<p>lol about those cleaning posts. Our house stayed remarkably cleaner after S1 went to school!!!</p>
<p>Re: the students at SLO. Remember, this is the west coast. We don’t really do preppy here, except maybe further south in Orange County. So you can safely rule out that adjective there. I’d call the students friendly, non-cliquey. There is an international presence as well. I think everyone can find their niche. The other thing I’ve heard is that there are the “Aggies” and the “non-Aggies”, with “Aggies” being the students with an agricultural major. I don’t know any of those, but I guess they’re a population all their own in the redneck-who-drives-tractors type of way, if one listens to the stereotype. So in that sense there is a divide among the student population but it isn’t a big deal or a problem: more humorous than anything. </p>
<p>It really is a lovely campus in a great area. You would enjoy vacationing there.</p>
<p>If he does wind up attending, make sure he gets the housing application in early. I’ve heard housing is pretty tight.</p>
<p>gosmom, very true about graduation rates (at ALL California state schools). Plan on a 5 year degree, because classes can be hard to get. This definitely affects the cost of tuition.</p>
<p>Watch out for the fees too. They add considerably to the tuition cost.</p>
<p>Thanks, calla and gosmom. Yes, I was worried about the grad rates (see my post #5)- I think i read somewhere that 4 yr grad rate at Cal poly was only 26%! I was concerned about that for the UCs, as well, because the oos tuition for those is exorbitant. One could end up easily paying more than for a high level private school. I really wish my son could stay on the West coast. Thanks for pointing out that even kids with AP credit have a tough time getting out on time. I keep ignoring one facet or another at these schools because there really is no ideal match. Warmer weather would be nice. But I don’t think California is a likely destination.</p>
<p>Had a long talk with hubby at 2 am and everything is turned upside down again. He has trouble with the idea of sending DS to some of the places on the list (as in “I never really heard of that one” Or, why would we send him there when it is ranked so much lower than UW for CS). He only really wants to visit U Wisconsin. We’ll see. I’m giving myself a one-day break from this topic. Can’t really plan the trip if we don’t feel positive about the schools we are visiting. How fitting was the Zits comic from this morning?<br>
[Zits</a> ArcaMax Publishing](<a href=“Zits | Comics | ArcaMax Publishing”>Zits | Comics | ArcaMax Publishing)</p>
<p>It is not a bad drive from NY to Case. We live in in Nassau County not far from JFK airport/NYC line. I can’t remember how long…probably 7 hours, just a boring drive-straight down I-80 through PA. Cleveland is not too far into Ohio when you cross over the line from PA. From where we live, we make it to Rochester in about 6.5 hours and of course we have Jet Blue also. Older d went to Brandeis. The year she applied - Dartmouth, Cornell, Rochester, Brandeis, Carnegie Mellon, Skidmore and U Del as a safe school - consistently Skidmore was the coldest of all. It doesn’t get really cold anymore until December and actually Rochester has more of a real spring than Brandeis. Usually the semester ends just as spring is beginning around the Boston area. I thought Case was nice and an interesting school but younger d did not apply because for music the CIM campus was essentially being shut down for major 2 year renovation. The draw for her at Rochester was the music component of Eastman.</p>
<p>That is helpful, bookmama. I am originally from LI, but my son has grown up in Seattle. He still doesn’t understand the need to put on a jacket in the winter. I just think of Rochester as soooo cold and remote. It’s hard to imagine sending him that far, but I think the academics and students might be a good match. Actually, I think he would really love the environment at Brandeis, but it isn’t known for its CS and apparently isn’t really giving out merit aid anymore (if he would even have been eligible). Also, I think he should go somewhere where there is an engineering school-in case he changes his mind about CS. The few smaller places (Lehigh, Lafayette, Union, Bucknell) just don’t seem like a good fit socially for him and don’t have as distinguished CS depts. When we looked for schools for my DD, we looked at Skidmore and Brandeis, as well. I didn’t realize Saratoga Springs was so cold. That’s a really cute little town. She ended up going to B.U. And definitely got sick of the winters!</p>
<p>Computer Science at the UW is notorious enough to get a front page article in the Seattle Times about once a month. There are just very few slots, particularly as compared to the size of the school and the techie population. It appears that it would be very hard to take classes past intro if not admitted to the major. My take is that son of OP needs a school where being admitted to his major of choice was not such a crapshoot (but with worse odds). On WSU, D isn’t into CS, so I haven’t looked into their program, but if S of OP is not in the very top of the UW pool and would have little chance of being accepted into major wouldn’t being slightly above the pool with honors college admission be a better option in securing a spot in major? Other than that - OOS schools should be researched with the same %of applicants excepted to CS or seats in major per total population in mind or a smaller private with more assurance of course of study.</p>
<p>@momeleh:
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.</p>
<p>Based on what you describe I would put Case near the top. We only spent a day there but …
Our impression matches your description. It is a compact campus of 155 acres in Cleveland. While it is in city limits, the campus is defined and it does not seem intertwined with the city. The staff and students were welcoming and friendly. We definitely detected a slight bit of nerdiness. There seemed to be an element of intellectualism, genuine friendliness and the students said the academics are serious but its not too competitive. Case Western is known for giving out substantial merit aid. My d really liked the fact that Cleveland Circle and all the museums are just a step off of campus but the campus is defined.</p>
<p>Im sorry to add more schools to your list but, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute also warrants a look. Its near Albany NY and Im pretty sure it has the same elements you describe. We have relatives near there and walked through the campus many years ago. We are going to visit it this spring. </p>
<p>My d also visited Purdue (too big), Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh. Purdue is top notch but it felt too big to her. Both Georgia Tech and Pitt had a very different urban feel to her than Case. Lastly, Carnegie Mellon (CMU) in Pitt is another fabulous option. However, they just stopped giving out merit aid. CMU and Case are usually compared to each other (such as the write up for Case in the Fiske College Guide). </p>
<p>Feel free to PM me if you would like. We know 2 families who have students at Case. Lastly, I think its true that the Midwest has a really down to earth, friendly culture. Its one of the elements that my extended family comments on when they come to visit us.</p>
<p>My non-social comp sci son after a trip to California junior year refused to go on any more college visits till he saw where he was accepted. Is there any chance you could send him off on any of the further away places on his own? (Though I have to admit, I loved visiting colleges with my kids.)</p>
<p>You might also narrow down the list by looking for universities near airports with somewhat convenient and not exhorbitant air service from Seattle.</p>
<p>Remember, the ratings you are looking at are for the Graduate Departments of schools, usually, universities. Many LACs have great departments and do a wonderful job with job placement and getting kids in to graduate school. My son is at Swarthmore and says their CS department is great.</p>
<p>These schools are off the beaten path and I’m not sure how their CS department are but they are smaller schools that I don’t think have a drinking fraternity presence.</p>
<p>Colorado School of Mines, University of Missouri-Rolla, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Michigan Tech, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. </p>
<p>Other schools to consider include, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M.</p>
<p>Also although Lehigh has a drinking culture, they do have a sub free dorm and I think he could find like minded friends. There is a poster on the Lehigh board who has a S in the sub free community who has found lots of friends. He’s very happy there despite what the reputation is. Students there are serious about their studies and work hard.</p>
<p>We really liked Case Western. Nice school in the middle of the city, I think it fits what he is looking for. Can be cold and snowy though. My D really liked Rose Hulman also. Small, in the middle of a corn field. Really nice student body and their selling point is that their graduates get jobs. Expensive though. Too expensive for us as we had better options.</p>
<p>Going to second Colorado School of Mines - was going to suggest that - and also put up Harvey Mudd College for consideration. It’s a small LAC, and I’m not too sure about their merit aid - would depend on the kid’s stats, I suppose. I don’t know if anyone has suggested Carnegie Mellon yet, but you could hit that when you do Pittsburgh. There’s also Rice, Duke, Ohio State, and the University of Minnesota. UMN in particular is pretty cheap for OOS students - I think OOS tuition is around $16,000, and total COA is less than $30K for OOS students. May also want to consider University of Alabama - they give generous merit aid to OOS students, and Huntsville is a technology hub if he chooses to go to the Huntsville campus. Auburn is also known for great aid to OOS students.</p>
<p>I know that doesn’t help you in your dilemma about where to visit but personally, if I had to choose I’d visit the private colleges on my list first. If interest is considered along with stats for merit aid (and I don’t think it’s as big a deal as people may think - there are many ways to demonstrate interest, and I think most schools understand that many students simply can’t afford to fly across the country to visit all their schools), strategically those would be places you’d want to visit. Next would be universities that give merit aid to OOS students. I think someone already mentioned that Wisconsin doesn’t give much, so I might not bother going there. Same with Cal Poly and U-Mass Amherst.</p>
<p>I grew up in Atlanta and went to college around the corner from Georgia Tech, and I have some friends that went there. Atlanta is such a lovely city and so much fun for a college student; there’s a lot to do and a lot of cultural attractions, but it’s not overwhelmingly large like NYC or Los Angeles or something. Georgia Tech itself is not known for its crazy nightlife so if your son is not a drinker and would rather stay in his res hall studying - oh, he’ll find plenty of people doing that. The school is notoriously rigorous, and the kids there are definitely studious and nerdy. But because there are so many universities in Atlanta, if he does find himself wanting to party we often went to each other’s university parties, and it’s not like Georgia Tech students don’t have fun at all. Tech does have a bona fide campus, but some of it is kind of scattered in Atlanta and it definitely has an urban university feel to it.</p>
<p>Sorry I haven’t responded: I didn’t realize this thread got active again. Thank you all for your suggestions. We are going to visit Case and CMU on this trip, as well as a couple of others. I don’t think my son will have the stats for Harvey Mudd, though it would be a great place (except for the cost!). I will need to look into some of the other schools that have been mentioned here. Georgia Tech is definitely on our radar: I think we will have to schedule a visit there at some point if we can swing it.</p>
<p>I know your son doesn’t want urban, but if you’re visiting CMU you should swing by Pitt, which is just down the street. They do offer some merit aid, and though the big awards are very competitive, a smaller one could bring the school within your budget. Visiting also gets you a free application. Students can cross-enroll between CMU and Pitt, though I’ve no idea how it works for comp sci given CMU’s rep in the field. </p>
<p>When planning initial coming-up-with-the-list college tours for my kids, I looked at which schools considered demonstrated interest, and which schools were possible safeties. Anything that didn’t fall in one of those categories only got visited if it happened to be nearby. My two cents. :)</p>
<p>Yes, SlitheyTove, we are going to visit Pitt:) I actually chose that first, and added CMU because we will be there. I may be underestimating my son, but CMU for CS is a big reach, I think. I do know about the cross-reg. But, as you say, that may not be so easy to do for CS.<br>
As to which schools to visit, your approach is a good one. We had to start somewhere, so we are visiting a couple that seemed to express the importance of showing interest, and others because they are relatively close by. It would have been nice to be able to see more schools on this trip, but it was starting to get very expensive. When we looked for my daughter’s school (8 yrs ago) we were able to make a nice loop driving in the NE. My son’s possibles are so spread out that we really will not be able to visit too many. Nice tip about the free application for Pitt!</p>
but personally, if I had to choose I’d visit the private colleges on my list first. If interest is considered along with stats for merit aid (and I don’t think it’s as big a deal as people may think - there are many ways to demonstrate interest, and I think most schools understand that many students simply can’t afford to fly across the country to visit all their schools), strategically those would be places you’d want to visit. Next would be universities that give merit aid to OOS students. I think someone already mentioned that Wisconsin doesn’t give much, so I might not bother going there. Same with Cal Poly and U-Mass Amherst.</p>