I’m currently a junior in high school. I’ve always said that I’ll major in Psychology in college because I’m truly interested in it. However, I began to look at other things and I think I want to change it to Computer Science with a minor in Psychology. When I was little, I used to take a coding course on KhanAcademy and I was really interested, but I stopped for some reason. I started learning more things on CodeAcademy recently, and I don’t understand why I ever stopped because I’m actually interested in this stuff!
I guess my question is how would this even look? I have no EC’s relating to Computer Science at all, so I’m wondering how colleges would perceive me. I really want to get into a good college with a full ride (My dream school is UIUC!!) and I don’t want to seem like I’m not genuine. I really wish I had realized this in my earlier years of high school, but now I feel like I’m too late.
Also, does anyone know any summer programs (free) for beginners in Computer Science for rising seniors? I know about the Girls Who Code summer program, and I intend to apply. But I know there’s no guarantee I’ll get in, so I wanted more information on other programs so I can do something related in the field in this summer.
I am a Black, female, low income, first-gen American and will be a first-gen college student. I’m also an IB Diploma Candidate and #1 in my class if that helps with anything!!
Thank you in advance!!!
First off, don’t worry too much about not having CS ECs. Lots of students change their minds about their intended major (even in college).
I would start with your school guidance counselor to see if there are any local programs that they can help you can tap into.
SWE, the Society of Women in Engineering has a program called NEXT for girls 13 - 18 and they often run free programs. Also ask your counselor if there are any robotics camp in your area. My daughter did a number of them where we lived in OH and there is a lot of coding integrated into those camps. (NASA sponsors a number of these). I have no idea how Covid is impacting programs for the summer but hopefully there are virtual options.
I’d also encourage you to start asking your parents about your budget and running the Net Price Calculators on some of the schools you are interested in. UIUC is expensive. See how much need based aid you would qualify for with their NPC tool. There are plenty of great options for CS but right now it’s a very competitive major so you want to cast a wide net.
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Thank you for replying!
I don’t have any money for college (besides the small amount I’ve earned from my job), so I’m hoping I can attend school for little to no cost. I live in Illinois, and at UIUC there’s something called Illinois Commitment for in-state students. If your family makes under a certain income, you don’t have to pay tuition. That gave me confidence that if I got in, I would just have to worry about covering room & board with other scholarships.
I didn’t realize that CS would be such a competitive major though! I’ll make sure to do plenty of research on other schools. I’ll also definitely look into SWE.
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MIT also has good program called MITES
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UIUC is a really good school for computer science, so it is relatively competitive. Admission is by college at UIUC, and you do have to gain admission into the engineering college. But if you are an otherwise strong student with good grades in your science and math classes, I wouldn’t worry too much!
Do you know about Black Girls Code? (https://www.blackgirlscode.com) They offer a variety of programs and they have a chapter in Chicago, which is likely the closest to you. They also offer scholarships.
Although a summer program can be really good, an alternative - especially in computer science - is to teach yourself to code using things like Khan Academy and Codeacademy, then work on a small project that you can use to show off your skills. In computer science, it’s pretty common for students to have small demo projects that they build in their spare time to show their skill set and get practice making things that work. I propose this because it can be free to do if you’re good at creating structure for yourself.
I would also look into local technology companies. My company (Microsoft) has a high school internship program, but it’s only for students who live within 50 miles of our HQ. But if you live in a large city, there may be companies local to you that host high school interns.
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This is all very helpful, thank you so much! And yeah, I’ve been looking into things that I could do by myself this summer, and I stumbled upon The Odin Project. It’s free and has extensive courses that require a lot of projects, so I decided that I’ll do that in addition to any program I might be able to do.
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