Hi all, some update and questions. D got antsy about applying CS to all the UC/CSU’s, has decided she really does not want to attend Sac State (too close to home), and is really nervous about the mental health climate at WPI (as am I).
So she put in a last minute application to Oregon State to hopefully have an option closer to home – and she was admitted with a WUE scholarship (still waiting for Honors College decision)! 
Thank you so much @Mountain22 and @eyemgh for all the good OSU info!
We drove up for Admitted Students Day this weekend and enjoyed the long scenic drive (though it was pretty uncomfortable when we accidentally stopped for gas in Yreka, “capital” of the “State of Jefferson”). It was much like @Mountain22 described – beautiful campus in a small town surrounded by rural communities. Cute downtown area nearby with shops/restaurants and more food options than I expected for such a small town.
Everyone was really nice, but it felt pretty empty and quiet for a large university, similar to other campuses we visited during summer break. It was President’s Day on Monday, but classes were actually in session, and Tuesday morning it still felt pretty empty. D doesn’t want a big school, but was hoping for more “energy” from the campus.
We did notice more students of color in the Engineering admitted student sessions as well as the Engineering building (couldn’t tour the building, but admired the beautiful exterior and first floor), and overall felt the students were more racially/ethnically diverse than we’d expected. But although @Mountain22 mentioned it, D and I didn’t really appreciate the gender disparity in engineering schools until we went to the Engineering session. They said the college has 22% female students (which we realize now is not that uncommon), and D was really disappointed to be the only female at the CS tables and mock CS class. She spoke with a nice TA who attended as an undergrad, who confirmed it was challenging with so few women, but that numbers were improving.
They did mention the higher # of female engineering faculty like @Mountain22 noted, so that was promising. I know some of the schools D applied to have better male:female ratios in their engineering schools, but except for WPI those are all reaches so we are now looking more closely at the Common Data Sets. It didn’t really sink in how a gender imbalance might affect her college experience and the trip was worth it just to get that consideration on our radar.
The other OSU concern I had was ABET certification. One prof described the “Applied” and “Systems” tracks the CS students can take, and noted only the Systems track is ABET accredited. Since my D is currently interested in the Applied track, should she be trying to attend a program that is ABET accredited in that specific area? Will it make a big difference for grad school and/or jobs?
Other good news – D was admitted to Pitt as a CS major in their School for Computing and Information (still waiting to hear about Honors College). Thank you again @James_West and @Mwfan1921 for encouraging her application, she feels so much better having some great options!
We are planning a visit to Pitt and WPI in April, and should hear from the rest of the schools before then. Thanks again everyone for all your help!
