We are going to Richmond next week and I am going to make sure he spends a lot of time in CS! He is not that interested in U Miami, so I probably won’t end up having to pay for that…At least all of the other schools are more do-able for me.
I can assure you that won’t be the case all year! 
http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/tuscaloosa/alabama/united-states/usal0542
Rainfall is a little lower in Richmond but temps are also colder.
http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/richmond/virginia/united-states/usva0652
And I understand how weather on the visit can influence school choice. D1 and I visited Denison and Kenyon on consecutive days. Denison was bright and sunny and she had a great time. Kenyon was grey and drizzly. On the way to lunch my D said “I will never go here. Can we leave now?”. I, on the other hand, would have loved to attend Kenyon. Oh well, not my college education.
Is it possible for him to visit URichmond or even perhaps skype with a prof. in the CS department so he can be assured that the school offers enough for him. UR seems like a fantastic opportunity – free ride at a great school.
That’s the way I see it too. And yes, we are headed down to Richmond next week and I am going to call ahead and make sure that he gets to spend a lot of time visiting CS.
@chris17mom I had to smile about Alabama being cold and rainy. After the winter we’ve had in the NE, 40 degrees seems tropical and people go outside in shorts.
Richmond CS came up in another thread. A look at the course catalog indicates that its offerings of CS courses look reasonable (though probably with fewer electives than larger schools), but a look at the schedule indicates that many of the junior/senior (300-level) courses are offered infrequently (like once every two years), so a CS major there may have only one (or maybe two) chances to take each one during his/her four years (because s/he needs to complete the prerequisites in the first two years before being able to take them). This can make scheduling inconvenient at the very least.
In general, he may want to look at each school’s CS offerings in the catalog, and check the schedules for how frequently each course is offered.
Given how many kids change their major, and you already see how he has changed his mind, it’s not such a big deal to get the best in some niche field. More important for flexibility in changes and that the school can provide a decent slate in most fields. Which Richmond can. My one son’s close friend was a grad from Richmond, and he’s done fantastically. Loved it there too. Top student who got shut out at ivies and like too, and picked Richmond because not only was it best of the choices but gave him money too. His time there and thereafter could not have been better.
Re: #26
He may want to do the catalog and schedule check on other subjects of possible interest at each school.
Also, if he goes back to economics, he may want to check how math-intensive the intermediate economics courses are at each school (look at the math prerequisites). If he wants to go on to PhD study in economics, more math is preferred. The typical math prerequisite for intermediate economics is frosh calculus, but some schools offer or require more mathematical intermediate courses requiring sophomore level math like multivariable calculus, while others do not list any calculus prerequisite for intermediate economics courses (interestingly, Georgia Tech is one of the latter schools).
With respect to pre-law, that can be done with any major, including CS. GPA and LSAT score are most important. If he wants to go into patent law from a CS undergraduate major, he may want to select his elective course work to fulfill the requirements for the patent exam (non-CS science courses, see http://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/ip/boards/oed/exam/OED_GRB.pdf ) if the CS major is not ABET accredited.
Great post from @cptofthehouse again.
Richmond’s one of those LAC’s that’s well-respected on the East Coast. I know an alum from there who got in to GS and did well there, so that’s another datapoint of a grad who has done fantastically.
Personally, I would choose between Richmond and 'Zona, though given the money difference, Richmond’s a near slam-dunk. In the CS world, your personal abilities matter more than your school. In any case, Richmond has one of the larger CS departments among LACs, I believe.
When you run the numbers, remember that scholarships for room and board will almost certainly be taxable to the student. Tuition, books, fees, & required materials/equipment are qualified educational expenses (QEE) but housing, travel, and meals aren’t. Taking that into consideration, there may be less difference between the free-ride and some of the other offers.
But truly, what a wonderful problem to have! Congratulations to you both!
Wow thanks everyone! We are visiting Richmond next week, and he’s giving it a chance, so that’s good. I’m hopeful this will all work out well. 
@ucbalumnus I’ve been reading about this too and it does look like a CS major will need to strategically plan their classes. However that should not be too difficult with the help of the CS department and/or a guidance counselor.
Good point! He’s already changed his intended major at least twice since we started this college application process, which is why he didn’t have only techy schools on the list. U Richmond is a well-rounded school that offers a lot of courses, should he change again.
@PurpleTitan Thanks, this is so good to hear! I agree that Richmond has a great reputation and it sounds like a really good school. I think he will see reason after our visit next week and give it a chance. Fingers crossed!
@PurpleTitan also, what school is GS? Grad school?
The strategy at such a school would be to try to complete the frosh/soph CS prerequisites as quickly as possible. Then, when any junior/senior level CS course of interest (or required for the major) that is offered infrequently is offered, take it, because it may only be available 0-1 more time before graduation.
The same strategy would apply to any other subject of interest that he may change his major to.
GS=Goldman Sachs.
In any case, the only “key” CS course I see which is offered only every other year is Operating Systems. However, it looks like he’ll get 2 opportunities for that (soph and senior years).
I assume that he got a 4/5 in AP CS? If so, he can skip CS150 and knock out most of those 200-level courses (2 each semester) that are prerequisites to higher-level electives during freshman year.
Plus, at a LAC, it would be easy to do independent research with a Prof if he’s interested in delving in to an area that isn’t covered by an elective. Universities would have more electives, but independent research with a Prof would be harder.
@chris17mom He probably has a lot of AP credit? That will help keep him on track.
Consider asking Richmond to let your son sit in on at least two upper level CS courses when he visits. My D did this at one of her top pick schools last week and came away very impressed by how the teachers and the upper level students (mostly majors by this point) interact with each other. Felt that she could definitely see herself at this campus, even if they lack a few courses she might otherwise love to take.
And Richmond is known for bending over backwards to help students. I think he will be able to make CS work at Richmond if he just puts a little effort into planning his schedule, classes, research opportunities, and/or internships.
Yes he sure does.
I just got off the phone with them, and he is going to have an extensive tour of the CS department, talk to professors, and sit in on upper level CS classes.
I have a feeling this is going to work out just fine, and he’s actually feeling better about everything now too, thank goodness. Initially he was just reeling from the Ivy rejections (and most especially his dream school, Stanford), but he’s starting to get more realistic now. He realizes he’s been given an incredible scholarship at Richmond and he is being much more open-minded about giving Richmond a fair chance, and also keeping the other four affordable offers on the table for now as well.
^ He has a full ride to a top school. Life is good.
Yes! Thanks!
Let your son know that he can always do his graduate degree at Stanford or any one of the highly rated Universities for Computer Science. That is what a lot of University graduates do. I once worked at probably the top R&D Organization in the US for a number of years and some of the best Engineers and Computer Scientist did not attend very prestigious Universities for their Undergraduate or even Graduate degrees. Most of the Technical Staff was required to have at least a Masters Degree and most came from the top Engineering Schools. In fact, the person who became the President of the Company (at around age 35) while I was there did all his degrees (up to his PhD in CS) at Clemson University.