Need Help With College Selection

College Search & Selection
1

I’m currently a senior in a relatively small high school in NJ. I’m currently interested in taking Computer Science in college and I’m wondering which schools I should consider applying to. I don’t know what I should post and what is considered unnecessary information but here goes:

***Personal Info:

  • Male Asian American (Chinese). Can listen and speak Mandarin but can’t read/write.
  • In a family that is in the middle class (Mother works in Post Office, Father works for a chinese-owned storage company.)
  • Not really that social. I have a few close friends but I don’t usually go out a lot. Not a party’er. I usually stay home most of the time (When I’m not doing homework or studying, my usual form of entertainment is computer games. I also watch a lot of anime.)

***Academics:

  • (Superscored) SAT: 720 Math, 680 Reading, 670 Writing. I retook the SAT this October and I’m waiting for those scores to come out.
  • (Weighted/UW) GPA: 4.56/4.0 Can’t really say how accurate for the UW but my guidance counselor says its around there if it was UW. My school has a weird grading system that doesn’t do UW GPA.
  • Class rank: 2 out of 219 (As of the end of my Junior year)
  • Grade 9: Took all the honors courses that were available to me like Honors English 1, Honors World History, Honors Geometry, and Biology 1 Honors. There were no AP classes available to freshmen.
  • Grade 10: Took all the honors courses that were available to me like Honors English 2, Honors US History 1, Honors Algebra 2, and Chemistry 1 Honors. In addition, I took the only AP class available to sophomores which was AP Comparative Government and Politics.
  • Grade 11: Took all the honors courses that were available to me like Honors English 3, Honors Trigonometry w/ Precalculus. In addition, I took AP US History, and AP Biology.
  • Grade 12: Taking English 4 AP, AP Statistics, Computer Science AP, AP Calculus, Physics 2 Honors, and Project Acceleration Finance and Economics.

***Extracurriculars:

  • Member of National Honor Society
  • Member of Varsity tennis
  • Member of Math League (Participates in Math Competitions in NJ)
  • Member of Chess Club
  • Was a Member of the Robotics club (Quit after 1 year because it was very unorganized)

***Awards:

  • Honor roll every term since freshmen year.

***My thoughts:
I don’t really want to graduate college buried in debt. Yet, I don’t want to go to a college that no one knows about either. For the most part, I’m most likely going into Computer Science; I spend most of my day at home in front of a computer whether it be surfing the web, looking up information to help me on my homework, or just relaxing with my friends via Skype and playing computer games so I’m comfortable in front of one. I also find my Computer Science AP class this year to be interesting so far.

I want the college that I’m going into to have a pretty decent Computer Science course. The college also has to be financially viable to me as well as possible for me to get into, considering my academic achievements.Of the colleges, I’ve considered Rutgers, Stevens Institute of Technology, UC Berkeley, GA Tech, UMich Ann Arbor, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Out of all those colleges, I think Rutgers is the most viable for me considering that it’s much cheaper with the instate tuition than the other colleges. I have heard that its academics are pretty decent but I don’t know how reputable the Computer Science course is at Rutgers. A quick google search shows that it’s CS program ranks #34 according to US News. It also ranks #14 in terms of the salary that CS graduates earn according to Payscale. I don’t know how accurate or how much these ranks should affect my college choice. That said, the main thing about Rutgers that is worrying me is the fact that the college focuses so much on sports that I can’t help but wonder what the future of Rutgers will be like; its academic rankings have been slightly decreasing over the years which really worries me.

The other college in NJ is the Stevens Institute of Technology which is a private college with a MUCH higher tuition fee than Rutgers. I guess the reason why I’ve considered this is because it is so close to NYC and has excellent job opportunities. I’ve also heard that they give out large scholarships which eases the tuition somewhat. However, the CS ranking is the lowest out of all the schools I’ve listed.

UC Berkeley, GA Tech, and UMich Ann Harbor are all public schools with really high ranking CS programs. Those schools also have pretty low acceptance rates(at least when compared to Rutgers) which means that I’m not sure I’ll be able to get in with my Academics. They are also all out of state which means the tuition will be expensive unless I try to get residency (Still not sure how residency works. Could anyone clarify?).

I don’t really know much about Carnegie Mellon except that it has a very good CS program and is really hard to get into. Reach school for me.

I’ve also read about something known as Brain Drain which affects NJ the most. I don’t know how important this is or how much it should affect me.

With all these things considered, what colleges are most worth it for me? Are there any colleges with good CS programs that might be viable for me that I missed? Any help would be appreciated!

2

The only affordable one on your list is Rutgers – Berkeley and Georgia Tech won’t give aid, and you won’t be able to become a resident for tuition purposes (how that is can vary by state/university, but that’s what you will face with those two).

I think Rutgers would be a great choice for you. Don’t worry about the “sports” culture – you don’t have to be a sports fan to attend a university big on sports, but you do benefit from school spirit at a place like that, and a strong alumni base. Speaking of… there will be more alumni of Rutgers than a small place like Stevens, to connect with for potential jobs. Don’t worry about Rutgers ranking trends either, as that shouldn’t be a factor in your choice of colleges.

If you want to be in NYC, check out CCNY - City College of New York. It’s one of the CUNY’s and has a strong Computer Science/Computer Engineering program, plus relatively low tuition and possibly some scholarships.

http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/compsci/about-us.cfm

3

I would also consider TCNJ, which is as good as if not better than Rutgers. I know nothing about how they are for CS though.

4

"I don’t want to go to a college that no one knows about either. "
I would not use that as a litmus test who is “no one”?

look at texas a and m
or university of pittsburgh if you do not mind big schools…but perhaps
laffeyette college ( competitive to get in) maybe more easy to navigate or bradley university a medium size school with computer/engineering/science .

“I’ve also read about something known as Brain Drain which affects NJ the most. I don’t know how important this is or how much it should affect me.”
I think you are referring to the concept people from NJ leave to greener pastures when they can, it relates to opportunity, taxes, cost of living, quality of life etc… it is not unique to NJ it is common in many areas in the northeast. places like austin,tx…fort lauderdale/boca raton, the research triangle in north carolina and a few other areas get many of those people leaving. you can choose to stay or go…it is a personal decision.

5

I would consider TCNJ, as strong academically as Rutgers (perhaps stronger), and much less emphasis on sports, as well as NJIT. Apply to the Honors College at all.
Based on your self portrait, I’d consider RPI, RIT, WPI, perhaps Rose Hulman and Illinois Institute of Technology if it’s not too far.
Lafayette and Lehigh may offer the best financial aid and would be good fits for you.

6

academic requirements for admission to TCNJ are higher as is the course work harder.

7

Rutgers has a good Honors program which would make the RU experience more personal for you. Their presidential scholarships are also quite attractive. I went there (a long time ago) and had a very positive experience. Never attended a football game.

U of Alabama has good merit money for OOS students calculated according to GPA and test scores. Depending on how you do on the second try of SAT, you might be eligible there.

8

TCNJ also has a honors program with merit typically attached. Its a small school with 13-to 1 student/prof ratio and just about ALL classes are fully taught by faculty not TA’s. Very personal and there is plenty of D3 sports to enjoy as well as club if you want , but its not over the top like at D1. New England type campus similar to many NESCAC schools and the brand new campus town. Also have started to build brand new stem facilities. Worth a visit.

9

Hey guys, thanks for all the replies!

I notice that a lot of you have stated TCNJ as a pretty good alternative option to Rutgers as it is also instate. However, upon doing some quick searching on the internet, I’ve read several comments that have stated that as far as Computer Science is concerned, Rutgers beats TCNJ by a long shot. Rutger’s CS department is larger and more active in addition to having more available resources. Also Rutgers seems to be much more well known than TCNJ and has a larger alumni network, making it easier to find jobs upon graduating.

I don’t want to entirely bash on TCNJ though. It’s education program is apparently top-notch and I would most definitely consider going there if I was to major in Education. However, as the case stands, since I’m going into Computer Science, my reasoning is that Rutgers is the better deal because of name recognition and better CS Program.

I might be entirely wrong though but that’s just my opinion. Any more suggestions/advice are welcome!

On a side note, I’ve read comments about honors programs in Rutgers as well as TCNJ. With my academics, what is the likelihood that I would qualify for either of those? What about potential scholarships? (I don’t need exact numbers, just rough estimates would be fine.)

10

I would seriously give Stevens a hard look, especially if you improve your SAT math score and they reward you with a generous scholarship, it’s a solid CS program.

11

You’d have a shot at Honors at both. Of course, since they’re very selective, no one can guarantee you anything, but it’s definitely worth it for you to apply.

12

you should also give Cooper union a try. Very tough to get in and stay in but even without a so called dedicated CS major its graduates have gone onto to extremely impressive careers in the field. And everyone gets 1/2 tuition scholarship.

13

BTW TCNJ is ranked in top 50 for computer gaming majors. Also top 20 in accounting, top business program in the state ranked at 63 nationally. In addition to a top ranked health science school, ed school and Stem program especially the chem programs and pre-med 7 year program. In otherwords much stronger than just an education degree school. Much.