I’m trying to narrow down my options here. I’d appreciate your thoughts about studying computer science at these schools: University of Wyoming, Creighton, Baylor, Miami University (Ohio), South Dakota School of Mines, University of Tenn, Clemson or Arizona State. I’m a B+/A- student, looking for a medium sized school, but larger would be fine. Just nothing too small. I’m interested in a great education, and opportunities post graduation.
You probably have some unstated preferences that have led you to arrive at this set of schools. How would you feel about keeping, at a minimum, ASU, Clemson and UT in your final group? It seems any of these three could help you reach your goals.
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Cost constraints? Have you run the net price calculator on each college’s web site?
SD Mines is not that big. Does it fit your definition of “medium sized” or larger?
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Each of these fit within cost constraints, for the most part. SD Mines did feel too small but the program seemed very impressive.
Did you get into the honors college at any of those?
What about Miami ohio?
I just ran across this thread and ironically D21 (engineering) and I recently toured Clemson (self-guided), ASU and UTK. I can’t speak to computer science programs, but if you haven’t had a chance to visit and just want a general sense of the in-person feel, I’m happy to answer any questions.
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D20 was looking at a few of the same schools, but for engineering. You could get a good CS education from any of them. Things that were final deciding factors for her were career center, co-op opportunities, research opportunities, honors college and “happiest and least happy students” (yes, she actually looked into this).
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I think happy factor is a really good thing to consider! Sort of like a satisfaction rating.
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Little did she know a pandemic would hit. One of the seemingly frivolous points became one of the most important 6 months later.
I didn’t apply to the honors college, now kind of wishing that I had.
So many questions since we haven’t been able to visit. Any first impressions? Things that stood out to you? Surprises? Disappointments?
Where did she end up deciding to go? Happiest and least happy, how did she measure this?
See if you still can. Better learning conditions, generally better dorm, and, often, scholarships.
For context, we are from a Metro area in the piedmont of the Carolinas, which I would refer to as a melting pot given all the transplants.
ASU: It’s the largest of the three by far in student population, but is spread over 4 campuses in the Phoenix area, the largest of which is Tempe + they have a significant number of online degree students. So, it doesn’t feel as big as one would imagine off student population. We only visited Tempe campus, which is the largest. Flying in is easy, airport is only 15 minutes and can get to campus via light rail, which also connects to downtown Phoenix. It’s a mix of desert SW and modern glass buildings. River area is nice. People park, walk the bridge and take sunset pics. The area is growing with new buildings going up near campus. Geography is flat with river through it and surrounded by hills/mountains in distance. Campus is large but not spread out (just has a lot of buildings) and very flat, so felt very walkable given the size. Saw a lot of skateboards, roller skates and scooters. Definitely has a west coast vibe and a variety of cultures/students. There was more greenery than I expected and the palm walk made it feel like a tropical resort. Weather in winter is very nice, but it is very dry (so different for us). Campus seemed well layed out with main hub in the middle (student union and library) surrounded by class and admin buildings and then dorms more on the edges. Edges blend into commercial (retail, restaurants and apartments). There did seem to be “areas” (engineering and science in this section, arts in that section, etc). Only disappointment was the tour and I think it was just our specific guide (we overhead other guides and they seemed much better). Everyone else we encountered was very friendly. One surprise was we didn’t really see students wearing ASU merch, which is different than what we are used to. Despite the bad tour, it became one of her top picks. Distance from home is the hesitation. For anyone planning to visit, warning - for some reason Thursday nights are crazy at the airport and car rental center.
Clemson - Clemson University in Clemson, SC is very much a “college town” experience. It’s in foothills so somewhat hilly/inclines, but reasonable. As you drive into town Everything becomes about the Tigers. Giant orange tiger paws on the roads, many businesses have Tiger in the name, Dabo was watching over us while we ate at the restaurant and slept at our hotel (granted we stayed next to the stadium). I will say we all felt it was a bit much. Campus is beautiful and well laid out in “rings” with academic and administrative in the middle, then dorms and student life, then athletic and recreational on the outer ring (with some exceptions). On one side is a cute, small town area with restaurants, sports bars and Clemson merchandise shops. The students were on campus, but no in-person tours, so we visited on a Friday/Saturday. The bookstore closed 4:30 on Friday and nothing much other than dining halls was open Saturday on campus. Not sure if that is typical or COVID impact. There’s a nice lake by campus and Clemson even has a boathouse and some fields there. A little way from campus is a sort of main drag with fast food, retail and Starbucks, etc. The area does seem to be growing some, but Clemson is relatively small and nearest bigger city is Greenville. One comment D21 had was that most of the students seemed to fit the same mold/look a like. People in the area seem nice, but without a tour and on a Saturday was harder to get a real sense of the place.
UTK - it’s near the mountains. There’s a lot of hills/inclines/stairs, very little is flat so more tiring, but I am sure students get used to it. There are some walk bridges to keep from going down and up. Engineering school is up on “the hill”. Ayers Hall, which is mostly math department, is at the top (96 steps up to it) and is surrounded by small circular road along which are most of the engineering buildings (I believe CS is with engineering?). The hill is next to the 102k seat football stadium. There is a campus center with student union and main library and the hill is one end and most dorms on the other end, but end to end walk is only about 15 minutes. There’s a main road and as you get to edge of campus it becomes fast food and other restaurants and bars and apartments. UTK is also near downtown Knoxville and there’s a free trolley between campus and downtown. I would describe the overall feel as mix of people with a little bit of vibe of mix of country and outdoorsy. They have a lot of school spirit and I think sense of community (Vols help Vols). Peyton Manning and references to him are everywhere. The campus, the hotel, the diner. I thought the campus was pretty but D21 thought it was kinda ugly. I think it just isn’t her vibe (lot of brick and buildings that all look the same, sort of older institution feel). Everyone was super friendly and the tour was great.
Hope that helps.
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That is very helpful! Thanks so much! I really appreciate all of the details. It’s hard when you can’t visit, but this is great information.
@Robotics105 Sorry for the length. Princeton review makes a list each year; you can Google “happiest” and “least happy” students. She wound up choosing Clemson, which to spite my CC handle was not where I thought she’d go. She actually had different top 2 schools after campus visits; some of the other schools put a lot of effort into “wooing” her (alumni outings/dinners, swag, fanfare honors college weekends, etc). It was easy to get caught up in the “fun,” and it was getting hard to separate it from what was actually important to her. Clemson did none of that. DH was an alum, so she’d gone to some games over the years but had never really experienced or considered the academic opportunities. Her #1 going into the summer before senior year was actually a Top 5 school, but a small regional admissions event in May actually had a negative effect and ended up changing her mind; she was turned off by the ultra competitive vibe coming from the students and especially the parents. That’s when she decided to focus on fit. After 4 years of a competitive high school experience, she was looking for a truly collaborative environment. We were concerned she would have a skewed view of Clemson (easy, rah-rah football school), but DH did NOT want to influence her college decision. Her grandmother was a retired college counselor, so she had D20 research different aspects from merit packages to academic opportunities to campus life. They created a very large spreadsheet of info. We answered questions if she asked. She attended an academic camp at CU the summer before senior year to see what campus was like on a “typical” day, no fanfare, no crowds; I think she reflected on that experience during the final decision process. I can’t imagine what it’s like for the class of '21. Even if you guys do get to visit, it’s a skewed view because campuses aren’t operating at full capacity; the students are what give each campus “life.” I don’t want to give others some grandiose image of what life is like at Clemson. It’s a quaint, small, off-the-beaten-path school by the lakes and mountains. Many students go hiking or mountin biking. They can sign-out paddle boards and kayaks at the outdoor center at the lake. If you’re looking for a big city, night-out-on-the-town experience, Clemson won’t fit the bill, but it does offer southern charm, hospitality and warmth. @getcollege19 if you aren’t too far, I’d recommend posting on the Clemson parent FB page to ask someone for a personal tour; you’ll get dozens of offers. Clemson is somewhat outdoorsy; on a warm afternoon, you’ll find 100s of kids playing spikeball, volleyball or football on Bowman field (unless it’s a holiday weekend or it’s a test week). It’s definitely orange centric, lol; it takes a little getting used to as a person from one of those small NE LACs. The town supports the college; I think they’re in the top 10 for town/gown relations. Interestingly enough, D20 isn’t into sports, outdoors or Greek life; she’s a true geek at heart. She found her “people” in the Honors College and stem LLC. She’s challenged academically by her professors and peers and has already participated in research. She does robotics and RPG, not stereotypical activities you’d expect from a seemingly sports-focused flagship. Like many flagships, there’s a high likelihood of finding similar personalities just given the overall size. D20 is fun and quirky and there are many kindred souls on campus; they’re just hanging out in the makerspace/3d labs, not on Bowman field.
After merit, Clemson wasn’t the cheapest per year, BUT they took all of her APs and DEs, so she’s actually a Sophomore. It will allow her to graduate early or start her MS early; that made the overall cost more in line with other offers. It’s not as cheap as going to school in AZ or AL, but she really didn’t want to live there. She has 5 in person classes and 1 hybrid this semester, one of the benefits of small honors or LLC classes. I have no skin in the game, just as I had none with D20; other than the tuition bill, I have no commitment to Clemson, just sharing her method for determining her final choice. She’s happy and thriving; that’s all I can ask for from a school.
@Robotics105 Many of the schools you’re considering are large enough to do the same. In the end, you can succeed no matter where you go. It’s not easy to decide when you have so many opportunities, especially given the pandemic; I wish you good luck in your decision!
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