Freshman FAQs

The Society of Physics Students is, in short, a home for any and all physics majors at Northeastern. Pure physics? Combined physics? Biomedical or applied physics? Experimentalist, or theorist? This is the organization for you. It’s a space for you to relax and unwind, meet your fellow physics friends, and share your triumphs and failures. We meet every Wednesday at 12pm, and all are welcome to join and revel in our oddly characteristic abundance of Wollastons sandwiches.

Our Northeastern chapter of SPS is affiliated with a larger national organization of SPS’s at universities all across the world, some of whom we plan to collaborate with throughout the year. The national organization SPS is affiliated with the American Institute of Physics, and there are some cool perks to joining that organization as well (you can find out more about it here). While joining the national organization does have a yearly due, our local chapter right here at Northeastern does not, and you are a member of the society just by being a physics major here (we’re pretty loose about that).

While we can’t tell you whether or not you should be a physics major, here are some good indicators that physics is right for you:

• You have a deep interest in how the universe works, and a pressing curiosity to find solutions to modern problems in physics.

• You like solving puzzles, and wouldn’t mind thinking about a complicated question for years on end. You like being challenged, and don’t give up on things easily (Prof. Kriokov will tell you PHYS 2305, Thermodynamics & Statistical Mechanics, is the single most difficult undergraduate class offered at Northeastern)

• You enjoyed intro level physics classes (PHYS 1151/1161) or AP/IB Physics, and wish you could learn more about why the equations were true, rather than how to use them - advanced physics classes will only cover derivation more and more rigorously, and dive deep into the question of what the laws of our universe truly are.

• You can see yourself doing this for at least 4 years (but probably 5), and wanting to use the knowledge and skills you learn here for the rest of your life - this is not to mean that your choice in major will define you for as long as you live, but you should at least make sure that you’ll be happy with it during your undergraduate years at Northeastern. If not, take the time to find something you really love instead (there’s nothing wrong with that!)

On the other hand, here are some good reasons not to be a physics major:

• Because you think it sounds hard or impressive - being a physics major shouldn’t be about trying to impress someone (be that your parents, a crush, or even yourself). Every subject at Northeastern is “hard” in its own way, and has a depth to it that most people will probably never understand. In addition, every field has open problems in it with applications to the real world, that make real differences in people’s lives. Just because Einstein did physics doesn’t mean you have to.

• Because you came to Northeastern wanting to do physics, and now you think you have to do it - it couldn’t be further from the truth! Your first year at the University should be all about exploring: taking new classes, new subjects that you don’t know anything about, talking to people you’d never ordinarily talk to. The frank reality is that all of us come to Northeastern not having any idea what we really like, or where our life is going to go, but each time you expose yourself to something new, you gain a new data point about whether you do or don’t like that thing. So gather as much data as you can before you make a decision! You wouldn’t want to base the next four years of your life off n=1 data, would you?

Still unsure? Attend an SPS event and get to know what the major is all about. Or even better, talk to a current physics undergrad, and get to know why they chose their major! More than likely, that will give you the information you need to decide.

We have a page about this! Check out the tab under Resources titled "Getting Research".

Thanks! We’ve been here for a while, so we’d be remiss to not give back and help out our new young friends. Likewise, you should make it a priority to gather advice from your new upperclassmen friends whenever possible, as whatever it is you’re struggling with, they almost certainly have struggled with too. SPS is your home, so feel comfortable here in asking questions and reaching out to people. We hope to see you around!