Apparently, one can get into the Comp Sci major at UMass Amherst after one has begun, by taking the intro classes and doing well in them.
Honors college admits are influenced by the intended majors. They’re looking to balance the honors class, since if they did not, they could wind up with honors dorms without humanities majors.
One of the best pieces of advice that we got starting this time last year was just to visit as many schools as possible in size and shape and see what your kid likes. Ranking programs should almost come second (if $ is not a factor) and start a list of what you like dislike on the tours and take copious notes. As a Umd graduate and md resident with a senior in the application process now with similar #s it helps narrow the list to where they actually want to go. look at rural versus urban, size of student population - We visited BU on our Boston trip thinking it would be her favorite and she never applied since it had no campus feel to her. Yet she loved Bentley which is a true safety for her. Other than 1 specific LEP at Syracuse which might make her mind up for her, i am actually more worried her decision will be more stressful since she really did the legwork on the schools she likes. Also another posted CWRU which is another one you may look at it - it is a real cheap flight from BWI
Unless there is a restriction due to a desired school being REA/SCEA, it is best to apply EA whenever possible, and apply early to any rolling admission schools. Schools or popular majors may fill up early and become much more selective at the “regular” deadline.
Look at RPI for Physics and CS.
How about Ga Tech? Short plane ride and slightly easier to get into out of state than UNC (which had an 8 percent acceptance rate for oos last cycle and a good chunk of those are athletes). Still get to cheer for ACC sports.
The OOS acceptance rate for Georgia Tech in 2022 was only 13%.
Which is better than 8. Op’s son is highly likely to get into MD if he applies early action so he can afford a few reaches.
These are all reaches tho - the new ones. You asked for targets I thought. You had enough reaches. And some are past your desired drive distance.
In that case look at W&M.
I do think you have enough safeties that if you are good with Delaware or PSU or Pitt (apply very early), the rest doesn’t matter.
I know your school does well with UMD but you are not a safety for UMD based on stats and CS will be another layer of difficulty. I take your word but I’m just seeing stats and kids with higher are getting turned down per what they post here. UMD has really gotten tougher the past couple years.
Good luck.
Internal Transfer Applicants | Undergraduate Computer Science at UMD indicates that the current standards are C- or higher in three specified courses (no more than one repeat) and a 2.7 or higher GPA in all college courses taken. There is also a 75-credit check requiring three more specified courses with C- or higher grades and a 2.0 or higher GPA in all college courses taken.
Theoretically, these standards could be raised if the CS major becomes more overloaded, but they are currently not difficult (and students who scrape by with C- grades in major courses are likely to be looking for other majors anyway).
Yes, UMD could raise the standards any time they wish, but CS became a LEP, in 2019 (If I recall correctly) because it had become overloaded.
All LEPs at UMD have a Credit Check (also called an Academic Review) at some point (it varies by Major), but according to my D and her Husband (both LEP graduates), these checks do not even take place if the student is performing satisfactorily.
I think you’re suggesting replacing UNC with Ga Tech? That was honestly on my original list of potential candidates for reach but after he said he’d ideally like to be within about 4 hours driving and easy plane ride distance, it didn’t fit anymore. Historically, kids at our school do better at GT than UNC (but more kids also applied to GT than UNC). I thought about talking him into visiting anyway but at the end of the day, he’s the one who has to go to school and I guess a reachier reach is better than an “easier” reach if it doesn’t check his boxes. Maybe if there’s nothing he loves after our initial visits, he’d consider expanding his radius a bit, but my guess is he’ll love some schools on list incl some safeties.
When Covid hit we limited S20 to 5 hour drive or 2 hour direct flights. He ended up at GT. Probably a 90 minute direct flight and east to take MARTA or Uber.
Look at your local airport and see where their direct flights land.
Good point. Easy access to short direct flight is not bad actually. Not that different from several hours drive. I’m going to just have him look atleast!
I am not the poster of this thread.
I forgot to look into potential impact, if any, of his legacy connection to GT - according to this article “The legacy admit rate was 15 percentage points higher than our overall average.” and there’s apparently a conditional transfer pathway for most legacies who are not admitted. I doubt he would want to transfer once he lands somewhere he likes, but you never know!
https://www.gtalumni.org/s/1481/alumni/17/magazine-pages.aspx?pgid=15663&gid=21&cid=34951
No. We never did Fafsa or CSS and still got merit at places who offer it .
My student applied to both this year. GT was a last minute add on and I didn’t think she would like it. But it actually has a lot in common with UNC, just a bit smaller, fun sports to cheer for, Greek life if they want it, restaurants and stores right outside campus, nicer weather than Maryland. Atlanta is also a selling point. My child is a sciences major but I would think the GT coop program would be an additional selling point for a kid interested in computer science. Just have to make sure kids understand these schools are lottery ticket odds.
Same my DD it was a last minute add- week before. She happen to meet a student from GT at a competition and decided to apply.
Honestly even community college then transferring to UMD is fine too or UMBC for all 4 years - isn’t there a guaranteed transfer program for UMD from CC for in state students? (Though I don’t know about CS requirements and all).
A full 4 year experience is something worthwhile I think, but I’d be fine with the alternate path if he didn’t get into UMD first year and somehow didn’t like anyof the safeties.
Find safeties he’ll like - and you end that problem.
A safety is not a safety if they won’t like it.
A safety should be financially and attendance desirable.
Not everyone can visit a safety but you are close enough that you likely can.
Don’t forget - a big flagship in general is a big flagship - so if they like UMD, they’ll likely like other big flagships whether a WVU or U Del. I mean, the environments aren’t necessarily the same but you can find a similar.
If they won’t consider due to “rank” - that’s silly. Rank sells magazines. There’s tons of smart kids on likely every flagship in the country including Ivy Level and other types.
So I’m sure he can find a safety that he likes. Safety does not = bad school.