Trying hard not to force things for my class of 25 son in terms of ECs but he is a little all over the place. All As so far including 3 APS he was able to take (CS I & II, Physics) as well as Chinese IV. Takes Japanese on the side, plays soccer & tennis (non-varsity). Tried robotics team but meh. Really likes youth and government. Can build his PC from scratch and code in a couple of languages. Really good at multimedia presentations. These all seem great to me but tell a scattered story when he will go to apply to college as a sr. Should we try and coalesce into a more traditional CS major profile or just let him do what he wants and say heās eclectic? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
So heās a sophomore ?
First donāt āforceā. For many schools, ECs are not relevant. They admit by grade or grade / test.
You do not need to do CS things to get admitted to CS.
If he has interests, he should pursue them. If he likes youth and government, maybe a model UN Team or start a government club and arrange speakers (local officials) and tours (maybe a govt building or to go watch trials at a courthouse.
Maybe heād like a part time job (fast food, grocery store or otherwise). Or to walk dogs at the animal shelter.
Hopefully he finds something he enjoys and can get tenure.
But relax. Donāt force things. He should do what he enjoys. Maybe send him to a CS like summer camp/program to confirm that desire. Many start in CS/engineering and donāt finish - some studies say 60%. Itās hard !!
When heās a senior he will find many a school for him. Hopefully he keeps his grades up but even if not there will be schools for him.
Take a deep breath. It will be ok. Promise.
Good luck.
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CS majors and those working in computing have varied interests, in addition to CS. So it makes no sense to try to force fit him into what you think is a ātraditionalā (which may just be stereotypical, and not necessarily in a good way) CS major profile.
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Appreciate the input and will heed the advice. This is my 2nd go around (his sister is a frosh at Smith) so just trying to guide him gently, but I think I will just stay out of his way. Any thoughts on schools? He says heās only applying to MITš„² but also says he wants to go west. Probably realistically looking for a good cs school on west coast on a budget. Possibly the southeast? He wants to get out of the Midwest for sure. Heās off to a good start academically but itās still early. No ACT or SAT yet.
Have you determined the budget?
Will need-based financial aid possibly meet the budget (depending on the college ā check net price calculators), or must the college be affordable at list price or on merit scholarships?
I would like to land around 40 or less so it depends on the school. The name schools all seem to be 80 as a starting point. His sister got merit as well as need based aid. Was hoping for same for him. I know the big name schools donāt give much merit. My whole family including myself went to university of Kansas, but obviously itās in the MW. That would be the backup plan.
MIT, Stanford and the Ivies give no merit aid. Same with other ābig nameā CS schools like Caltech and CMU.
āOnly applying to MITā is of course, not a sound strategy. But your son is only a sophomore so Iām hopeful over the next couple of years he and you will be able to identify other choices, that fall between MIT and Kansas in terms of program strength, selectivity and affordability.
Hes a sophomore. Itās way too early to look at schools. What you think today will be different tomorrow. Dependent upon grades there will likely be many schools under $40k and even lower if states keep their tuition levels.
But more like MS State instead of MIT. Arizona or Alabama instead of Amherst. South Carolina instead of Stanford.
And a go getter will do just fine.