<p>I am interested in finding a school that has a great reputation in Computer Science. I have decent grades, 3.6 GPA (could be better, but I took 5 AP courses this year including Computer Information and Calculus so it was a heavy load), 2070 on my SAT, don't have the ACT scores yet. I am a NHS member, Editor of my school newspaper and go to a STEM school that is pretty demanding. I have a paid internship at an engineering company for the summer. We don't have a lot of money, single Mom raised me all my life. We have visited a few schools, Rensselaer and will be looking at Carnegie Mellon, Lehigh and University of Pennsylvania this summer because they are all in driving distance (I live in CT). But these trips are expensive and I'm not sure if it is worth it if I don't get in. I think these are a reach for me, but I want to go to a school with a very recognizable name for future job searches. But we do need to find a school that is generous with financial aid. I am female and I know some of the schools I am looking at are heavily weighted in male enrollment, so I am not sure whether this is an advantage or a disadvantage. I am trying to put together a list of 10 schools to apply to that are more "geek" schools than liberal arts. I really liked the Rensselaer vibe. UCONN is my safety school, but I am not sure how they are regarded as a CS school and really not my first choice, but would be affordable for in-state. I have been using the search tools, but I thought I would put it out there for your suggestions. Thanks for any help.</p>
<p>Being a female in computer science is an advantage, not a disadvantage. I don’t know much about computer science programs, but I will give you a bit of general advice. Don’t refuse to apply to a school because of the costs. Most people do not pay sticker price, and with your background, I think you can expect a decent amount of aid and/or scholarships. One school I know that’s really good for computer science is the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Obviously it’s not driving distance for you and they aren’t very generous with aid, but I think you have a decent shot at getting a good deal from them. Might as well try. Computer Science is in the College of Engineering there and students are widely recruited. Even Yahoo is on campus.</p>
<p>EDIT: I really hope others with strong CS backgrounds will comment on this thread and give their advice; this is a great question and OP is obviously very motivated.</p>
<p>UConn would be fine for CS. </p>
<p>Being female certainly isn’t a disadvantage. There are more scholarship opportunities for women than for men in the field.</p>
<p>What kind of price limit are you looking at?</p>
<p>Stony Brook and Minnesota are relatively low cost out-of-state schools.</p>
<p>Ohio State has some generous out of state merit scholarships you may qualify for.
<a href=“Merit-based scholarships - The Ohio State University”>http://undergrad.osu.edu/money-matters/scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>NCSU is a great school, little pricey for out of staters. that said, being a female will definitly help, you get a spot. all schools like diversity on paper. if you are ethnic even better.</p>
<p>NCSU is a great school for computer science but it does not have that much aid to give and because of that i would recommend applying to scholarships that are associated with your particular department at NCSU or just available scholarships in general at NCSU</p>
<p>Ziggy11, run the Net Price Calculator at the schools you are interested in to see if they will cover your “need” or not. Most out of state publics will not because they save aid for their instaters. There are exceptions. UIUC would be too expensive at the OOS rate, with not enough aid. There are privates who will give aid to “meet need” and some that are iffy. So run those NPC to get an estimate.</p>
<p>If a school is skewed male, they will be on the lookout for qualified females. Advantage you.</p>
<p>Computer Science is a good major but it is also a demanding major when it comes to your study time. But if you have the penchant to learning all about computers and some advanced math, as well as the competency to learn to match that penchant, then you will be in good company. As far as a college’s reputation in CS, you might want to check the website below. Most employers starting salary for CS graduates are almost the same but if your GPA and technical proficiency is high, your starting salary can be higher. Your technical proficiency will likely depend on your summer internships. Colleges near the CS industry are better in getting internships. I think that any of the top 5 colleges for CS is good, but MIT is closer and it might be better for you. You can check the other website for what you can expect in MIT. Check also the MIT financial aid website. Also ask the college’s CS summer internship program, if any, if they have connections with local CS employers near the college.
<a href=“Careers news, trend analysis and opinion | Network World”>Careers news, trend analysis and opinion | Network World;
<a href=“Why I Chose MIT | MIT Admissions”>http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/why-i-chose-mit</a></p>