Nik, I am not in the slightest trying to be combative here. I'm a lawyer by occupation, without any strong scientific experience in school or otherwise, so I don't have a real basis for an opinion contrary to what you say. I have some mathematicians in the family, but that's about it for scientists and their ilk.
Still, do you think that for someone who wants to go on to be a quantum physicist that a combination of a liberal arts degree and CLEP exams will be as good as going to a school with a physics program for undergrad? I know that quantum physics is bound to be largely theoretical, but at a strong science school, wouldn't the OP begin to better learn how to fit into a community of her scientific peers, meet a mentor, etc.?
