Please, please help me figure out college trip

Parents Forum
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<p>My eyes are bleary. I am exhausted from making lists comparing schools and trying to figure out travel plans that will generate meaningful information without breaking the bank. Any help here will really be appreciated.</p>

<p>The situation (my apologies to those who have heard it before): My son wants to major in Computer Science. If he could get into that major at the U. Washington (home state school), he would be happy to go there. But, admission to the major is tough and would not be determined until after he has beet at the school and completed the prereq courses and application. The crux of the problem is that we don't know what we will do if he is accepted at UW: have him give it a shot and, if he doesn't get into the major, transfer to another college? Or consider other schools now where he pretty much is guaranteed to get into the major once accepted to the school? Transferring seems brutal-especially for a kid who is not Mr. Social. So, we are looking at alternatives. But this time 'round, we are not willing to pay full-freight private. So, the privates listed below would have to come with some merit aid.</p>

<p>The schools on the radar are U Wisconsin, Rochester, Case Western Reserve, U Pittsburgh, Purdue, U MD, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, U Mass Amherst, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Quite a range, I know.</p>

<p>We live in Seattle, and can't possibly visit all. Frankly, my motivation is not so great, given that my son very well could go to UW, if accepted. I don't drive highways. So, it really means that DS and DH and I all need to go. (won't go into those issues here) We were planning on seeing U Wisconsin, Rochester, Case and Pitt, with a combination of planes and driving. But, it is looking like this is going to cost upwards of $3000 for basically a 4-day trip. I know that seeing a campus can give one a feel for the school. I also have been through this before with an older child. And I'm not sure it would be worth this much money for a few info sessions and tours. </p>

<p>So, any thoughts you have on the merits/drawbacks of any of these schools, which ones you would visit, etc would be really appreciated. I know that the privates often gauge interest as part of admissions and scholarship decisions. OTOH, it might be nice to visit after some of the admissions decisions are in hand. Also, do you think that it is worth choosing one of the tech places to visit (as we are not really familiar with what that environment is like)? </p>

<p>Really, i am usually a very decisive person. But i feel like i have been going in circles here for weeks...</p>

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<p>I’m an alum of Univ of WI (the OTHER UW!) who now lives in your neck of the woods, in Eugene. Some thoughts:</p>

<p>WI is a big school, like your UDub. I liked it, because paradoxically the size allowed me to feel like I could be whoever I wanted to be, but it might feel impersonal and huge to some. Some intro level lectures will be huge, but class size will improve as he progresses.</p>

<p>The Greek system is sizeable, but in comparison to the number of students doesn’t feel that way, so it would be a plus if he’s interested and a non-factor if he’s not. The campus is very spread out, and the Comp Sci part is in the less pretty part, if that matters. The campus is on an isthmus, between two lakes, which makes it one of the prettiest in the world imo, but again, it’s big. Dorm life will be teeming with students, which can be good or bad. There is a big outdoors club, which is a good way to meet people. There has historically been a big party reputation, but you can be happy without partying. Sports is big. If he doesn’t like Comp Sci there are a myriad of choices of majors, just like any big research U. It’s far away from Seattle. </p>

<p>It’s a big school, and probably won’t know if you don’t visit. You might want to wait on a visit. Flying in and out of Madison isn’t cheap or easy, and if you don’t like driving highways, you won’t enjoy driving from Milwaukee (though it’s not difficult, just boring). </p>

<p>Let me know if you have any other questions about WI. Good luck!</p>

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<p>I’m probably not a whole lot of help here, but here goes: I would not fall in love with UWisconsin since they won’t offer much in the way of merit aid to OOS applicants. Cal Poly SLO is probably harder to get accepted to than UW (in-state). Since you are a WA resident, what about WSU? You may also want to consider Oregon State and Arizona State.</p>

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<p>Wait on the costly ones to visit. See where he gets accepted and where the money is and then schedule the top 2 or 3. And let him pick the top 2 or 3 to visit after the FA packages have come in.</p>

<p>And the above poster is right about Cal Poly SLO. And I might scratch U Mass as well. You have many other choices, especially as an OOS.</p>

<p>Kat</p>

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<p>jaylinn, thank you for your perspective on Wisconsin. While a few friends have suggested my son might prefer a smaller environment, it seems that the really good computer science depts (that he could get into) are in larger universities. He seems quite sure that this is what he wants to do, and it sure looks that way. I actually visited Madison years ago when looking at grad schools, and thought it was a really nice college town. i feel like the culture there (other than the drinking rep) will be comfortable (ie with regard to liberal politics and the fact that there is a fairly large oos population). He might actually like a dorm life that you describe- it’s hard to know at this point. I guess i have assumed that it is overall pretty similar to U Dub, so perhaps we could wait for a visit. it might be that my son needs to see a small school for comparison.</p>

<p>jshain, thanks for the merit aid tip. I guess I am resigned to paying in the mid 20s for an oos public. I think we are not willing to pay what is approaching mid-30s- even for schools that we might have liked to consider (U Michigan, UCs, for ex). I think my son has the stats to get into Cal Poly. Do you know anything about the school? It seems to have a VERY low 4-yr graduation rate-even for an engineering-oriented school. I have seen Oregon State and Arizona state listed as decent in cs, as well. Any insights on these? WSU is not really a match for my son- academically or socially, I think.</p>

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<p>My son went to the University of Maryland and majored in computer science. They have a good computer science department, and he was pleased with the education her got there. </p>

<p>However, out-of-staters from the other side of the country are rare. Most of the out-of-state population comes from New York and New Jersey. </p>

<p>I wouldn’t think that a student would have to travel that far to find a good alternative to the University of Washington for computer science.</p>

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<p>Why are you getting bleary eyed? Have your son do all this research if he actually cares</p>

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<p>katwkittens, scratch cal poly because it is hard to be admitted or for other reasons? Yes, I find it hard to imagine sending my son across the country for UMass, but it does have a very highly ranked CS dept. And i guess I am really worried that he might not get in anywhere, so that was sort of a safety. Although I am not sure how to gauge a safety for oos publics.</p>

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<p>Marian, you make a good point- ie if my son might feel like a fish out of water at MD. I am originally from NY, so U MD doesn’t sound as far away as Purdue to me :slight_smile: Also, there are relatives in NJ. U Wisconsin is probably first choice for an oos public. Distance is not really a factor since once you have to get on a plane for some of these places (and none seem to be direct flights), the cost and time are fairly similar. And I want to make sure that there are enough places to apply in case admissions come with some surprises.</p>

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<p>If you look at U MD forums on CC- they gave pretty terrible OOS merit aid this year. May be another reason to not go there. </p>

<p>What kind of school does your son want? Large, small? honors programs? City or rural? </p>

<p>What else is he looking for?</p>

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<p>Hi Mommeleh,
Cal Poly SLO is a very good school, with a small feel. My somewhat awkward niece went there and loved it. In fact, everyone I know who has gone there (maybe 20 students or more) has been very happy there. It is true that admission is difficult, but it is not impossible. Tuition may be a problem, as it would be OoS for you. I have heard complaints that in-state students are missing out because more OoS students are being accepted to help counter the budget cutbacks. Whether this is actually true, I don’t know. I don’t think “interest” would be a factor in admission there, so not necessary to visit for that reason.</p>

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<p>Since you are price sensitive, I would caution against U Rochester. Although they have a good reputation for merit dollars, the COA is extremely high. If you look at the merit threads, typical awards are in the range $10,000-15,000 (there are a few competitive awards that are much better). Extrapolating from past increases, I estimate that even the high-end $15,000/yr. merit award would leave U Roch just a hair below $200,000 for four years.</p>

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<p>^^^^This for Cal Poly SLO. Daughter went there many moons ago and also enjoyed it. But it has gotten increasingly harder to get into. If you feel your son has the stats, have him apply. But again you might wait on the visit until he is accepted.</p>

<p>Kat</p>

<p>SLO can be harder to get into than most of the UCs</p>

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<p>vlines, when i have tried to get my son to express what he is looking for, I don’t get much back. He has mentioned a few times that he might like a smaller school. That is why I think we should look at a couple for comparison. He also wants a bona fide campus (ie not like BU where city and campus flow together). He wants a good CS dept. I think he will be most comfortable at a school where frats and drinking do not dominate (scratch Lehigh). When I think of the types of kids he would be most comfortable around, I think serious students, somewhat nerdy. The population of kids at places like Rice and Harvey Mudd would be good matches. But those schools are academically out of his reach, I think. I have said we need Harvey Mudd light.</p>

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<p>calla, katwkittens, thank you. How would you describe the types of kids at Cal Poly? I think my son’s stats are at about top 25% of students, so presumably he could get in? </p>

<p>Mister K, that is important information. I feel bad because we paid for a private for my daughter. But the increase in tuition since she went is so substantial. The idea of paying a quarter million dollars for an ug education is just too much to stomach. And a fifth of a million aint great either!</p>

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<p>Gonzaga has a computer science program- so does Western. Not at the level of UW or Cal Poly, but probably worth checking out.</p>

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<p>Anyone have informed impressions of Case Western?</p>

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<p>My daughter graduated from University of Rochester although not in computer science. We did visit Cleveland to see CIM (Cleveland Institute of Music) adjacent to Case Western and liked the school. Also visited Pittsburgh to tour Carnegie Mellon. I don’t see how you can visit Wisconsin, Case, Pitt and Rochester in 4 days whether you combine driving and flying and the time to tour each campus. We did a four day trip just driving from NY to tour Oberlin, Case and Carnegie Mellon.</p>

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<p>bookmama, I guess it was more like 5 days- and mostly flying. But maybe I am underestimating wait times. How long did it take to get from NY to Case? We have a wedding in NJ in the summer, and might be able to tack on a trip then.
U Rochester sounds appealing with regard to size, academics, student population. It does seem very far away, very expensive, and VERY cold, though.</p>

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<p>Just saw your post, emeraldkity. Western’s CS is pretty meager, I think. And we are not looking at any schools with religious affiliation. But, thank you.</p>