@johndope
Thank you for the update.
I wonder how many appeals that they have.
Good luck JohnDope I’m sorry to hear of your experience. It’s very bizarre that the UDub is putting excellent students through this. I also don’t understand when there is such a huge demand for the CS major from students and employers (particularly in this region) why the UDub is not investing in dramatically increasing the size of its program? Why don’t they even have a mini CS campus as a second option as a satellite off the Seattle campus? It could be close to employers on the Eastside for example and have more internships from freshman year onward.
I read about a decade ago that India is graduating more STEM graduates than the rest of the world put together (granted they have an enormous population). The Indian government chose about 20-30 years ago to produce more STEM grads, and it’s working. Unfortunately in the USA there just aren’t enough seats at universities for those qualified to attend. In fact the best universities love to boast how hard it is to get in but really the issue is the population is growing but the best universities aren’t. Pretty much any kid who applies is good enough to cope with the curriculum and succeed. There just doesn’t seem to be an aggressive effort by universities (especially those close to technology hubs) to meet the demand for CS.
^ See below:
“The Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science & Engineering is UW CSE’s current home and has proved to be a game-changer for CSE, the University, and the local tech community since it opened in 2003. The Allen Center’s laboratory and people spaces enabled us to double the size of our undergraduate program, to increase the size of our graduate program by 50%, and to triple our annual research funding. The quality of the Allen Center space has been instrumental in attracting and retaining the best faculty, students and staff and helped to cement our place among the preeminent computer science and engineering programs not only in the nation, but in the world. Due to CSE growth since 2003, though, the Allen Center is operating far beyond its intended capacity today - and further growth is needed.
…
“CSE2 will give us the room to double our annual degree production and educate more of Washington’s students for Washington’s high-impact jobs. CSE2 will also provide a dramatic increase in the number and versatility of laboratory spaces – essential for responding to the ever-increasing opportunities for innovation in the field. Together, CSE2 and the Allen Center will enable UW CSE to provide students with an unparalleled education and research experience.
…
“The total cost of CSE2 is $110 million.”
https://www.cs.washington.edu/supportcse/cse2/faq
“‘The Gates Center isn’t just a building, it’s a statement about our vision of the future,’ said Allen School Director Hank Levy. ‘We have created a world-class computer science program here, in part because of our focus on technology that helps to solve the world’s biggest challenges. This building enables us to grow those efforts and tackle even bigger challenges.’
“One of the ways in which the new building will enable the school to grow its impact is by providing the physical capacity to serve more students. ‘It’s first and foremost a vehicle for increasing opportunity for Washington’s students,’ said UW President Ana Mari Cauce.”
“The 135,000-square-foot Gates Center provides sufficient space to accommodate a doubling of the Allen School’s student body, which has steadily grown over the past five years with funding from the Legislature.”
http://www.washington.edu/news/2019/02/28/gates-center-open/
“The program is on track to grant 620 degrees per year, up from 300 per year five years ago.”
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/uw-gates-center-is-a-higher-ed-success-story/
@Bebu19 I don’t know specific numbers, but the rep said they had a lot of them.
@GreenwichPark I think an Eastside comp sci campus sounds like an excellent idea (I’m sure Microsoft would love it) and I wish they would do that. It is frustrating to see that even with the new building, a public university can’t even provide spots for qualified people from the state it is supposed to provide education for. @UWfromCA Yes, they have built a new building (although, if I’m not mistaken, the Gates and Microsoft funded a large portion of the cost to build it, which is great, but should the private sector really need to step in to expand a program as high demand and high growth as CS?). My main gripe though is with the fact that for some reason far less qualified people with a passing interest are being let in to CS over more qualified and demonstrably passionate students(this is not to say that all CS DA students are less qualified, many are completely qualified, but a lot are not). To me, it makes more sense for students who are neutral on CS to go in as pre-sciences and figure out what they want to do and apply to get in. DA should be for people who are sure what they want to do and are prepared for the major now. I get that space and expanding programs takes time, but at least they should use the space to the best of their abilities. That’s my two cents though, I just hope the appeals remedy this to some extent.
Also, I heard from a UW student friend of mine that they are waiting on appeals to see how much space they have in the program? I’m not sure how she knows this and it is just rumor, so it should be taken with a grain of salt but is a little disconcerting bc it sounds like they are using appeals as another application, instead of a correction.
^ You appear to be an outstanding applicant, and I sincerely hope it all works out for you, but I would caution against speculating about why one student was directly admitted to CS and another student was not. Only the admissions committee knows the full content of each CS application.
UW CS states that the students offered direct admission “had incredibly high grades, took the most rigorous curricula offered in their schools, showed meaningful extracurricular experiences, and submitted strong personal statements. There are many highly qualified students to whom we were unable to offer Direct Admission. (We make a small number of DA offers to out-of-state students, but the vast majority of DA offers go to Washington residents.).”
And:
“The University of Washington seeks students who can benefit from its wealth of academic and cultural opportunities and contribute to its amazing energy and rich diversity of experience. Choosing students from a very able group of applicants requires a selection process that looks beyond grades and standardized tests. The UW holistic review process considers academic preparation and performance, personal achievements and characteristics, and more. The Allen School’s Direct to Major process considers these same holistic criteria.”
And:
“Computer Science Direct Admission is offered to about 280 freshmen from WA state, selected from more than 1,000 candidates, and approximately 60-70 non WA Residents. The UW admissions office prioritizes academically strong, motivated, and well-rounded students from Washington state. We hope to yield around 220 students.
“The best academic preparation for computer science and engineering is taking the most rigorous curriculum offered at your high school. This includes advanced classes if available (Honors, AP, IB, etc.), especially in English, math, and science. Most students selected for DA have taken science and math every year of high school, and most have taken calculus. It is not necessary to take computer programming in high school, or to have computer-related work experience. However, if you have access to CS opportunities, we encourage you to take them!
“Computer Science DA is designed primarily for Washington State resident students.”
Isn’t UW Bothell is the East side campus?
@JohnDope
May be they wait until the end of the month for the answer.
Again they are try to mold that class and with only 1000 DA applicants, they will admit far more holistically then other parts of the University.
@Bebu19 oh yeah, I forgot about Bothell campus. And yeah, they might wait til the end of the month but the rep also said they’d email as soon as they were done, not all at once which makes me think they may release it in like the last week or something. Idk, no news today though.
How would you know whether accepted students are qualified or not? You haven’t seen their complete applications or the standards the college uses to determine admission decisions. I understand it’s disappointing, but criticizing their admits sounds petty.
@austinmshauri you’re right, it is petty, I am very disappointed and I’ve been venting a bit here, sorry. To me, some of their admissions decisions don’t make any sense and so I’ve been complaining while I wait through this lengthy appeal process which is very stressful for me because UW is my dream school. I shouldn’t speak disparagingly though about admits.
@JohnDope
I saw the thread about this year CS DA some people have very low stats.
@Bebu19 yeah, I’ve seen those as well. It’s kinda strange. Two of my friends who put in an appeal received theirs the Friday (one for engineering and one for CS) and both got denied. I still haven’t heard back yet.
@tkg2023 have you heard back yet?
@JohnDope no news is good news!
@pdxtigermom that’s what I’m hoping. Although it looks like some people did get in on their appeal on Friday (at least for engineering).
@JohnDope try not to worry too much. There is still chance once you are in the school. It’s just getting harder than previous years. I have no doubt that you could get in CS according to your stats.
My D’s appeal got rejected Friday. Her SAT 1480, GPA 3.91. It’s fine with her…just some regrets since she heard 4 teens committing suicides in one week in the great Seattle area. Here is her appeal letter:
To The University of Washington’s Office of Admissions,
First, I would like to sincerely thank you for your additional time and further consideration of my application to the Computer Science Department at the University of Washington’s Seattle campus. Despite that fact that I have confidence in the precision of the admissions office’s decision-making process, I feel deeply compelled to provide additional information that will hopefully prompt the department to reconsider my qualifications and prospective role at the University of Washington.
I hold the University of Washington in high regard as an illustrious institution that seeks to challenge students to confront the global issues of our time and become active contributors to eliciting progress. From numerous visits to the university and interactions with the students, I have come to cherish the university’s commitment to the community, connected thirst for knowledge, and dedication to turn ideas into impact. Although I have spent much time and effort exploring other universities that piqued my interests, I found myself more and more enthralled with the University of Washington. The persistence and resilience of the students, combined with the supportive and warm environment, is contagious and engrossing. Hence, the university has the perfect conditions to empower me to develop solutions to humankind’s greatest challenges using the transformative power of computing. However, there were continual setbacks and complications that resulted in my loss of focus during the critical time of applying to colleges. I believe that during those moments, I learned crucial lessons in understanding myself and my abilities, or lack thereof. My efforts to improve and reconcile myself allowed me to grow and mature significantly as an upcoming student.
Late into my sophomore year, I discovered a dear friend of mine was about to commit suicide. It broke my heart and fostered a feeling of responsibility to help her through her difficult times and ensure her well-being. With a limited understanding of the circumstances at the time, I made sure that she had direct communication with me, persuaded her to eat meals, introduced her to fellow peers, and convinced her to talk with professionals. It was a long and difficult path for her to open up, but I made sure that I was by her every step and willing to listen. I do not regret taking any of these actions, but her instability often caused me to have difficulty concentrating on assignments and drained several hours of study time for classes and for writing college essays. As a result, this took a toll on my GPA, and I cannot state with full confidence that my essays are an accurate representation of my true self and capabilities. Nonetheless, I have reflected on these hardships and strengthened my skills and adaptability that would prove vital in the years beyond high school. After the tumultuous experiences she faced, I am sincerely overjoyed and proud of her decision to enter Bellevue College.
In addition, at the beginning of my senior year, I sought a programming-related job, as I was excited to start applying my skills to the working world. I eventually applied and was accepted into two jobs, Coding With Kids and Code Ninjas, as one of the younger instructors, to teach students coding. From my previous years of tutoring, I have acknowledged the impressionability of young minds, the significance of positive and supportive role models, and the value of captivating students’ interests early on. Hence, I focused more of my time and energy on teaching younger students the basic concepts of coding and encouraging them to utilize their creativity to bend the code to their whims. I continued to learn new things from them every time they challenged me to think of solutions when they wished to add additional features or used a method that I have not thought of or realized possible. It would be a great disappointment if I must leave my students behind, as I have grown to love and admire their enthusiasm and energy as well as the heartening and inspiring environment my colleagues and I have created. It fuels my continual passion within the computer science area with every passing day.
Among the forty-six thousand students enrolled at UW, I plan to set myself apart by bringing my accomplishments, along with my extensive experience and empathetic nature in igniting interests within people and motivating them to work in unity. My sense of humor, optimism, and problem solving will foster deeper relationships among the students and with scholars and education itself. Even though Washington State University has offered me several merits and financial scholarships, University of Washington would be the perfect choice of school due to its role as the center of the advancing technology industry, as well as the countless educational opportunities it offers.
I believe the additional information I provided demonstrates that the Department of Computer Science is where I belong. If your highly respected evaluation rejects my appeal, I will have no choice but to leave the Seattle area. The impact would not only affect me heavily, but also my students and the mentioned venerable friend. I will lose my current two coding teaching jobs, splitting me from my beloved students nor will I be able provide care to the friend that I am still concerned about. I would not be able to bring my rare if not unique experiences, my dedication to help others and my passion for computer science to UW. However, by giving me this opportunity, I am committed to devoting my time and effort towards my dream of entering a rigorous but informative curriculum and performing to the best of my abilities within such a prestigious institution. Nowhere else is more suited for me than at the heart of technology and innovation within the Seattle campus of University of Washington.
Sincerely,
XXX