What is a physics degree really like?

I've just completed my first year studying Computer Science but haven't really enjoyed it as much as I thought I would so I'm considering transferring to physics. It's a subject I enjoyed at A level although I wasn't great at it (I got a B). Could anyone who has studied/is currently studying physics at university tell me some more about it? Someone told me it's mostly mechanics, but what about things like astrophysics, quantum mechanics and particle physics? Also how much programming do you do in a physics degree and with what languages? Thanks.

Lol I'm not sure who told you it would be mostly mechanics since if your course is accredited by the Institute of Physics (most are), there will be a set variety in the modules to add in quantum mechanics, particle physics, electromagnetism, etc. Take a look at the module structure and overview--like I said accreditation will mostly standardize modules in undergraduate physics courses, so for right now just pick any uni--and take a look at what kind of modules there are. Do they incite any passion for you?

There's quite a bit of programming, and at our uni we do Matlab, Python, and Maple, with an emphasis on the first two. Programming was one of the most valuable skills I learned, as it has opened the most doors in terms of opportunity after graduation.

I'm happy to take more at length about my time studying physics (I also have astrophysics and atmospherics research experience, if you want to hear about it), but I'd take a moment before you choose another course to decide what kind of career you want--that's the most important thing when it comes to picking a uni course as it's the reason why you're at uni in the first place! Physics does open a lot of doors, but to make the most of your time at uni it's best to get as much experience and skills as you can for your post-graduation life.

Thank you for your reply, I appreciate your advice. The modules in physics courses I've looked at seem like they could be interesting, but when I was looking at Computer Science courses I also thought this, although I had never done Computer Science before so I didn't really know what to expect. I feel like I haven't found a passion for any one particular subject/course so this makes it hard for me to know what I want to study and what path I want to go down in life.

Would you say you learnt enough programming in your physics degree to be able to go into a more computing oriented job in the future? I enjoy programming but I think I would be more interested in scientific computing so Python sounds like a good one to be learning for this? I really have no idea what kind of job I want to end up in which makes it stressful choosing a course because I don't want to limit myself.

I was also wondering how much maths is involved in astrophysics? And whether there is programming involved in this too? I think this could be one area of interest for me although I've never formally studied it.

Again, thank you very much for taking the time to offer advice

Lol I'm not sure who told you it would be mostly mechanics since if your course is accredited by the Institute of Physics (most are), there will be a set variety in the modules to add in quantum mechanics, particle physics, electromagnetism, etc. Take a look at the module structure and overview--like I said accreditation will mostly standardize modules in undergraduate physics courses, so for right now just pick any uni--and take a look at what kind of modules there are. Do they incite any passion for you?
There's quite a bit of programming, and at our uni we do Matlab, Python, and Maple, with an emphasis on the first two. Programming was one of the most valuable skills I learned, as it has opened the most doors in terms of opportunity after graduation.
I'm happy to take more at length about my time studying physics (I also have astrophysics and atmospherics research experience, if you want to hear about it), but I'd take a moment before you choose another course to decide what kind of career you want--that's the most important thing when it comes to picking a uni course as it's the reason why you're at uni in the first place! Physics does open a lot of doors, but to make the most of your time at uni it's best to get as much experience and skills as you can for your post-graduation life.

Hi i also want to study physics/maybe astro branch (something physics related idk), im taking physics maths and geography alevels, is further maths needed?? will i be at a disadvantage without it, as in struggle in first year.
(sorry i know im responding like 6 years later..)

Further Maths was definitely very helpful to me as basically all the first year maths content I had already seen, but not everyone had done so it's not absolutely necessary. Maybe over the summer you could self-learn some of the topics from Further Maths A-level to feel better prepared

Thankyou will do! would you say unis are fussed over not doing the alevel? (excluding oxbridge/imperial..) I’m worried my application may not stand out as much.

I've just completed my first year studying Computer Science but haven't really enjoyed it as much as I thought I would so I'm considering transferring to physics. It's a subject I enjoyed at A level although I wasn't great at it (I got a B). Could anyone who has studied/is currently studying physics at university tell me some more about it? Someone told me it's mostly mechanics, but what about things like astrophysics, quantum mechanics and particle physics? Also how much programming do you do in a physics degree and with what languages? Thanks.