<p>That’s true. However, one can still get a good CS education at a small college, even one that does not cover every single one of the ACM curricula recommendations ([Curricula</a> Recommendations - Association for Computing Machinery](<a href=“http://www.acm.org/education/curricula-recommendations]Curricula”>http://www.acm.org/education/curricula-recommendations)). More important than broad coverage - even at the risk of leaving college with a couple of topical gaps in one’s training (which can be filled later) - is learning how to do CS problem-solving. I think one is at least as likely to get that at a LAC like Carleton than at a big state university.</p>
<p>We got our ED decision from Carleton and he was deferred to RD. Disappointing! I talked to admissions and while they didn’t go into specifics about his application they said in most cases like his they want to see how the senior year grades turn out. She said we still have a better shot than the RD pool - which has a 25% admit rate - so he’s still in the running.</p>
<p>We’ve painted ourselves into a corner, though. My son insisted on waiting to hear from Carleton before applying to other colleges, and I caved. Now we’re here in Mid-December with three schools (Tufts, CMU and U Rochester) due Jan 1-3 and the other four (Brandeis, Case, Oberlin and USC) due the 10-15th. Yikes! Bad gamble. Oh well, onward…</p>
<p>We have another problem too. Of the remaining schools, only two seem like a good fit AND accessible: Oberlin and Macalester. The farther we go down this path, the more the Carleton formula looks right: small LAC, thriving CS department, quirky kids. Are there any schools of the Carleton type that we’re missing, that he can actually get into??? As to the rest, my son loved Tufts but it’s probably out of reach - plus I think it may not be the social match for him, as you say 1190. CMU he doesn’t even really like, and it’s also a huge reach, so we’re thinking of eliminating it. U Rochester could work but we just don’t know much about it. USC, Brandeis and Case looks good - and he really liked USC - but I do think a small LAC would be better.</p>
<p>We’re moving to San Francisco this summer so a western school would be nice, though not necessary. I can’t find any that work, though. Pomona is perfect, but out of reach. Occidental, Reed, and Whitman only have 3-2 programs, which isn’t ideal. Lewis and Clark and Colorado College both have CS majors - we might look into these. My son visited L&C last spring and didnt’ love it though. </p>
<p>Getting a little stressed! Thoughts anyone?</p>
<p>If you’re looking for mid sized western schools with a decent CS department you should look at Santa Clara University. It’s a Jesuit school in the heart of silicon valley and would probably admit your child. LMU might also be a possibility although I don’t know how strong the CS program is. </p>
<p>University of Puget Sound might be another possibility. I believe it has decent comp sci offerings though I’m not entirely sure.</p>
<p>If the northwest is an option I would second UPS (U Puget Sound) and also maybe Seattle U. Seattle U is a little bigger and has engineering as well as computer science.</p>
<p>I’m not familiar with Western schools, but Brandeis sounds like a good fit - has a LAC feel and campus. U. Rochester is great for engineering/sciences, bigger than Brandeis though, a small university analogous to Tufts. Tufts has a better location but is harder to get into.
Case is also a great school for a gamer/techie that wants lots of other options.</p>
<p>Actually, Case is a very good engineering school, but surprisingly, it’s computer science is nothing special. Rochester is much more highly regarded. So is Brandies. Both are universities but are very liberal arts like. I don’t know much about Tufts computer science.</p>
<p>I have a daughter who graduated from Brandeis and a daughter who graduated from Rochester. Neither was in computer science but both have well regarded departments as does Case. They both offer a lot of flexibility in their curriculum, Rochester has more of a greek scene than Brandeis but it is not a big part of campus culture at all. Neither school has a preppy culture at all. Rochester is a bit larger enrollment, with many opportunities for research. Both offer a lot to do on campus, and of course Brandeis has the added benefits of Boston. I think both of these schools would be good matches.</p>
<p>Another option in the frigid Midwest is University of Minnesota - Morris, Minnesota’s public LAC. Much cheaper than any other school on the list and Fiske’s Guide to College mentions that it has a good comp sci program. </p>
<p>Two other schools that haven’t been mentioned are the University of the Pacific and Trinity University. UoP offers fairly decent computer science and requires a 7.5 month internship. Unfortunately Stockton, the surrounding city, is economically depressed and somewhat dangerous.
Trinity University is an excellent masters university in Texas and seems to have fairly comprehensive computer science offerings for a school of its size.</p>
<p>There’s also the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. I’ve heard it has good computer science/ engineering, but I heard it from a geophysicist so his perspective may not be applicable to your son.</p>
<p>The CS course selection is fairly large for a 2,000 student school, but many of the courses are “offered periodically”. The student may want to check how often, and plan future semesters accordingly if there are specific courses that s/he wants to take. (This is true of many smaller schools.)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! All great thoughts, and we’ll certainly apply to Rochester, Brandeis etc. But what we really need is maybe two more small LAC schools along the Carleton mold - great CS, quirky students, friendly tight community - that are well within reach. Western school would be great, but definitely not necessary. Two of you have suggested U of Puget Sound and that sounds like a possibility. What do folks think of:</p>
<p>Lewis and Clark
Occidental - intriguing! While it only has a CS minor and limited courses, it offers cross-registration with CIT. What a resource.
U. Redlands
Colorado College</p>
<p>I have a son at Colorado College. He loves it. I’ve been very impressed with the campus setting, the atmosphere, and the academics. </p>
<p>For a CS major? Macalester seems to have a richer range of course offerings. Their recent grads are getting jobs with great companies such as Microsoft, Thompson-Reuters, and Amazon ([After</a> Macalester - Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science - Macalester College](<a href=“http://www.macalester.edu/academics/mscs/aftermacalester/]After”>http://www.macalester.edu/academics/mscs/aftermacalester/)). I don’t know one way or the other about the employment outcomes for recent Colorado College grads in Computer Science. </p>
<p>According to NSF data, not a single Colorado College grad earned a PhD in Computer Science from 2006-2010 (compared to 12 from Carleton, 9 from Amherst, 9 from Rochester, 6 from Macalester, 1 from Oberlin, 1 from Occidental, ). Colorado College grads do earn relatively many doctorates in some other fields (16 in earth sciences, 42 in biological sciences during the same period).</p>
<p>Great data tk21769! Where did you find it? Yes Macalester, like Carleton, looks quite perfect. We’re definitely applying. I wonder if he’d have a shot at Amherst? You’re right, it looks like CC might not be a great match for a CS major.</p>
<p>Amherst is even more selective than Carleton.</p>
<p>I do hate to sell Colorado College short. It’s a fine school in a beautiful setting, but it just doesn’t appear to me that CS is among its better departments (especially not compared to a few other LACs).</p>
<p>I would not suggest Occidental simply because to get to Cal Tech you have to drive about seven miles. That means your son would have to fight LA traffic just to get to a class for a couple of hours, and then return back to school. </p>
<p>Also there’s the very real possibility that he won’t be able to keep up with his Cal Tech peers. Cal Tech’s core requirements are among the most difficult in the US, and since all freshmen are forced to take those classes, professors can teach at an extremely high level (not to mention almost all Cal Tech students are already brilliant). In all honesty, your son would probably fail any comp sci class he took there. Both of my bosses graduated from the best universities in their countries (Tsinghua and U Waterloo) and said the grad school classes at Cal Tech were the hardest they’d ever taken. Plus your son wouldn’t be able to form study groups, which, from what I gathered from a friend who goes there, is necessary just to be able to pass a class. </p>
<p>I don’t know enough about L&C’s comp sci to be able to comment, but just know that it attracts a very “Portland” type of student. They tend to be quite far from the mainstream.</p>
<p>Amherst has a relatively small CS department with a rather limited selection of CS courses. A CS major there would likely want to use the consortium cross registration to take additional CS courses at the nearby state school, University of Massachusetts - Amherst.</p>
<p>How about Grinnell? Looks like relatively strong CS department there, run by a leader in CS curriculum development-</p>
<p>Lewis and Clark’s CS looks limited but not too bad - three FT professors, one visiting, decent course list. Non-mainstream is fine for my son, he’s an independent thinker himself. As long as the kids are smart and friendly.</p>
<p>Grinnell should be an excellent fit for what you want (liberal, geeky atmosphere etc.)</p>
<p>This is one of the 10 or so richest schools in the country in terms of endowment per student. That means more money for scholarships, facilities, salaries, etc. I think the one factor holding Grinnell back in competition with the most selective LACs is its location (Iowa corn fields, cold winters).</p>
<p>Their PhD count (3 in the last 5 years) is lower than some peer schools, and much lower than Grinnell’s count in some other fields. Maybe CS alumni are too busy making money at great companies.</p>
<p>jennigarden, any news on the search? Our “holy grail” is identical to yours, so I’m following your search vicariously. Please update us when you get a moment.</p>