^sorry, if the nephew is instate for PA then it is around $30k. He could also do the 2+2 program with a PSU branch campus.
@mageecrew - if you could swing it, I bet if you told your D that you could contribute another $1k or $2k a year for WPI, that would probably make it an easy decision for her. Of course - thatās only if you actually want her to go to WPI.
Heard another of those " High Stats kid getting rejected from almost everywhere" stories yesterday from a neighbor.
She had heard that my son was going to NEU and was surprised her S did not get in. Her son is a very good student( way better than my son) with very high GPA, good test scores and some good ECās. She thought he was a shoe in for some top schools. What she didnāt take into account is that he applied for Engineering, and this kid did has not shown any interest in engineering during HS by taking engineering courses or by pursuing any STEM clubs. He plays in several band things at a high level that take up his time and runs xc and track. So he was well rounded but maybe not passionate enough about engineering.
So anyways, after being rejected at about 8 different schools he did get into UMass and will probably end up there.
Makes me concerned about son19ās school search coming up. I never realized up until the last few months how competitive it was for ME and CS majors.
@jmek15 Purdue is going to be great for your son! Hopefully he just accepts it and embraces it and moves on. He should be proud for getting in there.
@RightCoaster ā I do think regarding engineering that many schools that admit students directly into engineering or computer science look for background experience/passion as well as grades/test scores. At a number of schools my son applied to he as admitted to his intended EE major. There must be schools though where students may start an engineering program without a significant background of experience but at least strong math & some physics. There are summer programs and a number of engineering type experiences students who are interested can do over summer too. And ECs at school would be helpful. Congrats to your son on NEU!! My son liked it on his visit - especially their CS program and the co-op offering are amazing!
@thshadow ā good luck to your D on a decision after her visit to RH.
@mageecrew Have you appealed to WPI for more FinAid? If not have your D email them and see if they can bump her package up.
@robNNN Did you appeal to Columbia to match Stanfordās FinAid package? My D appealed to them and they matched Princetonās - took them less than 24 hours to do it.
@RightCoaster my daughterās boyfriend is a good example of this, he was rejected nearly everywhere he applied. Top 5% of his class at a big, competitive public, 34 ACT, great ECās and essays, but CS major. He was accepted to UCIrvine, UW (not direct admit to major), U Mass Amherst, and NYU. He will attend UCIrvine and is very disappointed in his results. I think CS in particular knocks an applicant down several tiers on the schools available to them. He has several friends not quite as strong as he is academically, also Asian and trying to major in CS, that were literally shut out, getting in nowhere they applied.
Thanks @CA1543, did your son do any ECs related to EE in high school?
@socalmom007 yes, Iāve been following your story all along and that stinks for the boyfriend.
Iām hoping that a few of the ECs my son19 likes ( robotics and math team) might help him in terms of expressing an interest in ME. Fortunately, right now he has the grades and ECās to be considered, but needs to see how he does on sat/act.
Son17 got to take a look at the courses he is taking next Fall while abroad and seems happy. The Calc they have to take is a Calc for Business class, so hopefully itās easier than a full on Calc class. They also get to study some British Lit, and a Brit History/society class. I donāt recall if they have to take a science class, but I donāt think so.
I think the classes are more writing intensive based on their experiences in England. Doesnāt seem overwhelming, hopefully son can get off to a good start.
@Ynotgo, @snoozn, @carachel2, @mtrosemom, @thshadow, @curiositycat333 & others - chime in here if you have suggestions regarding students interested in CS or engineering major ā as to what they can do while in high school to help them as they look forward to applying to college for engineering or CS. I think it helps to get involved in school clubs and other opportunities, (if a girl - Girls Who Code); Code for America, picoCTF & and other similar events), USACO, ACSL. First robotics or other programs. Summer programs (Iād happy to send a list of some). Take free online courses. My son went to NY Maker Faire in 2010 and found his people and passion - he then has exhibited there several times (this year we are going to Cal. Maker Faire for the 1st time). Then he took a Standard free online CS course CS106A - we was 12) & loved it. Too busy to take CS at school due to taking science research, orchestra and Chinese so we found a strong online accredited CS AP course & he did well on the AP exam. He loves hardware, software, app building, cyber security, electronics etc. In addition to CS Club & First Robotics has done local app competitions and hacking type events. Also, through FBLA he has placed high in competitions such as Mobile App Development, Network Design, Computer Security etc. My son wants to double major in EE & CS - I guess he has done enough projects he can cite and did well in the Regeneron contest - though results came out only in January so no idea how much it factored into to college decisions. I also think showing interest in schools and getting to know what they particularly offer that is appealing to your child is helpful when any extra application essays, interviews etc. are needed.
Congrats @WhereIsMyKindle! Is your D the first official āGapperā in this thread or have I missed a few?
Amazing news!
Thanks @STEM2017 
Iām curious to know if anyone else will be taking a gap year (for whatever reason).
Congrats to your Dd @WhereIsMyKindle - and her gap year truly sounds amazing possibly life changing. Hope youāll come back later in the year and let us know how it going for her!
Ok, hereās a really dumb question from a really smart personā¦wait, reverse that, I think.
Do RAs typically get room AND board paid for by the college?
@STEM2017 yes!
@STEM2017 what RAs get probably varies by college. My daughter was an RA and she got room only, plus $500 a semester.
@CA1543 - I think to be accepted for a CS degree - and in fact no matter what degree you want - you should just let the kid follow their interests, maybe with some small proddingā¦
DD with her 3.4 UW GPA was accepted for CS at IU, Purdue, RIT, RPI, WashU, Rose Hulman, and Case Western. She was only rejected at Mudd and Olin. My best guess as to why she was accepted was that she was always fighting to get into harder classes (including fighting against me! 
) - even though they werenāt exactly her strengths. (e.g. AP USH, scraped by with a B, got a 2 on the AP test.) And I believe her recs talked about how she liked to challenge herself.
So she was a bit non-standard - but I would argue that every kid should have their own story. I was always strongly opposed to āplaying the gameā. And in fact I had 2 times where I went back on my strategy - and both times in retrospect I was completely wrong. (1. fighting against her taking e.g. APUSH - "just take regular history and get an A! Your UW GPA is already so low!!!, and 2. strongly encouraging her to join a FIRST robotics team for a season in 11th grade, which she enjoyed, but Iām sure had 0 impact on her app.)
So my advice would be - donāt bother trying to play the game. Thereās no "standardā that schools look for - and non-standard in whatever direction is probably a plus. And yes, maybe it will ultimately cost you at some schools, but IMO itās just not worth it to try.
OK, Iāll get off my soap box nowā¦
@thshadow and @Dolemite Thanks for the suggestionsā¦ In some ways, whether I mean to or not, I am leaning towards Pitt because it would be cheaper for us and it would be easier for her - she wouldnāt have to worry at all about money. Of course, with either choice sheād still work over the summer and Iād expect her to pay for her own extracurricular expenses (play money) during school. But, I think realistically we could come up with a little more to help her. My husband is more likely to dig in his heels with this, but I could probably sway him since he was really impressed by WPI yesterday. Also, I have talked to her about emailing their financial aid office, asking for more money. Sheās all for it, but I wanted her to wait until after this visit so that she was still really sure of it as a top candidate. Any suggestions on how to phrase the appeal? Is it ok to specify sheād like more merit rather than financial aid? Iām afraid sheād get a little more financial aid and then next year itād disappear. She has four full-tuition scholarships elsewhere - would that be off-putting to mention or a good thing?
Thanks!
@WhereIsMyKindle congrats. That Gap year sounds awesome! You sound thrilled <:-P 
On the gap year question, my son is almost definitely going to do one. As soon as he gets the college decision out of the way, then weāll make firm plans for the gap year (one big decision at a time!). For sure heāll do some sort of program in China for at least a semesterās worth of time (heās fairly advanced in Mandarin already, so if he spends a few months there, he should get to real fluency which has been a goal of his for awhile). As for the rest of the year, heās leaning towards doing a long outdoor program (like NOLS or Outward Bound), and then WWOOFing in Europe for next summer.
For those who donāt know about WWOOF, itās an international organization that matches up people willing to work for room and board with small, local organic farmers and the like. S isnāt particularly into organic/environmental stuff, but he is outdoorsy and thinks this would be a great way to spend some time in Europe in a non-touristy kind of way, and maybe pick up the beginnings of another language.
@CA1543 thanks for your response and info on the Maker Faire. Cool! Forwarding a link to son19 right now, that looks right up his alley. Iāve never heard of that.