D is a rising senior and putting together a college list. Need recommendations because she has a low GPA/high SAT combo and is hoping to major in Computer Sci.
For our in-state UCs, the chances of getting a CS major are slim to none given how competitive it is and her GPA is low and schools are test blind/test optional. It is the same with top 4-5 CSUs (CalPoly SLO, CPP, SJSU, SDSU etc).
Any recommendations for schools with decent CS programs. In-state or OOS or private (with merit scholarship). Priorities for college selection are: hopefully timely 4 year graduation, proximity to a city (within about an hour’s drive of an airport).
She is not a super motivated type A, proactive student…more of a laid back kind of personality.
Thanks in advance!
*HS GPA: UW 3.58, W 4.12,
Class Rank: School does not rank
SAT Scores: Single attempt 1540 (Eng:780, Math 760)
Budget for Cost of attendance : 45K/yr (anything over will require merit based scholarship, do not qualify for need-based aid, not keen on taking any loans).
US citizen - based in Bay Area, California
Female
Coursework:
Chem Hons, English 2 Hons
7 APs: World Hist (3), Calc AB (3), Computer Science (3), Eng Lang & Comp (4), Physics 1 (4)
Currently enrolled in AP Calc BC, AP Physics 2, AP Econ and maybe Ap Lit for senior year.
4 year PLTW Engineering Pathway (Intro to Eng Design, Principles of Engineering, AP Computer Science, Engineering Devt & Design)
Extra curriculars - contributing writer for school paper, President of Video Gaming Club, Founder & President of Psychology Club, Participates in Science Olympiad
*Sports - Field Hockey for last 7 years - 2 years Varsity, JV for previous 2 years and local all-girls league before that)
Since July 2022 working as a Math tutor at Kumon (6 hrs/wk)…will continue through the school year.
Among the WUE-reciprocity schools, I’d look at U of Utah and U of Nevada Reno. Both are in cities and both have good CS programs; and both would be affordable with the WUE discount alone; but her test scores might also get her some merit.
For private U’s where she might get enough merit, DePaul in Chicago is known for its CS but not ridiculously hard to get into.
Purdue fits your budget even without merit. CS has become a reach but they are still looking at SAT scores and your D has good rigor. I think it would make her competitive.
1 hour from Indy, 2 hrs from Chicago. Airport campus shuttles run from both city airports.
Rutgers will be a target school based on your D’s profile. They have a well ranked CS program with very good placement outcomes (at least in the NY/NJ, mid-Atlantic area).
Cost without merit aid is close to your budget.
Note however that Rutgers does not have a direct admit to CS. You need to meet their gateway requirements during freshman year and then declare the major in sophomore year.
Santa Clara U is perfectly positioned in Silicon Valley for CS. D16 was accepted there for CS and I’m still salty that she didn’t attend. My impression when we visited was that the atmosphere was pretty laid back. I have family in the Bay Area who say that it is very well respected in SV for CS. They give a little merit, but not a lot.
Our daughter was a stem applicant a few years ago and had some nice acceptances at Purdue, UT Austin… I’d also look at some of the other UT campuses like Dallas. Purdue was very affordable, apply early for best merit. Texas started sending us mailers on how to establish residency for year two so it would have been affordable as well.
Santa Clara is unlikely to get down to 45k, though it can’t hurt to apply and see what happens. SCU offers CS in arts and sciences (where admission would be more likely) and its engineering school (more competitive).
For a smaller-class, undergrad-focused school, she would likely get merit to bring the cost down to 40 or less at Gonzaga. Fairly chill place.
She could try for merit ar U Rochester, though I have no idea what their merit usually looks like.
There are also the WUE schools, e.g. Colorado State Fort Collins. Montana State.
There should be quite a lot of options for 45k. So, think more about what she wants in a school, especially for size.
Lots of good suggestions so far. I would add Western Washington (WUE), Arizona State, U of Arizona (although likely to get more merit at ASU), U Dayton, and a resounding second vote for DePaul.
There are several Cal states where CS is not impacted for Freshman admission. Besides SFSU, there is Chico State, Northridge, East Bay (very good ROI due to location), Sac State, Cal Poly Humboldt. Etc…. Check the link for the impaction matrix.
Other options would include WUE schools such as NAU (Northern Arizona), Western Washington, Colorado Springs, Portland state to name a few. See link:
Texas A&M
University Texas Dallas (UTD)
University Texas San Antonio (UTSA)
Laid back personality may not do well at A&M, as all incoming freshman enter as General Engineering, then go thru Entry To A Major (ETAM) process to get their specific major. 3.75 is the minimum to be guaranteed top 3 choices.
All 3 schools have great Comp Sci programs. Being out of state and not so solid gpa will hurt, but SAT is fabulous. Wouldn’t count on merit aid, unless some form of national merit (but you didn’t mention that) and definitely out of state tuition, but worth applying to.
@Gumbymom beat me to it, but Cal Poly Humboldt would certainly be on my list.
As for WUE schools, my son (Cal Poly BS/MS) really like Utah and Colorado State.
Oregon State, our flagship, traditionally does not offer WUE for engineering and CS, but they are now. If she can tolerate the PNW weather, it would be on my list too. It’s a beautiful campus, in a great location, close to Portland and the coast, and they have, by a long margin, the best honors college that we encountered in my son’s search.
How many years of a foreign language? My nephew is a rising senior with similar stats (1540/35) but no budget restrictions, he is worried about his gpa.
UMass Amherst has very strong Comp Sci, is less than an hour from Bradley Int’l airport (which is very nice to fly out of, no crowds, no traffic), and would probably give her merit money which would bring the cost down to under 45K/yr. It’s a beautiful campus, large flagship state U with tons of majors plus she can take classes at Amherst college, Smith, Mt Holyoke , and Hampshire college if she wants.
Why the 3’s on the AP’s? If your D does not have a thorough and solid math background, it might be worth working on that before starting college…a 3 on AB calc and a 3 on AP comp sci suggest there might be some gaps…
Yes, SCU offers a top notch program but very competitive due high demand for CS among local population. I did not realize they offered CS under Arts and Science…will take a look. But not very optimistic since it is also out of budget
Yes, will definitely consider the WUE schools. I heard though that only a limited number of WUE acceptance happen at some of these universities and are in high demand. E.g WWU says their average GPA for WUE recipients in 3.95 (I assume this is unweighted), so we’re a bit worried.
