I didn't mean to imply that The Feynman Lectures in particular were "pop science". They are more akin to a very condensed overview of an undergraduate curriculu

I didn't mean to imply that The Feynman Lectures in particular were "pop science". They are more akin to a very condensed overview of an undergraduate curriculum with interesting motivating examples hand picked by Feynman. They are not a substitute for undergraduate courses, and I'd advise most students to read them after they finish their core undergraduate courses.