Haven’t read all the posts.
But to answer your question about when to ask Penn about the gap year, usually you are supposed to do it before 5/1/15. My dd asked yale for a gap year. Yale preferred to know if she was taking gap by 5/1 so that they could plan, although they did say it was ok to let them know later.
So have your DS ask NOW from Penn about all of the gap year questions.
Ok, so what does that look like? Does he ask when he’s there? Just talk with admissions? What if he doesn’t have a definitive plan for the gap year yet? Or is it ok if he’s still formulating? Did your dd have a plan before 5/1?
First of all, a big congratulation to your son.
I agree with the other parent. With the health issue, I would keep him close®.
But I guess I am pretty protective of my kids (probably to the point of being detrimental to them)
Also, Cardinal Fang really knows his/her stuffs.
Yes, there are some math in programming but it is mostly applied.
I have the same issue in college. I really needed to study a lot to get an A in Calc.
But I did well on Boolean Algebra, Combinatorial Algorithm, etc.
(believe it or not, I did well in Graph Theory even though it is more “theoretical” as compared to “applied”).
If he got a B in Calc BC, he should do perfectly well in college. (I assume he did well on the Calc AP exam)
Unless he is going into Optimization (my brother does this - he is in Chem Eng but writes program), you should not need Calc in CS.
The other possibility is to get a BA degree in CS instead of BS (if it is offered at UCSD). My niece did this and I believe she has minimal “math” requirement.
By the way, one probably needs to pay some due in a game industry before he/she becomes a game designer/architect. However, CS is a very versatile field. You can have different careers with a CS degree.
And I don’t think we will run of demand for CS any time soon.
Thank you, @furrydog. I am protective of this kid; ok, of all my kids, but this one in particular. We’re homeschoolers, Christian homeschoolers, to boot, so I have definitely been the overseer of his education. Yet my oldest picked a college 3000+ miles away, and I agree with his choice because it was the absolute best fit. (I still miss him like crazy, but he’s happy) I want to give this son the freedom to move away when he’s ready.
I think I was settling into the idea of So Cal,still with the same concerns-finances and disabilities-when the Penn admission came. Totally threw us for a loop, particularly because it’s so much less expensive than the other choices. I was really bummed about UCI’s costs. It’s more than twice as much. It is worth the debt?
UCSD does have a BA in CS, but that’s not what my son wants. He wants to be creative. He’s enjoying Java and I think will do some more programming (probably take Python in the summer), but really likes animation. He writes stories. He draws characters and game moves. He analyzes games he plays.
I thought the UCI degree would be practical, and I think he was warming to the idea, but darn. The cost is more than I hoped. And they’re being much more difficult about appealing for aid. UCSD was easy-just sent them forms. I have to drive up to UCI and wait to see a f. aid counselor. That makes me concerned that they will not be easy to deal with.
If UCI’s degree was at UCSD, I think the decision would be to stay there…but it’s not.
I think of software engineering as creative, and math also as creative. But they might not be creative in the way your son thinks.
I love this blog post from a guy who knows about careers in game programming:
http://codesuppository.blogspot.com/2013/04/so-your-teenager-tells-you-they-want-to.html
I don’t know about going to state math competitions, but IMO a person who will be successful in the kind of programming required for game development is the kind of person who regards a tricky math problem as a delightful challenge.
I think I have read that before, but thanks for the reminder. I would guess the same might be true for animation/film, etc., though the author’s not addressing that specifically.
So something like this would require a lot of years of expertise in art/animation?
http://■■■■■■■.com/ks7by38
Seems there’s a lot of jobs listed on Linked In. It will be fun to just look at the various positions and let my son see what it takes to be competitive.
All I know is, with his spare time, he spends time with his drawing notebooks and writing pad, or on programs such as 3DSMax or RPG Maker and not programming.
He does enjoy tricky math problems such as are a part of Art of Problem Solving materials. He just doesn’t like doing hundreds of problems like he’s been forced to do this semester. He’s a slow, methodical, and deep thinking worker.
Thanks for giving me much to chew on and share with my son.
In your case, if Penn is by far the most affordable, I would see what can be done to make that work. Even given the restrictions and interests, he will probably come out of the experience with more doors open, and stronger support. On Penn’s behalf, it seems like they really want him and are doing what is in their power to have him attend. I would try to keep the communication lines open with Penn, and discuss the individual concerns to arrive at a workable plan that he sticks to.
You should take into consideration that the other institutions on his list are not in a position to offer as generous support as Penn, and therefore their ability to support him through the college process will not be as great. Of those choices left after Penn, I’d recommend UCSD for the best education. While the majors may suit him more directly in the beginning, I’m not under the impression UCSD would be able to provide as much individual attention, or financial support.
I’m a bit confused about how a Fine Arts major moves into an engineering program after freshman year. I don’t doubt that your son is qualified to do the Digital Media Design major, an engineering major, but engineering majors have so many requirements that I don’t see how a student could finish in three years.
Penn Digital Media Design has highest salary. Page 4:
http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/files/SEASCPSurv2014BASBSE.pdf
Op,
As for requesting a gap year, some colleges like H and Y encourage it and admitted students receive a letter talking about it and the deadlines soon after they get their admissions acceptance letter. I presume that penn is the same way since you already know what is the deadline for gap year notification. Your DS could call admissions or email them. He says that he is considering a gap yr and wants to find out what is involved in terms of deadlines etc. For instance, does he have to tell them by 6/3? Could he decide in July and still take a gap, etc. It’s better for him to contact them ASAP so that if the deadlines are firm, he can start looking into options. Takes a while to plan a gap yr. Dont worry, penn won’t take offense. It adds maturity and diversity to the class.
Cardinal fang,
Dmd at penn is an interdisciplinary degree combining CS and Fine art not eng and fine art, I believe.
Op,
My dd did not have a plan by 5/1 for her gap yr. but she did want to take one. So she asked them if it was ok to give final notice about the gap after the deadline and they said ok. She spent lots of time putting together a plan to travel and work abroad in 2 countries at a cost of less than $3k. In the end, she decided not to take the gap because I think she wanted to start with the rest of her class. But just the thought of a gap and knowing that she could take a gap made her decompress a little.
Oops, my bad.
Cross posted with Cardinal Fang.
I don’t exactly know how one would move into DMD at the end of freshman year, but, according to the DMD person,
“you can stay a Fine Arts applicant and you can apply to the DMD program at the end of your freshman year.” and “Each year we have students admitted to DMD from Fine Arts…”
It’s possible one could apply and not be accepted, so it’s not like my son would count in getting into DMD. It’s just something he might want to go for should he attend (and my dh thinks he should just stick with fine arts). Seems there are a lot of animation and digital design type classes in the fine arts course list:
http://www.upenn.edu/registrar/register/fnar.pdf
To clarify, my son has NOT taken any Calc AP exam. He’s only taking Calc I at the local community college this semester. He’ll take the Calc AB exam in May.
We’ll talk as a family this weekend before they go for a visit and make a plan as far as what to talk to admissions about, but yes, I guess it’s time to ask about the gap year.
I really, really appreciate all the input.
I know how fortunate my son is to have some excellent choices, but by his own words, it is stressful.
You don’t have to be in DMD. You can combine traditional CS, fine arts, and other modern CS subjects to satisfy your own interests. My D combined CS + cloud computing + user experience + fine arts for her degree. She switched to Penn SEAS/CS after 3 semesters in Penn CAS.
…deleted… My touchscreen is lousy.
@coolweather! I think my son needs to talk with your D! He would like to piece things together like that, I bet. He wants to do more modeling. In fact, he was lamenting the fact that he couldn’t take the third semester of animation at the cc. This is the description:
3D Animation III: Realism, Physics, and Particle Systems This course is an advanced study in realistic effects and physics systems for 3D modeling, game development and animation. Emphasis is placed on the use of advanced particle systems, physics engines and lighting to create photorealistic scenes and effects.
Would surely be nice if he did go to Penn and take a gap year, if he could take this class and continue to work on several projects (medical video game and programming for his insulin pump in Java) he has going.
He did just say to me that Penn seems to be his best option. But now he needs to communicate with the school.
Nothing’s a done deal until May 1st, and a lot can change.
Penn really sounds like the spot for him.
I agree for the most part, @Cardinal Fang. I was leaning UCI all the way, but with their cost being more than double Penn, and $1800 more than UCSD, I would almost lean Penn and UCSD despite the weird major. Things can change, right? I think getting good advising and support will be key.
@coolweather, I PM’d you.