<p>Hey CC, this maybe my first post on the forums, but I do regularly lurk for topics of interest. Currently I'm living in Chicago and a junior in high school, going on my final semester starting next week. I've been researching colleges that have good computer engineering courses as that is the major I most want. Yet, I can't seem to find a college that will best fit my needs.</p>
<p>I have not taken the ACT yet (I'll take it sometime around June I believe) and so far my college choices include many of the California universities (UCLA, UCSB, UCB, etc) and some prestige schools like MIT. I really want to move out of state, preferably California because its my kind of state. So far I have one safe college and that's University of Chicago. It's close to home, but also renown for its high retention rate.</p>
<p>Anyways, enough babbling. Could you guys recommend some more possible colleges that have some prestige in the CE field? What about campus life/course reviews for some of the colleges? Luckily my parents have been saving for my tuition. I also plan to get scholarships to help pay for the tuition as well, so please feel free to name schools that are might be on the expensive side. Thank you in advance.</p>
<p>I guess safety would be the wrong term. I believe I meant a college that is near home and doesn’t have the risk of out-of-state acceptance. So like some colleges not accepting you because you do not live within their region, if that’s correct?</p>
<p>Are cost and financial aid a concern? If so, check the “net price calculator” on each school’s web site and compare to your budget (be sure to talk to your parents about that so you now where you stand budget-wise). “Planning to get scholarships” does not mean that you get a lot of them. Parents having saved for your college may not necessarily mean that they saved enough.</p>
<p>Your safeties will likely be drawn from in-state public schools (possibly UIUC if your stats are high enough; other in-state publics and community colleges if not) and perhaps some of the less expensive out of state schools like Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Stony Brook, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo*. Or deep safeties with big guaranteed merit scholarships like Alabama and UAB if your stats are high enough.</p>
<p>University of Chicago is generally not considered to be a safety for anyone.</p>
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<li>Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has a very good reputation for engineering out here in California, but may not be well known elsewhere. As a CSU, its cost of attendance is lower than for the UCs.</li>
</ul>
<p>Just to clarify something: For public schools (like UCLA, UMichigan, UVA etc) which are supported in part by state funds, it is generally easier to get in if you are a resident of that particular state. For private colleges (like UChicago) there is no preference given to in-state residents, in fact many of these schools look for geographic diversity and in some cases it may be to an applicant’s advantage to come from another part of the country.</p>
<p>Cal Poly SLO has a great Computer Engineering program (in fact, the campus is best known for its engineering and agriculture programs), and is in a really beautiful location. The campus is very selective, but has a great retention rate. Although Cal Poly tries really hard to make sure its students graduate in four years, they (along with every other public institution in California) are dealing with reduced funding that can make it difficult to hire additional faculty and add additional sections of popular courses, so be prepared to maybe go over four years by a quarter or two.</p>
<p>That said, if you prepare to go five years, and manage to keep your grades at the required level, you would be eligible for the blended Bachelor’s/Master’s program, and could walk out with your M.S. at the end of those five years. The location and climate can’t be beat. Weather is mild most of the year, and there are lots of recreational opportunities. One small drawback for out-of-state students is that it is not always the easiest campus to travel to/from. There is a regional airport, but your flights back to Chicago will probably involve one or more connecting flights. Alternatively, you can get a flight into San Jose, Santa Barbara, or Burbank, and connect via Amtrak. There are a lot of out-of-state students at Cal Poly, so it is definitely do-able.</p>
<p>I would also mention that (since you would be coming from out-of-state) you check the housing availability at the colleges you are considering, and also find out about the cost/availability of off-campus housing. I had relatives who went to Cal (Berkeley), and they could only stay in dorms their first year, and off-campus housing was expensive and hard to find. Try to find out what the local newspaper is and look at their classifieds for rental prices (remember you would probably be rooming with one or more people and could split costs) and remember that often some utilities are not included.</p>
<p>Well other than the fact that you like CA and that you want to be a CE major, you have not told us what kind of school you like. (other than a big UC or research institution) I would suggest Harvey Mudd and CalTech for engineering, Stanford as well, if you have the grades and such. How about Cornell? It’s not CA, but has great engineering.</p>