a course? Student can take the examination and earn credit or cannot take the examination nor earn credit. What is happening there exactly? I cannot understand, "enroll in a course but cannot earn credit". Would the course be listed officially as "A Non-Credit Course"? Then it is a non-credit course FOR EVERYBODY. Explain! Make a clear explanation so I can see the sense.
 
  • #56
fresh_42 said:
nobody will recognize if you attend
I think we need to distinguish several issues here, which have been confounded.

(a) The OP has stated that in Italy a student is not allowed to enroll in courses outside of his major. This is far different from US practice, in which a student generally can enroll in a course offerred by any department, assuming the student satisfies the prerequisites. There are some exceptions with courses offerred as part of specialized programs, and enrollment in these courses is restricted to students in the specialized programs.

(b) So fresh_42 has suggested that the student just attend these other classes anyway. In the US, this is referred to as "auditing" a class. You attend the classes without officially enrolling (usually, if it's a small class rather than a large lecture, as a matter of courtesy, you would ask permission of the professor). This is fine, if you wish to learn the material for your own interest and development.

(c) But when you audit a class, your homework (should you choose to do it) is not graded, and you do not take the exams. Since you are not officially enrolled, you do not receive course credit, and the course does not appear on your transcript.
 
  • #57
CrysPhys said:
I think we need to distinguish several issues here, which have been confounded.

(a) The OP has stated that in Italy a student is not allowed to enroll in courses outside of his major. This is far different from US practice, in which a student generally can enroll in a course offerred by any department, assuming the student satisfies the prerequisites. There are some exceptions with courses offerred as part of specialized programs, and enrollment in these courses is restricted to students in the specialized programs.

(b) So fresh_42 has suggested that the student just attend these other classes anyway. In the US, this is referred to as "auditing" a class. You attend the classes without officially enrolling (usually, if it's a small class rather than a large lecture, as a matter of courtesy, you would ask permission of the professor). This is fine, if you wish to learn the material for your own interest and development.

(c) But when you audit a class, your homework (should you choose to do it) is not graded, and you do not take the exams. Since you are not officially enrolled, you do not receive course credit, and the course does not appear on your transcript.
CrysPhys,
I do not yet know how to comment or respond to that, but as a start,
... Auditing a course - If you do audit a course, you then cannot claim credit for it. The course may be listed on your transcripts but still not for any credit (okay maybe it is not listed on transcript - depends on the school). Put on rEsumE or on CV? No harm, but then you still have no official claim for credit.
 
  • #58
symbolipoint said:
CrysPhys,
I do not yet know how to comment or respond to that, but as a start,
... Auditing a course - If you do audit a course, you then cannot claim credit for it. The course may be listed on your transcripts but still not for any credit (okay maybe it is not listed on transcript - depends on the school). Put on rEsumE or on CV? No harm, but then you still have no official claim for credit.
That's the point I was making. You can audit a course to learn the material, but don't expect any official credit for it. Do you know of schools that list audited courses on a transcript? Personally, I wouldn't list it on a resume or CV either.
 
  • Like
Likes Grands
  • #59
CrysPhys said:
That's the point I was making. You can audit a course to learn the material, but don't expect any official credit for it. Do you know of schools that list audited courses on a transcript? Personally, I wouldn't list it on a resume or CV either.
That's what I think, it can be a waste of time.
 
  • #60
A followup, having read something yesterday night: a difference between schools; not in the quality of teaching, is the network of students in your school. The right network will make it easier for you to have an attractive first job, which can make a big difference. But I am not sure how that works in Italy.
 
  • #61
CrysPhys said:
Do you know of schools that list audited courses on a transcript?
A google search for "audit a course" turns up the University of Wisconsin, for one:

https://kb.wisc.edu/ls/page.php?id=26734
For a student who does elect to audit a course, the letters "AU" are entered on the transcript under credits and the course does not earn credit or impact the GPA
The college where I taught has a similar policy.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes symbolipoint
  • #62
Anyway, in the end which is the point?
I shouldn't go to others courses?
 
  • #63
Grands said:
Anyway, in the end which is the point?
I shouldn't go to others courses?
From my perspective, the point is what I said before: If you want to audit a course strictly to augment your knowledge in a subject outside of your major, then OK. But since you receive no official credit, it's not something you should put on your resume or CV. But, perhaps during an interview, it's something you can mention.
 
  • Like
Likes Grands and symbolipoint
  • #64
CrysPhys said:
From my perspective, the point is what I said before: If you want to audit a course strictly to augment your knowledge in a subject outside of your major, then OK. But since you receive no official credit, it's not something you should put on your resume or CV. But, perhaps during an interview, it's something you can mention.
I agree with you, this can't solve the problem if not having the possibility to do a real double degree.
 
  • #65
I’m also having a similar problem. Where I’m from, (I’m in my last year in middle school) we have to choose a college to go to before your reach high school. It’s recomended for students my age to start choosing a couple schools and then narrowing them down in the future. My dream school is MIT in the USA (if you guys heard of it). Anyways, I feel that I should decide about that later. But, I live in Hawaii, and I’m trying to decide which community college/college/university to go to in the islands so I can stay close to my family. Any advice?
 
  • Like
Likes Grands
  • #66
doglover9754 said:
I’m also having a similar problem. Where I’m from, (I’m in my last year in middle school) we have to choose a college to go to before your reach high school. It’s recomended for students my age to start choosing a couple schools and then narrowing them down in the future. My dream school is MIT in the USA (if you guys heard of it). Anyways, I feel that I should decide about that later. But, I live in Hawaii, and I’m trying to decide which community college/college/university to go to in the islands so I can stay close to my family. Any advice?
Deciding which college or university before you have started high school is senseless. YOU do not know. Your PARENTS do not know. Nobody knows. You must grow and develop more first. Why college or university? Why not a vocational school or vocational training? You could choose imaginably any local community college for either preparation for university OR for getting vocational training. In case you are not yet qualified for a university program upon high school graduation, you can build your qualifications at a community college for a few terms and then transfer to U.
 
  • #67
doglover9754 said:
I’m also having a similar problem. Where I’m from, (I’m in my last year in middle school) we have to choose a college to go to before your reach high school. It’s recomended for students my age to start choosing a couple schools and then narrowing them down in the future. My dream school is MIT in the USA (if you guys heard of it). Anyways, I feel that I should decide about that later. But, I live in Hawaii, and I’m trying to decide which community college/college/university to go to in the islands so I can stay close to my family. Any advice?
<<Emphasis added.>>
What do you mean by "you have to choose a college before you reach high school"? So, you attend High School A if you plan to go to MIT, High School B if you plan to go to Harvard, and High School C if you plan to go to U. of Idaho? Huh?
 
  • #68
CrysPhys said:
<<Emphasis added.>>
What do you mean by "you have to choose a college before you reach high school"? So, you attend High School A if you plan to go to MIT, High School B if you plan to go to Harvard, and High School C if you plan to go to U. of Idaho? Huh?
No... it’s more like we fill out “fake” applications and submit it to our school. I know that you are probably thinking yeah, why am I stressing about it, but really, we get graded on our application and our teachers even tell us that yes, it seems pointless now, but it may come in handy in the future... (still confused about that)
 
  • #69
doglover9754 said:
No... it’s more like we fill out “fake” applications and submit it to our school. I know that you are probably thinking yeah, why am I stressing about it, but really, we get graded on our application and our teachers even tell us that yes, it seems pointless now, but it may come in handy in the future... (still confused about that)
OK. Thanks for the clarification. But do your practice applications have any effect at all on your high school program? Or is it just an instructive exercise to start you thinking about what you want to do?
 
  • #70
Mmm. I’m pretty sure that it has an effect on something... I think it effects our ELA class... not totally sure though
 
Back
Top