<p>I am a big believer in taking advantage of opportunities for co-op, internships, undergraduate research programs, design-build competitions, and related programs that provide some hands-on experiences. These programs are very useful to finding out strengths/weaknesses and likes/dislikes while there’s ample time to adjust course selection and even degree program. Talk to administration and current students about what is available, how easy/hard is it to participate, what assistance the school does or does not provide, balance and integrate with classwork. A strong local IT industry helps, but is not a necessity for co-op and summer programs, as faculty and alumni networks may be more important.</p>
<p>Talk with current students about extent 1st or 2 years are used to weed-out lower-performing students, and what options they have to change majors. It happens and you want to have some good alternatives. </p>
<p>Not a discriminator, but if the school requires CS/CE students to have a particular type of computer, find out the particulars and carefully investigate the campus offering vs. what you can get locally. (Trade off is more $$ for hopefully all the required s/w and on-campus support, support should be less of a need for a CS/CE)</p>