<p>See, the thing is, I want to study programming/game dev in college. But, from lurking on CC forums, I don't think I have a chance of getting into the 'best' tech schools there are (Caltech, Stanford, MIT, etc). </p>
<p>My unweighted average is a 3.5 right now. I'm a junior in high school, and I could probably get that to 3.7 by the end of term 1 of Senior year...
It's important to note that I have no ECs relating to computers or computer graphics or programming at all. I know I need to have more ECs, but would it be okay if I started participating in them Senior year of high school?</p>
<p>Cal Poly San Luis Obispo</p>
<p>or the big State University in your State</p>
<p>It would be worthwhile for you to try some extracurricular activities related to game design and programming, just to get an idea if this is really something you want to pursue. You’ll also be a more compelling candidate.</p>
<p>There are many, many schools to study computer programming (computer science). A smaller number also offer gaming. You can start your college search by thinking about whether you want a big or small school, urban or rural, how much money is available to pay for your education… all the same things anyone would do. Most state schools should offer these majors. Liberal arts colleges may not be as strong in engineering, if they offer computer science.</p>
<p>If you find yourself gravitating to technical schools, MIT and Caltech are not your only options. Rensselaer, Harvey Mudd, Worcester Polytechnic, Stevens, Rose-Hulman, Georgia Tech, New Mexico, Colorado School of Mines, Digipen… there are lots of alternatives. </p>
<p>Good luck with your search!</p>
<p>Do not be afraid to check out your own home-state public universities and even community colleges. As this field has grown, so has the number of institutions offering degree programs.</p>
<p>For example, here are links to the Game Design programs at one of the Maryland public universities, and at our local community college:
[Programming</a> | UMBC Games, Animation and Interactive Media](<a href=“http://gaim.umbc.edu/cmsc/]Programming”>Programming – UMBC Games, Animation and Interactive Media)
[Study</a> Gaming at Montgomery College, MD, Animation, Video Game Design,Web Games and Simulations, Internet and Database Programming, Web Design, WebDevelopment, ColdFusion, Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Webmaster, Computer Graphics,Adobe Photoshop, Il](<a href=“http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/ca/gaming/]Study”>http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/ca/gaming/)</p>
<p>You have more good options than you might have expected!</p>