At Eckerd College, an institution with less than two thousand students, the atmosphere and environment allow individuals to flourish in a small-group cohesive environment. We typically graduate three to five physics majors a year and usually one or two of them are transfers who were "lost in the shuffle" at larger institutions. We, the physics faculty, are amazed at how easily the transfer student finds her niche in our program. The coursework is rigorous, yet flexible; upper-level classes have typically five to eight students and even the introductory physics classes has only about twenty. The faculty-student interaction is thus elevated: more office hours, smaller seminars, discipline get-togethers, they all provide the student opportunity to assert themselves and strengthen the Eckerd physics community at the same time. Transfer students are quickly assigned a faculty mentor who help them design their course plan and answer their questions. This process has fluidity as many students chat on an informal basis with their faculty mentor on a weekly basis. We also believe in the importance of research experience. Through both internal and external grants we are able to provide research opportunities to many of our students over the summer. This research often continues for coursework credit during the academic year.

If you have any questions about this process please feel free to contact us -- the more you tell us about your situation the better. We would be happy to talk on the phone, arrange a campus visit, facilitate communication with present students and alumni. We hope to hear from you soon!