Positivity: suggest next-to-top CS schools for high scores kid

Parents Forum
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<p>How about University of Rochester?
<a href=“http://blog.enrollment.rochester.edu/blog/blog-admin/what-kind-of-scholarship-can-i-get”>http://blog.enrollment.rochester.edu/blog/blog-admin/what-kind-of-scholarship-can-i-get&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I know it’s not in the right area but I’d have him apply to University of Alabama (only needs a 3.5 and his ACT is already there for free tuition) . A former CC members son goes there and was a freshman this year in CS. Really seems to like it and has an internship this summer in California.</p>

<p>Also Georgia Tech if they can swing the cost. They don’t look at major when applying.</p>

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<p>If you balance the cost issue, the kiddo is probably going to have to travel…but maybe that is how you approach this - build the list from a safety to reach factoring cost. I don’t want to push Rose-Hulman, but it’s not a profile college which might help.</p>

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<p>UIUC, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maryland all have excellent CS departments. But for an undergrad, once you get beyond the really top places (which includes UIUC) which can be very special experiences,I think one can get a good CS education at most schools. I’d look for attractive schools based on other attributes, and then double check that the CS department is OK. There are a few surprises–like Tulane, which disbanded its CS dept-- and some LACs may have sparse offerings. </p>

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<p>How about Drexel or Northeastern? They’re well respected for CS and their co-op programs are great. Drexel gives great merit money. I’ve heard NU is getting tighter, but good money is still possible there.</p>

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<p>I think of Harvey Mudd as being almost as competitive as Cal Tech. (DS’s MIT alumni interviewer had been rejected by Mudd). But if interested in CA, how about Cal Polytech San Luis Obisco? </p>

<p>Tell us more about why he likes CS. Maybe any STEM school (or university) would fit the bill and give other related options. </p>

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<p>Are his APs in STEM courses?</p>

<p>My suggestions are UMD, UMBC (good $$ for STEM types, S1 has friends who did CS there and and got great jobs afterwards), Purdue, Pitt (apply early), RPI, RIT. He should consider places that are more than just CS-driven, esp. if he gets there and doesn’t like programming. He should understand there will be lots of math. Cal Poly – may be a tough admit for OOS. Agree with Wisconsin and UMich. </p>

<p>DIL started college as a physics major and wound up CS/math – had never programmed til college. Got excellent job offers.</p>

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<p>Case Western?</p>

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<p>Caltech admission rate last year - 13%. Same as Mudd. Caltech has slightly higher SAT ranges, but Mudd’s are very, very high, too. Stanford admit rate last year - 7%, so it is in a different class (the pretty much unattainable reach…). Don’t consider Mudd as anything but a high reach for any student, especially a boy.</p>

<p>Don’t know if he would consider Michigan Tech. I also agree that Case Western is a good suggestion. </p>

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<p>He probably won’t get into CS at CMU, he might get into straight engineering, if he gets A’s freshman year he might be able to get into CS then. In any event you can apply to multiple schools at CMU and then face the music when you don’t get into your first choice. (My kid made it easy refused to apply to anything but CS, luckily he got in.) I really don’t think Mudd is significantly less selective than Caltech or Stanford. UMd is a good suggestion - it’s very strong in CS. University of Illinois -Urbana-Champaign regular is in the list of top CS programs.</p>

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<p>CMU acceptance rate for CS this year was 6%. It is more difficult than any school except Harvard and Stanford.</p>

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<p>Any state flagship in the Great Lakes should fit the bill really. OSU, UMich, Purdue, UIUC, UW, UMinn. </p>

<p>The company I’m at pays very well, and the 3 schools they recruit from most heavily are Michigan, UIUC, and UW. I know all the big names recruit from Michigan heavily, and I imagine they do at UIUC and UW as well. </p>

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<p>Mr. Fang reminds me that I was mistaken about his programming; he is in fact programming. I don’t know what put that wrong idea in my head, because I just had a conversation with him about a program he was writing. So, that was stupid of me.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the ideas, everyone. More ideas are welcome.</p>

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<p>Given that the parents seem to be in denial about the costs, it would be wise if the student selected schools from these lists (with at least one of the automatic ones for a safety):</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/16451378/#Comment_16451378”>Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #300 by BobWallace - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums;
<a href=“Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #50 by BobWallace - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #50 by BobWallace - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums;

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<p>CMU is big on showing interest. If it is on his list, then visit, talk to professors, and ask the regional officer pointed questions that cannot be answered on the website. With a 6% rate, given his record, he has a shot, as good as anyone else.</p>

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<p>Next-to-top CS schools East of the Mississippi:</p>

<p>Illinois …~$42K OOS
Georgia Tech …~$41K OOS
Michigan …~$52K OOS
Maryland …~$40K OOS
UMass-Am …~$41K OOS
Johns Hopkins
Northwestern
Chicago</p>

<p>These fall (in rank order) within the US News top 40 for graduate CS programs. I’m not a big believer that graduate program quality necessarily trickles down to undergraduates. Chicago’s undergraduate program may in fact be superior to UI-UC’s, with much better FA. But at least the ranking gives you something to show an unrealistic, prestige-conscious applicant (and parents) as evidence that quality isn’t limited to the most famous private universities (<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings&lt;/a&gt;).</p>

<p>However, don’t count on the OOS public schools for much need-based aid. If the OP’s nephew qualifies for that, he’s likely to have better luck at the private schools. Or, have a look at merit scholarship opportunities. The following list is ranked by selectivity (though some, like Michigan, are out-of-order):
<a href=“http://www.thecollegiateblog.org/2012/12/09/national-universities-that-offer-full-ride-scholarship/”>Loading...;
If his grades aren’t too high, he’d have to go fairly far down in the list to be competitive. </p>

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<p>Yea, CMU is extremely competitive nowadays. I had a friend who was rejected/waitlisted by CMU, but accepted to multiple Ivy League schools.</p>

<p>I don’t think grad school rankings are very useful for an undergrad education, since undergrads in general are undecided about their majors - IMO, overall, a place like Chicago has a stronger undergraduate CS program than UIUC but the same is not true for their graduate programs.</p>

<p>One thing to keep in mind is that CS enrollment is booming, but college aren’t necessarily hiring more to keep up with that demand. This is apparently a huge problem at a lot of schools, including UIUC, where I’ve heard it’s extremely difficult to be a CS major unless admitted as a freshman (I’m not exactly sure how it works there), and even CS majors are having difficulty registering for CS classes. So it might be better to look for schools that aren’t “known” for CS.</p>

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<p>I would suggest USC(California) for possible merit aid. They may give half or they may not but at least there is a good chance if one applies before Dec.</p>

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<p>He sounds a lot like my junior son. ACT 35 with average ECs and decent GPA who wants CS.</p>

<p>We are in FL and are hoping for Georgia Tech. CMU is a tough reach for anyone.</p>

<p>He should also consider:</p>

<p>University of Maryland - College Park
RPI
Worcester Poly Tech
Lehigh
Bucknell</p>

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<p>I second the suggestion of USC, and he definitely should apply b4 Dec 1.
They are getting picky about admits though, especially in the engineering area[ which is where the CS program is housed] so showing interest in going to USC would be a really good idea, given the number of applicants expected[ over 55000 last year] . Any trip to LA should include a scheduled visit to USC and ian nterview, if possible. </p>