@privatebanker Thanks!
- I have one more question. Would there be any merits to go to Cornell CS but not UIUC CS? I mean because I apply Cornell as ED and UIUC as EA, but if UIUC is a better school in CS, why would I have to apply to Cornell in ED?? What if I get accepted into both schools, but I have to choose Cornell because it s binding? (highly impossible tho) UIUC is cheaper, and it s closer to my house
You have to make that decision (whether to ED Cornell or not) yourself. Cornell’s CS program is fantastic, and the “Ivy” name means a lot to many people. However, if you don’t think the Ivy name is worth the extra tuition bill, then don’t ED. You can still apply regular. It’s just that your admission chance drops dramatically.
@bogeyorpar while UW is completely changing, and dramatically increasing, the direct to college admit #'s for CS, it is specifically focused on in-state students. I would not expect it to be materially different for out of state students at all, in fact it may be more difficult.
I agree with @Dolemite . Given your lack of exposure to CS, you do want to be careful not to put yourself in a situation where it is difficult to change majors and paths. That will vary tremendously by college so you need to research it for each you are considering. Difficult can mean a number of different things. It could mean difficult to get into the “new” major or it could mean it taking longer to graduate (and costing more $) because the courses already taken don’t count towards the new major.
"Would there be any merits to go to Cornell CS but not UIUC CS? I mean because I apply Cornell as ED and UIUC as EA, but if UIUC is a better school in CS,
If you think that UIUC is a better school than Cornell for CS, you should not apply ED to Cornell.
"why would I have to apply to Cornell in ED??
You shouldn’t. Just apply EA to UIUC, UM and GTech,Purdue and RD the others.
What if I get accepted into both schools, but I have to choose Cornell because it s binding?
Yes, unless you have a financial reason to back out.
@eandesmom @theloniusmonk
Thanks guys. It really helps me a lot!
Albeit late for ED, the best school for CS in the country is Carnegie Mellon. It is very impressive. It would be a reach however, as it is a reach for everyone.
UIUC is top notch. My son was supposed to go there for CS - he would be a senior this year, but he decided to go right out to SF and is working in tech without the degree. He is completely self taught, and while he passed up a great opportunity, he is happy with his decision and most companies didn’t care about the degree (or lack thereof). My son had some scholarship $ (from some computer science competitions he earned while in high school) to UIUC, but they generally don’t give merit scholarships and it is even more competitive than when he was accepted.
Purdue gives very little merit $, even when applying EA.
Miami (OH), which has a decent, although not top top CS program, gives a ton of merit money. They have 2 EA dates, so you can still apply.
UC Berkeley, MIT, and Stanford of course are other top programs not mentioned. Wisconsin is also becoming very competitive, but their CS degree is in Liberal Arts.
You can also check Rose Hulman and I am not sure if someone mentioned Case Western, but they give a ton of merit $.
Some of these programs won’t consider you if you don’t have AP CS A. UT-Austin has a new combined program called CSB and they expect you to have had Computer Science A before you enter (they start you right into Data Structures) and also start you in Differential Equations off the bat, so that will sift out a lot of their applicants for that program. Not sure if their straight CS program has the same expectation re AP CS A.
Good luck!
Reach - Harvey Mudd
Match - Michigan
Safety - Rochester Institute of Technology