Hello folks! Son seems to be leaning toward attending UF. He is interested in computer engineering and CS. I could see him changing to biology or marine biology given his interests. He is shy and may need to work on getting out to meet people wherever he goes. He will definitely take a gap year. We are looking for any insight, advice, pros/cons, etc. on the following schools: (sorry for long list- we were chasing merit) Rice was his top pick but he did not get in)
UF- merit received so COA roughly $25k
FSU- merit -roughly $20k (pre Computer engineering)
TX A&M (in state) little merit roughly $21k (pre Computer Engineering)
(We worry about ETAM process)
WPI- merit- $44k
UCSB- no merit -roughly $65k
SDSU- no merit -roughly $45k (pre Computer Engineering)
Cal Poly SLO- little merit - roughly $40k. (computer engineering)
Northeastern-merit- $58k (computer engineering)
U Miami- merit- $51kb (computer engineering)
ASU- merit - $14k- (computer science) he’s not crazy about going to school in AZ so please give us some pros and cons here
U Of Arizona- merit -$14k ( computer engineering and Honors College
Waiting on Brown - full pay. I don’t think him getting in will change his mind regarding Florida. Plus after Rice and UCLA / hopes are not high! Lol. Sigh
Thank you all in advance!!! I can provide more details about son if necessary. Looking for fit. Not eligible for financial aid. Want him to be happy and big or medium fish in smaller pond as far as academic rigor and stress is concerned. We know that gap year may have an effect, so please share thoughts. Thanks again !
Are you willing to pay $40K+/year for any of the California schools?
Changing from an Engineering major into another STEM major at any of the CA schools should not be an issue. More problematic the other way around.
All are good options if you want to pay these amounts. As an OOS student, access to airports are important so SDSU would have the best access flight wise. Santa Barbara and SLO have smaller airports so I would check flights for these schools.
Once kids are away at school. I think it is easier to get them out of their shell. SLO is less diverse than SDSU and UCSB, small town but plenty of outdoor activities to keep students busy and a residential campus. Excellent Engineering department so good opportunities for motivated students in terms of internships and Jobs.
SDSU is very diverse, large city but more residential than some Cal states. Always something going on in and around campus (pre-covid) so not sure how things are currently. 2 year on-campus living requirement. My niece a 3rd lives off campus but has loved her time at SDSU so far. SD trolley station on campus makes it easy to get around without a car. Challenging academics but not cutthroat.
UCSB has a gorgeous campus, outgoing students, great academics and a smaller Engineering dept than most UC’s along with Pacific ocean out your dorm room windows.
With an unlimited budget, my pick would be UCSB, but any of the schools are great options. It will come down to where your son will thrive academically, socially and financially. $260K for UCSB is hard to justify. SLO would be my pick as a good compromise if California is his choice destination.
If he wants an atmosphere closer to Rice (close-knit community, a mix of techy/creative, intense students but unpretentious) I’d say WPI would match it best. But it’s ~ (not same weather nor type of campus, not exact same fit, and it’s relative to the other choices).
Obviously the Arizona universities are the cheapest, so what makes him dislike them?
Cal Poly SLO would be a good midway point for CA options.
I’d avoid all the “pre-major” situations, where a student has to get a certain GPA, and/or may be competing against others for a limited number of spots in the major, since he has choices where that’s not necessary.
He did not apply to Barrett. His mentality is like your SDSU son’s was. Don’t pile on too much with a STEM degree. I think he needs as little stress as possible under the circumstances.
“Willing to pay” is a bit strong lol but if right fit, will sacrifice.
Also, I saw one of your posts that discussed CA schools deferrals. Do you think UCSB or SDSU will?
Finally, is quarter system really that much faster paced?
I don’t think he specifically dislikes the schools. We drove by ASU. Have not seen UA. But he wants to be near an ocean and beaches. Agreed on “per-majors”.
UCSB does deferrals on a case by case basis and they are rarely approved. I have never heard of SDSU allowing a deferral so something you need to investigate.
The Quarter system requires the student to hit the ground running. They are 10 weeks so by week 4, students can expect their first midterm, 2nd midterm around 7 weeks and then finals in 10 weeks. You need to keep up with your schoolwork since it is easy to get behind.
Also another reason my son preferred SDSU to some other schools since they are semester.
My older son went to UC Davis and it did take some getting use to the quarter system, but he got the hang of it eventually. My recommendation is to take a light load Fall quarter to get acclimated to the quarter system along with the transition to college.
Barrett actually makes things less stressful because instead of overcrowded classes, he’s in smaller classes with professors who know your name, he doesn’t have to “carry the group” during group work, etc.
UF and FSU are not near the ocean or beaches. They call Gainesville “The Swamp” for a reason. The California schools listed, or UMiami, are closer to the ocean.
UCSB is ON the beach. Santa Barbara does have a small airport, but most people drive up from LA. The weather and ocean water are cold.
SLO is NEAR the beach. Fifteen minutes to Pismo. It is in Central CA, so getting there is a hassle. Weather can be nippy and cold, and the ocean water is the same. Wet suits for surfing.
SDSU is INLAND from the beach (Mission Beach); assume 20 minutes by car in good traffic. It could be sunny and warm inland, but overcast and foggy at the beach.
Depending on ocean water temperatures at night, they tend to stay that way until afternoons.
Edited: the quarter system can be brutal if you are unfamiliar with hitting the books every night. Light loads for the first two quarters are recommended until you figure out how to handle newness of campus procedures and daily living “chores”.
@silverdad1 I agree with this – and if you are interested, Barrett is still taking late applications. I think it is worth trying for! Barrett has a really good reputation.
Late Consideration II
Application Deadline: Sunday, April 4, 2021 | 11:59 PM
Student Notification: Friday, May 14, 2021 | 5 PM
@silverdad1 , I assume your son is coming from Florida?
@Gumbymom and @aunt_bea are dead on with their takes of the UCs and CSUs. We live in SoCal and I love UCSB, with SLO a close second and SDSU third. Although I do not like how SDSU has handled COVID this year with the students.
My daughter got into those three schools, but chose ASU Barrett and is happy and thriving. We come from a beach town, but she looks at Tempe as being like a vacation in Palm Springs. If your son is set on being near water, then go with SLO or UCSB (SLO not being on the water, as mentioned). UCSB and the others are big schools, but not nearly as big as ASU, where you can find your crowd. UCSB seems to be even more social than ASU.
This is a good video if he still is considering ASU. Part of the Amazon Prime Video tour of campuses: Amazon Tour of ASU
Thanks very one for the insight. We actually live in Texas. I am originally from Florida. I think his affinity for Florida stems from our frequent vacationing there. Thanks again.
My son chose Cal Poly for ME (BS/MS 2019) from out of state. The costs were roughly the same as they will be for you. He had cheaper options, but he was narrowed down to WPI with good merit and Cal Poly, due to the way they educate students (small classes, lots of hands on through labs, projects and clubs). One of his best friends was an SE (BS 2019), so I can tell you a bit about his internship and job experience. Feel free to PM me if you want any information about CP.
My only observation is that as nice as UCSB is, there’s no way it’s worth $100k more than Cal Poly. They have a great rivalry (nothing beats a Mustang/Gaucho soccer game if you like the sport), so some would debate whether or not it’s even worth as much as CP, but I digress. If you have it and planned on giving it to him anyway, invest it and give him a chunk of change down the road.
As a side note, don’t stress the decision. Something will tell him what’s right. My son waited until 2 days before the deadline.
To the OP: For CS, UF and TAMU are strong choices at unbeatable prices. I understand both are also reasonably solid in bio, and especially strong in ag sciences.
Texas A&M does have the secondary admission to major issue – 3.5 college GPA needed for automatic admission, otherwise competitive with essays. They have not been too transparent in recent years about which specific engineering (including CS) majors have been more or less competitive.