<p>Of course I have researched the top 10-20 math programs but how do you find say the top 50 math undergraduate programs. Or maybe schools that arent on a list but are known in the Math Field. </p>
<p>My son has good stats but not great stats and they are lopsided.</p>
<p>800M 600CR 710W Essay 10 (taken twice very similar results)</p>
<p>94/100 GPA most rigorous schedule at the school. School does embedded college courses instead of AP. Has taken all offered. Lots of the normal ecs and volunteer work.</p>
<p>So although we will throw darts at some of the top 25 I want to try and find some match and safety schools for him and also financial safeties. He is not interested in Actuarial Science (at first he was, but just came back from a week long Actuary Camp and decided that was not for him) he wants pure math or applied math.</p>
<p>Is he advanced in math (probably)? I.e. will have completed calculus and/or university sophomore level math before entering university?</p>
<p>If he is advanced in math, consider schools with a graduate program in math, since students who enter university ready to take sophomore or junior level math are likely to want to take graduate level math courses before they graduate with their bachelor’s degrees. (I.e. such students may exhaust the math offerings at an undergraduate-only school.)</p>
<p>A math major does not consume a lot of schedule space (especially if the student enters with freshman and/or sophomore level courses already completed), nor does it time consuming lab courses. This means that a student can take a pure math major to prepare for graduate school in math, while also having plenty of schedule space to take “applied” courses in statistics, computer science, economics, etc. to improve job and career options (typically including finance, actuarial, and computer jobs) if s/he does not go to graduate school.</p>
<p>Your son will have a LOT of options, and good for him for trying Actuary Camp to figure out if he is interested – knowing what you don’t like/want is a big step forward. </p>
<p>Most of the major research universities have solid math departments – a neighbor’s son is a math major who transferred from Reed (too cloudy, and wasn’t real impressed with the variety of mathematics classes offered) and settled in happy as a clam at our local flagship. The professors love him, they found small research & travel stipends for him, he did the Budapest Semester, took some graduate math classes, and generally just did fabulously, all at tremendously lower cost than at Reed. (Reed is a great school, but since he’d already taken advanced calculus at the local flagship before hs graduation, he just didn’t find as much depth as he found he wanted, and the math department also covers some classes that would normally be in a CS program.)</p>
<p>With your son’s stats, I’d assume that he’d be quite attractive to many of the public universities, some with some pretty sizable merit awards. Math is a under-enrolled major at most schools, and finding American kids who want to be math majors is increasingly challenging.</p>
<p>He will have taken College Calculus I by time he graduates high school. I’m not really into rushing him through any type of program so I don’t know if I would have him skip to Calc II. </p>
<p>Thanks for the info on extra time. That’s good to know in case he wants to explore another major or a couple of minors. My eldest is in Chemistry and seems to have no extra time.</p>
<p>Yes, Money is a big factor. I am trying to apply to only 100% Full Need Schools. His current safeties are Stevens Institute and Rutgers (not a big fan of Rutgers, but he will get a good amount of Merit Aid there) - yes we are from New Jersey. The two will overlap for one year before my eldest goes to graduate school.</p>
<p>I know schools like UPITT and OHIO state give out big merit money, but I’m not sure he would get any due to OOS status and to 600 CR.</p>
<p>And how do you find out if a college is underenrolled in Math. That may be a good hook.</p>
<p>Pretty much looking at Illinois to the east coast.</p>
<p>If Rutgers is safe from both an admissions and cost standpoint, it is a good choice, since it is pretty well regarded in math (around #25 – and decent or better in related fields like computer science, economics, and statistics).</p>
<p>S1 is a rising senior majoring in math at UChicago. </p>
<p>UMD College Park’s math program is ranked in the 20s and is quite good (better than Rutgers). A lot of math majors there wind up doubling with comp sci (which is ranked even higher) and doing quite well in work and grad school. UMD is very generous with granting credit and placement, which makes it pretty easy to add another major. They are also good with letting UGs into graduate work.</p>
<p>He also liked UMich’s math and CS departments. CMU was also on his list – the Mellon College of Science, where the math department lives, is not as competitive to get into as SCS or CIT, but their math dept. is very decent. </p>
<p>S1 loved Reed, but the profs there told him not to apply, as he was coming in with three years of UG math under his belt (love those embedded college courses at the HS!) and they felt they could not keep him busy.</p>
<p>Georgia Tech also has good math (a friend of S1’s loves their combinatorics), but it is definitely a sink-or-swim kind of school. UIUC is very strong in comp sci, which generally means the math department is good – would be worth it to investigate if he is interested.</p>
<p>P.S. I don’t think your S is as lopsided as you might think. Three essays with scores of 10 indicates he can write. If he can put some good essays together, the 600 will mean less.</p>
The biggest reason to pass on UMich. I’m not sure UMCP would be any better being an OOS public. CMU might have some aid. I’m not sure how the 600CR would affect the merit aid at Pitt and tOSU. It can’t hurt to try.</p>
<p>OP, have you calculated your EFC? Since you have another child in college I would guess you know that some people would LIKE to have FA but won’t qualify.</p>
<p>Yes, My EFC is just under $15,000 - My institutional EFC is actually lower due to lack of assets. My eldest goes to Northwestern and we’ve received great aid. Hoping for the same type of situation with my youngest, but not sure with these economic times and if he could get into any of the colleges that meet full need. Many students at my son’s HS get into Stevens and the aid is really pretty good. I really don’t think he’ll get Full Tuition type of aid at any of the OOS Publics. That’s why I’m leaning more towards the Full Need Privates.</p>
<p>For the full-tuition scholarship, Pitt is looking for at least a 1450 (CR +M), and in recent years the bar has been getting higher. I agree that if you need merit money, UMich and UMCP are a waste of time for your son. I wouldn’t even apply.</p>
<p>My son is a rising junior at Swarthmore majoring in Math and Physics. His stats were very similar to your sons. He is extraordinarily happy there. He came in having completed Calc II. Some of the other scools he looked at were Wesleyan, Brandeis, Tufts, Lafayette, Dickinson. Good luck!</p>
<p>Well, the given stats indicate automatic Presidential Scholar (full OOS tuition) at University of Alabama, leaving about $15,000 of other costs per year. On the other hand, if in-state Rutgers nets to less than that after non-loan aid, then Rutgers’ well-regarded math program is likely a much better choice.</p>