I’m a sophomore in high school who is looking at colleges. I want to study computer science. I’d prefer a school with a student-to-faculty ratio less than 20:1. In terms of the campus atmosphere, I want a school that is like me: nerdy and quirky. One more thing to note is that I want a school that isn’t too political. I don’t want to be at a school that leans heavily either way. Feel free to post your suggestions. Thanks!
Couple that come to mind are College of Wooster in OH and Clark Univ in MA. But without stats and more info in what you are looking for, it’s hard to give suggestions. Some things to think about:
Size
Location
Cost
Rural vs urban
Your stats
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Size: Less than 25,000 (A little over is fine)
Location: Doesn’t matter
Cost: Sticker price less than $45k
Rural vs Urban: Doesn’t matter
Stats: 3.9 Weighted GPA, SAT estimated to be around 1400-1450
Campus Size: Medium to Small
Case Western and Denison in Ohio
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UChicago may be a good reach school for you. Quirky - check. The student body is left leaning but the institution itself has a slant for free speech. They have a pretty good CS program too.
Is Nebraska-Lincoln any good? They’re on my list, along with Dakota State, Montana State, Michigan Tech and Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Are you eligible for financial aid?
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Due to the popularity of CS these days, CS classes at many colleges are likely to be larger than 20, even at colleges where many classes are smaller than that.
Your state of residency matters for cost and financial aid at public universities.
Clarkson served my nephew well. His classmates were as nerdy and quirky as he is. He has done exceptionally well since graduation. Best of luck!
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RIT is a great nerdy-quirky school with top-notch CS. Your stats are solid for their CS school, and it’s possible you could get some merit, but pulling in the 20K needed to get to your stated budget could be a long shot. Similar scenario at WPI which could also suit you. Rose-Hulman is another that’s a bit easier admit so maybe stronger merit potential. College of Wooster, as noted above, is a good suggestion where getting enough merit could be a realistic hope; likewise with Clarkson.
It’s a little harder to find a predominantly nerdy/quirky vibe at a public U, since they tend to have a broader cross-section of students. But tech schools like, as you mentioned Missouri S&T, could fit the bill. Michigan Tech, NJIT, Colorado Mines, SD Mines, U of Alabama Huntsville. Pitt’s CS school probably has a a lot of like-minded students as well.
Good luck - hope that helps!
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I was going to mention Rose Hulman also but it’s small. 70/30 male to female. But the women I know that go there love it. Since your looking at Mich Tech look at Kettering in Michigan.
But… Any big public division of cs is going to be what your after also. If female and joining SWE you’ll find all kinds of quirky, nerdy friends and I say this is a good way. Also looking into the honor programs will give you the student /professor ratio. Believe or not even at Michigan the ratio is like 15:1…
What is your public University since it might be the best cost ratio for you. Once you get into the program your peeps will be there. Again, joining clubs etc make even the largest schools very small very quickly.
Look at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, checks off a lot of your boxes
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Rice University in Houston might be a good fit reach school. Rice gives good need based financial aid.
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I was going to suggest RIT and WPI right off the bat.
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I think so.
Have you talked about college costs with your parents? if so, run the NPC on Rice, Case Western; WPI, RIT; UAlabama, Champlain (reach, match, safety) and see whether any cost looks within budget for them.
They already said that they aren’t paying for college. They said to get scholarships and get loans. What they don’t realize is that I can only get a limited amount of federal loans, and private loans will put me in a lot of debt. Many of the colleges that meet all financial need are way out of my league. I’m kind of stuck.
One more question: Is Champlain College any good? I don’t know much about them.
Updated List as of 12/22/2020:
Champlain College
Clarkson University
Dakota State University
Michigan Technological University
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Montana State University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Can you afford any of them without parental help and without loans greater than the federal direct loans ($5,500 first year)?
No.