Looking input from folks whose kids completed or are currently enrolled in Computer Science

Any good CS curriculum should include experience with various computer languages, which are properly seen as tools to be chosen to fit the job (rather than trying to force-fit the job to the tool).

@eyemamom
@ucbalumnus

I agree that learning different languages is important. However, this should not be the measure to evaluate the strength of a CS program. The challenge in CS is not learning the languages, but learning the big concepts and algorithmic thinking. A person well grounded in C++, for example, can easily learn other object oriented languages, after taking into consideration differences in the characteristics of the language(s) (where it lies on the spectrum of dynamic and static casting, level of abstraction, etc.).

Instead, a undergrad CS program’s curricular strength should be evaluated on how well it gives the students core knowledge (data structures, algorithms, computer organization, discrete mathematics, mathematical foundations in computer science) and the opportunities it affords students to further study more advanced topics of their choosing (machine learning, artificial intelligence, database architecture, etc.).

I agree with yikesyikes yikes. My son learn quite a few languages before he ever got to college SQL, Visual Basic, Java and others and used them on various jobs. What he learned in college was much deeper. I think he programs pretty much in Linux/Machine Language these days.

I can’t tell if you’re not interested in California or not, but University of the Pacific has a coop program and looks pretty good to my untrained eye.

Also – have you looked at the Five College consortium? Or at the Consortium offerings of the Quaker consortium?

  • If she were to attend Bryn Mawr, for example, she could take classes at Haverford, Swarthmore, U Penn.
  • If she were to attend Scripps, she would take classes at Harvey Mudd, Pomona, etc.
  • If she were to attend Hampshire, Smith, Amherst, Mt. Holyoke of UMass, she could attend any of the other schools. They all offer a bunch of CS classes with different outlooks.

My son got his CS degree from University of Alabama and is now working at a big company in Silicon Valley. He went to UA because of the generous OOS scholarships. You can go to Public schools and still succeed.

Take the right courses and get jobs using your computer skills as early as you can. Summer internships are really important in computer science. When choosing schools find out what help they give for those important summers. Does everyone find something? My older son left it till too late freshman year, luckily he had a good job he could fall back on - the next two summers he had paid internships in CA.

As someone that has been interviewing and making hiring recommendations for a number of years now, I’d add this to what @yikesyikesyikes said about languages - I expect a developer to be able to learn any language in about 3 weeks to a level where than can be productive with fairly high-quality code. The hard part is expressing the solution to the problem at hand logically. The actual implementation is the easy part.

@infinityprep1234 If cost is an issue she might want to look into UT Dallas, with her stats I’m sure she’d qualify for their highest level AES scholarship which would cover full tuition and stipend of $6K a year to put toward room and board.

UTD is known for their comp sci program it was started as a graduate research school by the founders of Texas Instruments. It’s not your typical college, no football team but a world class chess team:-) It’s a STEM school but they do support the arts they even provide students free tickets to the Dallas Symphony and Ballet. The campus is located just outside the city in Richardson but close enough to go to shows, museums, events and lots of near by high tech firms for internships in Dallas. If it’s something she might consider it’s worth applying, the application is pretty simple and there’s not even a separate scholarship application to deal with.

Thanks everyone, apprecaite your input. Both daughters are busy with AP exams. Have not talked to them but will read these threads again as I was out for mother’s day.

@mathmom daughter started getting summer interships in 9th grade. But thus year is first paid summer job in artificial intellegence. This time she will be doing works in real field and she is very excited about it.

@Schadret She is actually a great writer, her dad and I struggles with language issues professionally. That is why told kids to focus on writing and speaking. She has won many essay competitions and won awards for them. She is good in math also besides CS.

@3scoutsmom daughter will be applying for few colleges that offer merit scholarships. Thanks a lot.