<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>I just finished my 3rd semester at Georgia Tech, where I was pursuing my undergraduate in Aerospace Engineering. I really enjoyed the academics, but there were just too many things I didn't enjoy. The school was massive, the classes unhelpful, the housing just awful, I eventually realized I don't like being that far from home, there was never anything to do besides studying (it didn't help that there were only like 10 girls that went to school there), and I didn't like the campus or surrounding city. I am going to miss my friends there though.</p>
<p>Either way, it eventually sank in how unhappy I was there. I ended up obsessing over my work, without ever having any real outlet besides watching a movie or hanging out in a friend's dorm room when there was time.</p>
<p>I'm highly considering changing my major to Computer Science, more specifically Computation Media (in hopes of getting into computer animation when I graduate). I took a couple of computer science courses when I was at Tech, and found I enjoyed them way more than any physics or math class. So instead of wasting time and money taking mostly Aerospace Engineering related courses this semester, I'm taking the Spring and Summer off and applying to schools for transfer in the Fall.</p>
<p>The only issue is, is that I'm short on time considering I only decided to take a semester off about a month and a half ago.</p>
<p>There are two schools I really want to go to: Cornell and Carnegie Mellon (the latter the most). Being optimistic, and hoping that both these schools recognize the difficulty of the work at Georgia Tech, I am somewhat confident that I could get into one of those schools with the 3.80 I have after 46 credit hours.</p>
<p>But, given the current economic conditions, money has become a huge constraint. I was receiving a lot of scholarship and grant money at Tech, which when piled on top of a public school's tuition, really settled well with my parents. I can't go back however, I just hated the school too much.</p>
<p>My question is, what are some schools within say 300~400 miles of NYC with **respectable<a href="I%20say%20this%20because%20without%20sufficient%20financial%20aid,%20I%20will%20not%20be%20able%20to%20afford%20private%20schools%20like%20the%20ones%20I%20mentioned%20earlier">/b</a> computer science programs that aren't too expensive.</p>
<p>Right now I don't have many ideas which scares me, because applications are due soon... and if I have any hope of getting teacher recommendations, I know it's in my best interest to act as soon as possible.</p>
<p>I was contemplating Columbia (banking on financial aid) or UMass, but again I have no idea.</p>
<p>Any suggestions would be incredibly appreciated.</p>
<p>And again, I'm just looking for a respectable program and not necessarily the highest ranked one out there. Oh, and also, I'm looking for a solid atmosphere and to escape the tech school atmosphere. I super mega loathe tech schools, haha...</p>
<p>Thanks anyone who responds.</p>
<p>*Edit:
Other credentials include
Lackluster standardized exam scores:
SAT I: 1830 (I forgot my Collegeboard info, so I can't remember what I got in each category)
High School GPA: 91, or a 97 if you factor out the 76 GPA I had freshmen year</p>
<p>And currently I am interning until August at RCM Technologies, where I am doing a lot of work in facility design (Mechanical Engineering related field).
Also, as far as extracurricular activities go, I have 40 hours toward a VFR lightweight, single-engine pilot's license.</p>