How closely do students and parents look at academic details when choosing colleges...

Re: #50

Assuming you mean this? https://www.swarthmore.edu/computer-science/2018-19-changes-to-cs-major

Seems like one possible way to handle an increase in demand for CS. Other options that colleges have when faced with increasing student demand for a major that exceeds departmental capacity:

  • Restrict entry to the major, by making it competitive admission (beyond admission to the school), or effectively by bottlenecking enrollment in the entry-level courses.
  • Increase class sizes. May not be desired at a LAC.
  • Increase department size. Often a relatively slow process, and requires a multi-decade commitment to the increased size if done with tenured faculty (versus adjuncts), and not as easy to do in a subject like CS where the college has to compete with non-academic employers for those with PhDs.

Of course, none (other than increasing department size) are all that desirable to the student.