<p>@ucbalumnus, I spoke to a family friend yesterday who is from NY but has his own business in the Silicon Valley. He suggested that my son look at some of the same CS programs you mentioned: Stony Brook, RIT, Worcester Poly Tech, and RPI, but he said starting at a cc and transferring would work too. </p>
<p>@billcsho, Starting a year “late” doesn’t bother me. If the NPC at RIT is accurate we’d pay ~$15k/year there if my son enrolls as a freshman, but ~$47k as a transfer. We can scrape together $15k, but $47k/year is more than we can handle. Two years at cc plus 2 at RIT full pay would be over $100k; four years at RIT would be ~$60k. If he can get accepted to RIT with a package like that, I think it’s worth the wait. </p>
<p>My son wasn’t excited by the courses at Hartwick, but he’s excited about the variety of options available at both Stony Brook and RIT. I think he’s going to compile the usual suspects (safeties, matches, and a reach or two) and apply in the fall, then spend the next year working, taking MOOCs, and maybe trying a CLEP or two. If the 4-year options don’t pan out, then I think he’ll be comfortable starting at the cc knowing he can transfer to Stony Brook or one of the other 4-year SUNYs later.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for your help. I knew we’d be able to find the answers we needed here.</p>