@Much2learn:
What are other options?
It would be extremely difficult to transfer to CS at UIUC. Difficult, but not extremely so to most other engineering majors there.
In PA, PSU/Pitt/Temple are state-aided, which means that the state gives them some money but the unis have a lot of autonomy in setting policies.
@PurpleTitan “What are … options?”
Public: UIUC, Wisconsin, Purdue
Private: Lehigh, Case Western, Northeastern
I see. All cost more than UIUC, I reckon?
Though you may have gotten merit money at some.
AP credits could be used at all, though.
This is probably the lesser of evils compared to letting more students into the major than the department has capacity to instruct, resulting in delayed graduation due to not being able to get classes (which is probably claimed a lot more often than is actually true).
However, the capacity management of majors can be done in different ways, some of which are more of less favorable from a student’s point of view.
a. Admit directly to the major, so that the student knows whether s/he is in the major before s/he decides whether to enroll. However, this can mean that changing majors to another popular major is difficult, since the only spaces left besides those reserved for incoming transfer students are those opened due to attrition.
b. Admit to general admission or pre-major status, but admit to the major by GPA or holistic admission process that students have to apply into later. This may be more desirable for students who prioritize the school over the major, and have other majors that are not competitive admission that they are willing to do. But it is less desirable for those who prioritize being able to do the major.
c. Combination of the above. Some schools admit some students directly to the major to fill a portion of the spaces, but others to general admission or pre-major status to compete for admission to the major later. Some schools do (a) for some majors or divisions, but (b) for other majors or divisions.
@PurpleTitan “I see. All cost more than UIUC, I reckon?”
Yes.
@PurpleTitan “Though you may have gotten merit money at some.”
Yes, but that isn’t driving the decision.
@PurpleTitan “AP credits could be used at all, though.”
Yes, you are correct on all counts!
When we began this process, she was strongly leaning toward choosing among the public schools, but as we have fleshed out the details, that has completely changed and now she is strongly leaning toward more flexible private schools. I suspect that many other people are having a similar experience.
I understand the realities of state budgets, but it is too bad to see this happening to such great schools.