<p>Why not send the kid to a school with a friendly, outgoing, accepting student body? It seems to me like putting him with other antisocial kids will just reinforce his antisocial behavior.</p>
<p>I never think of "nerdy" as antisocial. </p>
<p>From what I have read, the OP's child is funny and nice, but probably has interests which are narrower and more intense than the average high school student's. When you see five or six robotics kids hanging out as tightly as a bunch of football player jocks, you'll know what I mean. It's just that lots and lots of young men love sports, but perhaps not as many would like to discuss programming. When all the programmers get the chance to find each other, however, they have just as much fun as the lacrosse players.</p>
<p>The biggest reason people become friends is common interests. When your interests are not as mainstream, it makes it harder to find friends. It doesn't mean that you are any less social. You might seem less social, but that is only when all of the groups around you are interested in things which are not so much on your radar.</p>
<p>Might I suggest that a good working definition of "nerd" from the OP would be in order? The kids at my child's school all call themselves 'nerds', but they are far from anti-social! They are mostly just very interested math/science/languages/theater/history and not very interested in pop culture/mainstream sports.</p>
<p>Right on, SpideyGirl - you hit the nail on the head. I don't think of nerd as an insult at all but rather a descriptor - people with intellectual interests outside the mainstream. I'm a bit of a nerd myself! I don't think of nerds as anti-social, just less interested in the things that bind other kids their age - team sports, clubs, parties, pop culture, etc. Most smart people have a nerdy streak. (I'm also not insulting programmers by saying they are nerdy - some are, some aren't.)</p>
<p>UC San Diego lol</p>
<p>Many good suggestions offered here. You might want to consider other factors beyond the "nerd" quotient, competitiveness, and c.s. major. If you look at the Rochester schools (RIT and the U. of Rochester), you should consider size of school and housing options as well. Rochester is much smaller and has a compact and pretty campus. Most kids live on campus all four years. It might be an easier school to negotiate for your son. Also, Rochester has few gen. ed requirements which might appeal to him. The B.S. program in C.S. is challenging and time intensive, as I'm sure it is at other similar schools. Only about 1/3 of the students who start out in c.s. there graduate with that major. No matter how bright and talented your son is, make sure he has a good feel for the academic expectations of the schools he is considering. My son graduated from UR, loved it, and has a phenomenal job (praise be).</p>
<p>A few schools came to mind--Case Western, RPI and...has anyone mentioned IIT in chicago? Chicago is a great city, and there is plenty to do. The population of the school is intelligent but not overwhelming like MIT and there are a lot of great internships available. Also, what about Colorado School of Mines?</p>
<p>The replies made it sound like the kid was antisocial. My mistake. If he's not antisocial then, why are people recommending schools because they have antisocial students?</p>
<p>"Anti-social" isn't really an appropriate term for students who don't like huge parties. Some students are introverts, which means that they like to socialize, but not as much as other people do, and some students like to socialize a lot, only they may prefer hanging out with a few friends rather than a huge crowd.</p>
<p>UC San Diego, Earl Warren College. </p>
<p>This is written by a UCSD alum I know:
[quote]
Earl Warren: This is the college for all engineers and major geeks. Most of the computer science people I knew came from Warren. Because of that, there's not too much writing. Warren requires two Areas of Concentration, both non-contiguous (not related to each other or your major), which have to have upper-division courses, so that's kind of a lot to think about besides your actual major.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I actually thought of UCSD's Revelle College first because it also has a nerdy sciency reputation, but it apparently has a killer humanities course with a lot of reading and writing.</p>
<p>consider Earlham College--it's a great little liberal arts college, not so competitive, and the Quaker element makes it a very tight community--also good in sciences, I'm not sure about computers, but a school like that could be just what he needs. Beloit might also be worth considering.</p>
<p>Jetcat45: I have a couple suggestions for you: check out or buy the book by Loren Pope, Colleges That Change Lives. The descriptions of the schools in the book are really thorough in terms of the atmosphere of the school and what Mr. Pope thinks makes it so spectacular. You can probably find some schools in there worth exploring. My D chose one - it's a small college, most students live on campus, intellectual atmosphere (the students that choose to go there are very focused on learning and thinking), lots of 'per capita' resources for the students. </p>
<p>Also, someone said something about honors programs at the state colleges. Depending on the rigor required to get into the honors programs, that may or may not be feasible for your son. Also, we found that not all Honors Programs are created equal. Texas A&M has a program, but seems to have only two features: If you have the grade point to qualify, you can choose an 'honors' designated course, and you can choose Honors housing. Iowa State on the other hand has a robust honors program, with special programs, a separate building with resources for the honors students, honors housing, and a plethora of other features. Iowa State is a top engineering school with a lot of computer-related fields of study (little trivia: The first computer was invented there.), so there would be a lot of choices for his interest level there. But it's not in a warm climate, although the people are warm. :-). Guess you can't have everything.</p>
<p>I would DEFINITELY look into New College of Florida. I haven't researched it very much, but it seems like it would be a good fit for your son.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I would DEFINITELY look into New College of Florida
[/quote]
</p>
<p>NCF is indeed an interesting place, offering wonderful opportunities for close collaboration with faculty and for independent study. Great weather, too. (In fact, I just visited last month on a near-perfect 72-degree day.) It should definitely be on more radar screens than it is, but I don't see it as a strong match for a student focused on computer science. NCF students with interest in that concentration are encouraged to take some of their classes elsewhere.</p>
<p>See: New</a> College of Florida</p>
<p>My son sounds just like yours. Major nerd (but, then again, I'm a geeky dweeb, so what chance did he have? LOL). After an unhappy high school career (trouble making friends due to his obscure nerdy humor), he's happy as can be at U Rochester.</p>
<p>I posted earlier about Rochester, but would like to offer my perceptions of the student body. I don't think the "nerd school" rap is really correct, although kids who fit that label will find their niche there for sure. Rather, I'd describe the students as very accepting of all different types. Even the frat parties are open to everyone, so there isn't that exclusionary feel to the Greek scene. The students as down to earth, very serious about academics, but not hung up on prestige labels. One reason my son chose Rochester was because he didn't want to be with all techie types, and he ended up with friends from many academic disciplines. I really think the school is a gem.</p>
<p>I agree with you, Dylanaud. But, my son is a typical science nerd and UR is a great place for that sort of kid. He lives in a hall with theater, business, and English majors, none of whom are nerds like him and they all get along great. I think if Rochester had better weather, more people would flock to this first tier school.</p>
<p>Olin. It's free too.</p>
<p>I went to the University of Rochester my 1st semester of my freshmen year. I definitely agree that it's very welcoming and the students there are very motivated academically. (I only left because of the $$$) But if you feel your son would really fit best in a "nerdy" environment, I would recommend Rensselaer. I attended classes there last semester - it's a good school but not my "cup of tea." But then again...I passed up both the U of R and RPI to go to a community college....hmmm...</p>
<p>tl;dr the entire thread, but I think Reed College in Portland, Oregon would be a good school for your son. :)</p>