Help with college acceptance choices

College Search & Selection
21

I would definitely pick Penn State over UMD. Two reasons:

  • UMD is much higher rated for CS
  • much better internship opportunities at UMD given its proximity to DC and northern VA.

I am aware your son doesn’t have a direct admit to CS at UMD but my understanding from @SoofDad’s posts on the UMD thread is that if you meet the gateway requirements its an assured path. Perhaps @SoofDad can confirm/clarify.

22

@DadOfJerseyGirl - I think you meant UMD over Penn State? :grin: Just wanted to confirm.

23

LOL. Yes, sorry - I meant UMD over Penn State :slight_smile:

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24

In terms of what I would rank in terms of preference based on secondary admission to CS requirements:

  1. Rutgers. Need C or higher grades in 5 prerequisites to declare CS. Presumably the least expensive.
  2. Maryland. Need C- or higher grades in 3 prerequisites and 2.7 GPA to declare CS.
  3. Penn State (if admitted to engineering division). Need C or higher grades in 5 prerequistes and 3.10 GPA to declare CS.

Less desirable are Ohio State and North Carolina State, which have competitive secondary admission, but do not disclose how competitive each major is (though you may want to try asking the departments for this information).

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25

It’s actually the UMD CS Department FAQ web page where that statement is made. I have read posts by parents and students who state that it is a fact.

26

Thanks @SoofDad & @DadOfJerseyGirl! I did do some UMD CS research after he was admitted to L&S. If he meets the GPA requirements, he’s in. He also received a small Presidential scholarship there and an invitation to a LLC. I’m really hoping he likes it when we visit in a couple weeks!

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27

Thank you for that analysis! I appreciate it!

28

UMD offers a pretty straightforward path to CS from LAS. Pass three courses (two of which you could test out of if your kid is that confident), maintain a 2.7 GPA and you are guaranteed to be admitted to CS. Details are on the CS page at UMD.

Good luck in choosing. We are in the same boat now for CS, but still waiting to hear from RD schools.

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29

Care to share some of the reasons for your son dropping OSU?

UMD CS not requiring general university-level science courses is both a plus and a minus. While they get more time for CS courses, I feel that university level physics are really useful. Not that it will be relevant for work, but it’s the training to think of the world around us in different ways - as a college student and not as a high school student taking AP classes. Helps in making one’s self a better coder IMO.

EDIT: typos.

30

He decided he would pick Penn State over Ohio State, but he really did like Ohio State’s campus & vibe. The physics requirements are more concerning to me versus S22. They don’t seem to concern him. Math & science are not my forte though.

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31

Often I find people select schools by ranking. I can not imagine one school’s courses are superior to other schools’. Is it due to the research programs? Quality of students of one school is better than other schools? If this is the case, the school ranking doesn’t matter. It’s all up to how each student put his/her effort, no matter which school they go. Is one school better because of the internship opportunities are better than others? This, I also don’t buy it. It’s up to each student’s effort.

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