@Mom2aphysicsgeek I am not sure about your repeated posts about WHY things happen. My son is getting ready to choose a college, and usually people come to College Confidential to get feedback from others who have been there, done that…
Is ranking important to your child? If so, why? I am a huge believer in Fit and Finances as the ruling factor. However, for our oldest rank and name were big. He wanted a top school with top kids all around him (not just in an honors program) and a name that would be important long after he was out of college. Though a finalist, he let the full rides go and went to an Ivy. Did I agree that was a great decision? No. But it mattered to him and he wanted his hard work to pay off with that more than with the full ride.
My next one had another view and took a full ride as a finalist at a lower ranked school, which as parents we felt was very wise. She loves the big fish thing and gets a ton of opportunities. Child 1 fights for everything he gets on campus against an extremely talented general student body and a highly competitive pressure cooker acadmeic life…but he thrives in that. The national (even international)alumni connections and name for him have paid off greatly, I will say that. But the one at the lower ranked school is just fine too.
Curious @2sunny, what factors seem to matter to your child?
Yes, and she was posting about her experience. That rankings don’t help evaluate the specific program, the child has to ask relevant questions from the department to see if the school can accomodate their academic goals.
Her son visited several schools and came away with different opinions about where his goals would be supported and where not.
If the cost is not the issue, then he should investigate the nuances at each school and see which one would match his goals best.
@mommdc Yes AL is very generous with 5 years of tuition. The reason I mentioned how you feel when you choose the college, is that anyone in their right mind would know that it is MORE than just the Rankings… I clearly stated that we are looking for:
- Very Good/Great Computer Science, Good Co-ops, Job Placements.
- The reasons stated in number do NOT have to do with fuzzy feelings, but about the academic strength, which is why some people look at :
- the Academic Rankings or Numbers to Help NAVIGATE SO MANY POSSIBLE CHOICES
- Feel Blessed to Have Won the National Merit ! Yeah!! Congrats to ALL the FINALISTS who will now CHOOSE their PATH based on WHERE THEY want to go…
Actually rankings are not just based on “academic strengths” and don’t reveal a whole lot about UG teaching. Choosing a school is a lot more complicated than looking at the numbers.
@ReturningFavor Thank you! You just did me a nice favor by your SUPER NICE reply about
how it was very important for 1 student to do the Ivy, but the other s took the Full Ride. My son said he does NOT need an Ivy, but he THRIVES in academics which will CHALLENGE him. He won the Rensselaer Medal as nice option!
@Mom2aphysicsgeek I have stated MANY times that we are not choosing a college based on Ranking, only.
But a Resume with Carnegie Mellon, Princeton DOES LOOK VERY impressive. However, we do NOT need to be at IVY in order for S to thrive in CS…I said we look at Numbers to GIVE an idea of what to expect, before we go around visiting campuses. We actually look at many other factors, and the academic strength in CS is a MAIN FOCUS for what MY SON WANTS~
I have lived in Wisconsin, Minneapolis, and Denver, so many hours spent twiddling my thumbs in airports waiting for weather to clear. If there is ice, other weather, or mechanical problems, it is not going to matter if it is a direct flight or requires a plane change - if the planes aren’t leaving, they aren’t leaving. Or they aren’t arriving from some other place that is experiencing weather delays. If you are in California flying to Texas, you might still be delayed if your plane is coming from Chicago.
I have two daughters in school, and one is 2000 miles away and one is 150 miles away. MUCH easier for the one taking the airplane to get to and from school, especially for me (and really, it’s all about me and my convenience). The one in Florida gets a friend to drive her to the airport (about an hour away) and she flies home. My time invested in picking her up? About an hour for a round trip to my airport, and she does it twice a year. The one 150 miles away requires me to drive 2+ hours there and 2+ hours home. At least 5 hours. Weather happens for ground transportation too, and it’s almost guaranteed for a December pick up in Laramie, Wyo to have a white out on I-80.
My daughter goes to Florida Tech. I have no idea what its ranking is, and don’t care. It is a good fit for her even though there isn’t a direct flight. She’s not looking to be an astronaut, but if she wanted to be one, it’s not a bad choice even if it isn’t ranked #1.
If your son likes UK and it is the most convenient for you, by all means pick UK. Don’t pick it because it is only 5 hours by car if he likes another school more. The transportation issue is, overall, a small one and you get pretty good at arranging things after freshman year. I do wish I lived closer to my ‘2000 miles’ daughter because she plays a sport and I’d like to see more games. I’d like to attend some of her project demonstrations or presentations. However, I wouldn’t be able to travel 5 hours weekly, so 200 or 2000 miles away wouldn’t make much difference. Once they are outside about 100 miles, it isn’t possible to go to the school very often.
@twoinanddone Smiles! Agree so much about “If your son likes UK” ---- now that’s the KEY!
we will visit soon ! curious about his other Apps (will know in late March) Many are VERY hard to get in, so I am happy he put many safe choices.
@2sunny While having a resume from a top 10-20 school might look great on a resume, it is extremely unlikely that UTD, UCF, or any of the others are going to make a hill of bean difference.
68? 75? 152? Those rankings are not going to matter at all. If you want ranking to make a difference, it is going to have to be a tippy top name that matters. The rest…no real difference.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek Right, that is why it will be interesting if he gets IN to 1 of the TOP college that he applied to.
Then, we review the packages, & then we visit each one. We will know soon! We might even jump up & down, IF he gets into a “dream” school. 1 thing that intrigues me about UTD is the many Internships & job placements.
@2sunny, you haven’t visited any schools yet? Around here most kids make college visits Junior year and early senior year. How many schools did he apply to? You’ve only got two months and April is AP exams if he’s taking them. Have you planned you trips yet? Last minute air fare can get pricy especially around Spring Break.
You asked about the University of Cincinnati. We are local and my husband went there. I don’t have any experience with its computer science program specifically, but in general UC is well known for its fantastic co-op programs, which give its grads a foot in the door at lots of wonderful places to work. UC is not known for giving lots of merit-based aid to individual students. As far as I know, UC does not have a scholarship aimed specifically at NMFs, although I’m sure that NMFs are in the running for the few big awards that UC does offer. I’ve heard of two kids who have received full-tuition type of merit money from UC, but most kids I’ve heard of, even those with pretty high stats, only get $3K-$5K (in-state) there. As far as feel, UC is an urban campus with a variety of nearby off-campus housing and dining options. Walking around at night probably warrants the usual precautions, since campus is in proximity to a few sketchy areas, but during the day that’s not an issue. And, it is about 15 miles from the main airport, which is actually located in Northern Kentucky.
@3scoutsmom
@wustl93
Son was accepted in OSU (we visited) Also, visited a few others in Midwest. He applied to 21 colleges, so will be VERY interesting!!! so far, he has been accepted to ALL !! Planned trip to KY.
FL offered FREE airfare to recruit us!! (for 2)
Was accepted, and WON FULL RIDE to Cincinnati !!! (just pay for your meals, no big deal)
I am curious about the Co-ops at Cinci… I called them, and they are required, and they admitted that some students
may not find 1 in suitable area, or may have issues with the coordination (In the Dorm, then must leave… I think they said CS must do 3 of them… which could get tricky if you are acclimated to your Dorm… maybe I will get more INFO about the Co-ops and re-locating to various cities for THREE different semester…)
^ Ah, now you see why we look at many factors, w/many choices !
@2sunny Or people take an alternative approach and don’t apply to expensive schools. They apply to schools with top scholarships, arrive on campus and excel. They utilize every opportunity available on campus and seek out mentors to help them find additional opportunities. They graduate from college with zero debt and have fabulous post-UG options. Have kids that have btdt, doing it, and my high school sr will follow a very similar path.
College name and rankings has just not impacted our kids or their potential.
^ Won scholarship to Ohio University in Athens, OH (just pay Meals, dorms)
RPI in Troy, NY said most likely he will be admitted, since he won Math/Science Medal to attend.
Carnegie Mellon gives 2 separate Letters to various colleges. So, his chance is 5% Computer Science, and then around 20% chance to be admitted into very reputable Engineering dept. Nice discounts on various dorms
@Mom2aphysicsgeek Yes, zero debt is fabulous! where does your family go for college? Enjoy reviews