My son finished 11th grade, and his UC/CSU calculated GPA is 3.31. His SAT (CR+M) is 1070 and UC/CSU eligibility index is 3718. He is going to retake SAT in fall and ACT for first time too and that should raise it a bit. He wants to go for computer gaming design or computer science/engineering but is average in math.
Does he have a chance at San Jose State, Cal Poly Pomona, or a UC school like UC Santa Cruz as a Computer Science/engineering major? Any other good rated CSU or UC computer major that is within his reach? CSU east bay is local to us and within reach but don’t know how good its program and graduate job placement is?
Any good nearby western state colleges will be helpful too.
SJSU is the only CSU that publishes their EI Thresholds each year for each major.
For CS, the EI was 4300
For Software Engineering, the EI was 3600. Retaking the SAT could help bump up his EI to possibly qualify for Software Engineering.
Just remember that the EI’s will change with each new in-coming class.
What is his SAT score breakdown? For impacted majors at Cal Poly Pomona, many majors required a minimum SAT Math score of 550 and many local in-service area applicants were denied this year so meeting the minimum requirements may not guarantee admission.
UCR is possible, but I think UCSC could go either way. If he writes some outstanding essays and has some CS related EC’s, it could boost his chances. UC Merced could be a Match along with Sac State and Chico State. East Bay would probably be a safety but I am unsure of the reputation of their program. I would look at SJSU’s curriculum as a comparison to gauge if the East Bay program is comparable.
You might want to look into NAU (Northern Arizona University and ASU (Arizona State). They are part of the WUE program where you get reduced tuition and makes the cost comparable to the CSU’s. http://wue.wiche.edu/search_results.jsp?searchType=all
I think UCR and UCSC are pretty unlikely. Their CS programs are both competitive. Better SAT would boost his chances somewhat - but his GPA will still below their typical admit. UC Merced is probably a 50/50 shot.
With a 3718 Index, Chico, Sonoma, Fullerton and Northridge are worth a look.
Gumbymom,
Thanks for the detailed response. Current SAT score is : 550 M, 520 CR so just meets minimum of
Cal Poly Pomona. Should improve on next try.
Visted SJSU today and admissions office says that meeting EI threshold for their majors is all that is needed
for admission but one never knows for sure.
Will reasearch Arizona and other schools from WUE list too.
NCalRent,
Thanks for your input. Will look into these CSUs.
Will research other suggested CSUs by both of you too though reading thru these forums I did not see
if any of those were highly regarded for Computer engg.
Has he visited all schools of interest? For CS, I would lean toward the direct admit at CSUF (good friend recommends their CS program)/UofA (if affordable) and UCM (if campus/location are to his liking). Sac state would also be a good alternative if the others to do not appeal to him. Also do a side by side comparison of the CS curriculum to see if there any major differences and check out the career centers for each campus for internship and job placement info.
Thanks, We’ve visited CSUF & UCM and he likes both. Will go thru catalogs and career websites of these to see which one has better internship and job opportunities.
My son applied to many of the same schools, and has similar stats. He was accepted for CS at CSUF, Sonoma State, Chico, ASU ($3k scholarship), NAU, and U of AZ (pre-CS, $5k scholarship), and denied at CSULB, SJSU, SDSU, UCR, UCD, and Cal Poly. Still waiting to hear from UCI (received Supplemental), UCSC, and Cal Poly Pomona but not hopeful. Of the schools he was admitted to so far, he loves U of AZ, but for the price, he is leaning toward either CSUF or Chico if he doesn’t get into any of the schools we are still waiting on. Send me a PM and let me know how it goes; CS is certainly competitive - I’m glad we applied to a range of schools!
Got denied from UCI and waitlisted for UCSC but chances of getting accepted from the waitlist are very low from what I read on some UC threads here. Leaning towards UCM currently since it is a UC and < 2 hour drive from home.
Congrats!! My son has similar situation like yours. We are concerned that Cal Poly is too competitive, he may not even be able to graduate, but we like their hands-on approach. Heard that Fullerton is also strong in CS, but not sure if they do lots of hands-on or not.
All CSU’s are geared towards producing graduates entering the work force. CSU Fullerton will be no more competitive than CPP for CS. CS is just a very competitive/time consuming and can be a stressful major with the huge coding projects involved. Pick the school that best fits you academically, socially and financially.