Compass is an immersive and exciting program for students interested in physics, astronomy, and earth and planetary sciences. Its many components are designed to help its students transition to college life, meet great people (before classes even start!), learn skills that will help them with their classes, and provide a feeling of family in a large university.

My fellow Compass students are some of the best friends that I have on campus; I even feel closer to some of them than I feel to my own roommates.

—Harjit Singh,
Compass '09

The Compass classes and lab tours have given me a real view of the world of physical scientists... Compass has made me feel like I am already part of a strong community.

—Charles Mourad,
Compass '09

Compass, which was founded in 2006, is made of many parts. Read our mission statement, and then read on to learn about:

• The Summer Program
• The Physics 98 Course
• The Mentoring Program
• The Lecture Series

If you are a grad student, you might also be interested to know how participating in Compass will benefit you.

Compass is also made of many great people. Find out more about the undergrads and grad students involved with Compass.

I was attracted to Compass because I wanted a way to meet other people who were as passionate as I was about physics... Compass has taught me that collaboration is key to surviving physics... We needed each others' insight and ideas to solve the really difficult problems.

—Gina Quan,
Compass '08

Compass is the 2012 recipient of American Physical Society's Award for Improving Undergraduate Physics Education! The award is "intended to acknowledge commitment to inclusive, high-quality physics education for undergraduate students, and to catalyze departments and programs to make significant improvements."

Hear students explain why compass is awesome!

With the help of our amazing donors, we have reached our 2011 fundraising goal!

Donations are still welcome through the Give to Cal secure website which you can access using the button below, or by check.