DS22 accepted to the below schools/majors. He’s interested in Computer Science/Technology. All will be out of state tuition, about same price. I appreciate the thoughts/expertise of those on this board:
Penn State - Computer Science - Engineering
Purdue - Computer Science Technology - Polytechnic
UMD - Accepted Letters & Science with path to CS
Ohio State - Computer Science - Engineering
UIUC - Systems Engineering & Design - Engineering
NC State - Computer Science - Engineering
So direct path = better than non.
At Purdue it’s Polytechnic so how does that differ from his academic interest.
Has he been to all ? Any preference or considerations such as geography type (urban, rural, otherwise) or anything else ?
Other than size, flagship type there are distinct differences.
We’ve attended admitted students visits at Penn State, Purdue & OSU. We have UMD planned on 3/14. And still need to plan the other 2. We are in NJ so Penn State & UMD are drivable. He said after the first 3 visits that he could see himself at any of the schools. I think he’ll have great job opportunities at any of them. Tough decision!
UMD is not direct admit although supposedly if you hit the milestones it’s ok.
I remember Penn States. They start with We Are Penn State. We never got the ice cream. Too long a line. Huge campus. Purdue not near as big. Ohio State close to society.
There are huge distinctions. But if he can see himself anywhere then choose one and roll. Look at curriculums, paths, etc. especially at Purdue as Polytechnic is not the same as engineering or computer science per se although they have a wide swath of majors.
Does he know what he wants to study in the CS arena ? Perhaps one school’s curriculum or expertise will stand out.
For access Ohio State and NC State ate both air accessible. Ohio State and Penn State are both physically huge. Not sure about UMD. NC State isn’t but the engineering school is off the main campus. If I recall we had to drive or is a 25 min walk per google maps…ie the dorms and general Ed classes are far from engineering. Will be tons of jobs there though and the school has a great rep…up and coming.
Good luck.
Are there any direct admits? I’d move those to the top. All offer good CS programs. UIUC might carry a little more cache but I would pick fit first. Good luck.
Thanks! We need to visit UIUC once they release their admitted student dates. And UIUC is a direct admit to major.
Are you waiting to hear back from anywhere else? I’d probably say Purdue, UMD, and UIUC are a cut above the rest for hard STEM (Tech/CS/Math). As someone else said, UIUC might be the biggest name from the places on your list, but they are all relatively close enough that fit should be a far bigger determining factor.
Thanks! All decisions are in! Need to visit UIUC & maybe NC State as going south is intriguing to him.
Penn State, Maryland, Ohio State, NC State – all require secondary admission to CS. Check carefully how competitive this is at each school.
Purdue – Computer and information technology is a less technical major (more about managing computers and software than designing them). Changing into CS is very difficult at Purdue.
UIUC – Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary engineering major that is not that close to CS. Changing into CS is very difficult at UIUC.
Does he have any affordable admissions to colleges where being able to major in CS is reasonably assured?
Thanks! He has admissions to several other smaller schools but he wants the big public/rah rah football school experience. The ones listed are his top picks. He was admitted to UDel & Rutgers but not interested.
I’ve done some research. The CS programs sitting in engineering do require entrance to major requirements.
Since UMD not in engineering, don’t have to take physics and/or chem but do need a 2.7 in entrance to major courses to transfer in.
I do think Purdue falls to the bottom of the list since he was admitted to polytechnic.
I also think UIUC is a good, but different option than CS.
If he is a New Jersey resident, Rutgers at lower cost and with ease of declaring CS seems like the obvious choice.
Haha, that’s why I didn’t list it initially because I knew that would be the response 
CS is closed to intercollegiate transfers from other majors/schools within UIUC starting with the class of 2022. https://provost.illinois.edu/education/advising-resources/intercollegiate-transfer-process/college-of-engineering/
OP, if your S wants CS, then I encourage him to choose a school where he has direct admit, or a spot at a school where CS is not competitive entry (assuming one has met the transfer requirements), like UMD.
I also would drop Purdue Polytech…and would not consider that over Delaware or Rutgers CS (again, if CS is the primary objective).
Good luck, he has some great choices!
Thanks! I think it will come down to a decision between Penn State & UMD. UMD did give him a small Presidential Scholarship which was unexpected. Our visit on 3/14 will probably be the deciding factor. CS at UMD not in school of engineering where it is at Penn State. He really likes Penn State’s campus. UMD closer to home & not in the middle of nowhere.
I did more research and it appears CS isn’t a guaranteed major at NC State even if he meets the entrance to major requirements. Plus not a walkable campus (like Rutgers).
He decided he wouldn’t pick Ohio State over Penn State.
UIUC is not Computer Science admit. Would he be interested in this path? Plus it’s far from home & not easy to get to.
Penn State and UMD also fall into that nice distance of you are away from home but close enough that he can either come home for a weekend or you can visit.
If you are down to two, you might want to start listing out direct comparisons between the two.
Most important is to tell him there is no right or wrong answer, you have two great options, just pick the one that is going to be the right fit for you.
If the student is interested in CS and not some other engineering discipline, it shouldn’t materially matter whether CS is in the engineering school or not. In fact, there’re some benefits for CS not to be part of the engineering school. One of them is that the student would be free from the requirements of the engineering school that may not be of interest to the student. UMD, and potentially Rutgers (especially if it’s much cheaper option), are clearly the better options academically for OP’s son, IMO.
@College0921 - as long as your son completes UMD’s “gateway requirements” (info available on their site) he can switch to CS.
UIUC - based on the experience of a friend’s son who’s a sophomore there - make sure you visit and your son is ok with the location and campus. It’s in the middle of nowhere and many NJ kids don’t find it a good fit. Also, it’s next to impossible to switch majors into CS so do keep that in mind.
I also would not dismiss Rutgers outright. Its CS program is ranked #40, which isn’t as high as UMD’s but not too bad either when you consider there are thousands of colleges offering CS majors.
Good luck. Your son has great choices in hand and he’ll do awesome wherever he lands up.
Penn State being “in the middle of nowhere” may not be a plus for some students. I have heard that “there is nothing to do but drink” from an alum (probably an exaggeration, but a student not interested in the activities available “in the middle of nowhere” might think so).
If I was giving my kid advice, I would say pick between Illinois and Purdue.
Thanks! We do have a Rutgers admitted student visit scheduled in early April. We are in south Jersey so UMD not that much further than Rutgers. What are your thoughts between Penn State & UMD for CS? Right now, those are his top 2. And he still wants to visit NC State.