@lkg4answers Is Cognitive Science closer to Neuroscience than Computer Science?
@whataboutcollege No, there are different emphases at different schools. I donât know what type of school he is looking at but the Cog Sci program at UCSD, for example, has 7 options. One is
B.S. in Cognitive Science with specialization in Machine Learning and Neural Computation http://www.cogsci.ucsd.edu/undergraduates/major/machine-learning.html
UC Davis has three options. One is with a computational emphasis: The Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Science with a Computational Emphasis includes courses from Philosophy, Computer Science, Linguistics, and Psychology. It requires a thorough understanding of calculus and computer science, while also giving a broad overview of Cognitive Science theory http://cogsci.ucdavis.edu/the-major/cognitive-science-degree-requirements
Here is MITâs program https://bcs.mit.edu/academic-program/undergraduate
Thank you! @lkg4answers Will have him look into this one!
@whataboutcollege My D18 is majoring in Cognitive Science at McGill. Their program has five disciplines:
Neuroscience
Computer science
Linguistics
Psychology
Philosophy
Students take courses in all five disciplines, but choose one area of emphasis. Dâs emphasis is Linguistics, but she is also on track for a minor in CS. So, in reality, itâs a Computational Linguistics focus. She really likes that she can change around her classes and even her emphasis without having to change her major. Itâs a very wide umbrella.
Each college that offers Cog Sci seems to have their own way of doing it. It is definitely not a standardized major.
@ShrimpBurrito Thanks!!! Does your DD have a particular job/industry/career in mind?
@whataboutcollege There are a lot of tech companies in Montreal. Itâs becoming a global hub for AI. She is hoping to intern with one of them soon (specifically dealing with speech recognition or language translation), and that could lead to a career there, assuming she wants to homestead in Montreal. She is also considering graduate school for Computational Linguistics. MIT and Stanford are her dream.
Very attractive, indeed!!!
D was a CogSci major (actually a double major with Psychology), at a small LAC with a concentrate-among-disciplines setup much like what @ShrimpBurrito is describing. Itâs a rich field, evolving fast, and many school do seem to be encouraging students to build their own paths through it.
@HarrietMWelsch would you mind sharing what college your D attended? Was she able to get internships and a job after graduation? My D is interested in the major but weâre not sure about job opportunities with just a BS.
Sure, @ebh87. (Also YIKES on my typo - obviously I meant âmany schools.â) She went to The Tri-Co school that is neither Bryn Mawr nor Haverford :), and she landed a job in a psych lab before she graduated. Not exactly internships, but she did research in conjunction with her professors starting the summer after her first year.
Also, at a lot of schools I believe youâd end up with a BA, not BS, with this major, but it could depend on the way you build it (what the concentrations are).
@HarrietMWelsch
When we toured Swarthmore, the info session was given by an AO and a current student, who is a very poised young lady majoring in CogSci, she actually is doing double major (CS) and a minor if memory serves me right. I donât know how she finds time to work on campus but it looks like she is doing really well. How does your DD like Swarthmore?
Could my worry about CogSci dabbing into lots of stuff superficially be a unwarranted concerns? @ShrimpBurrito
@makemesmart, my D really liked it (and so did S1). D did double major, as I mentioned. Sheâd taken a fair number of CS courses but ultimately her second major was psych. She worked on campus, too, as a grader, and an RA, and something else I donât even recall anymore. Plus she played sports. Somehow, she made it all fit. S1 also double majored, was a grader, and did a bit in the way of club sports. Very different kids, both happy there.
I believe there are both BA and BS degree options wherever Cog Sci is offered. The BA options tend to be more psych or linguistics and the BS options are more neurobio and compsci.
^^^^
For the record, at McGill, CogSci is in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. (They have a Faculty of Arts, and a Faculty of Science. A&S is interdisciplinary.) So, no matter your specialization, from Philosophy to CS, you get a B.A.&Sc.
@makemesmart
Check each programâs requirements. They usually require a heavier number of hours in one discipline, and a certain number of upper-level courses.
Letâs talk interships for HS students.
I have two kids in college, and for them it never crossed my mind that they should/could intern while in HS. S20âs private HS, however, is starting a new program this year. Juniors and seniors do not have classes this week; instead, the students are all doing independent internships. Along with advisors at school, they identified what interested them and communicated with potential hosts to set up a week-long internship. My S is spending the week with an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine. (This is Sâs dream job.) Itâs only Day 2, but I can already say this has been an insanely valuable experience! It helps that he hit the jackpot with a generous host who is eager to advise and mentor my S. But also, sending the appropriate emails, doing all of the paperwork, and going outside his comfort zone in this way are all new experiences that I think will serve him well.
@ShrimpBurrito That sounds like such a great opportunity!
So questionâŠI ran the Net Price Calculator for Duke, and itâs telling me my remaining cost after scholarship, work study, and loans, is higher than my EFC. How can that be? And it doesnât look like it took into account that I am already paying my older childâs tuition.
@chb088 Sounds impossible. Duke meets need, although they may do it with loans. Your COA should not be over you EFC, but how did you determine your EFC? I assume Duke uses the CSS PROFILE, so maybe they consider your EFC to be different than you do? But, with 2 in collegeâŠsomething definitely sounds fishy. So many things could be going on, I would check my numbers first. And, you DID use the actual NPC on the Duke website? Not one from another website?
Yep used the Duke website. And I have EFC from FAFSA that I filled out because I already have 1 in college. My EFC is $55k (thatâs for both kids, right?) and Duke website says COA is $61k. I was thinking that Iâd pay $55 less the $23 I pay for S18 so I am confused.
@cbh088 Unfortunately that is not the way it works. The FAFSA EFC is a pretty meaningless number except for a few things: determining Pell grant eligibility, FSEOG (extra funding for those living in poverty) work-study eligibility, and subsidized or unsubsidized student loans.
There is no single simple answer as to how schools distribute aid. Schools that donât meet need may do nothing more than distribute student loan/parental loan/state and federal grant $$. What a family pays there has absolutely zero reflection on what their EFC is.
For schools that meet need, they all have their own unique proprietary formula. How they treat familial residence is all over the place. Some do not consider it at all. Some cap the equity at 2.5 of income. They all add back in any contributions to retirement accts as available income. How they treat student assets varies. But, none split a FAFSA EFC 50-50 and say, voila, this is your parental,contribution. The best inaccurate avg would be 60-60 of their calculated parental contribution.