Hi , My daughter got admission in Rutgers ,Stevens , Rensselaer, Drexel for computer science.
Any suggestions on choosing from these colleges, advantage disadvantages
Thanks for your inputs
Admission was for Bachelors in computer science
Net price at each, and does it matter relative to what you can pay?
There are some scholarships , so I think I can afford them.
My concern is about course, curriculum rigor , assistance for kids to succeed, job opportunities while and after graduating.
Better make sure that you can afford them before the student chooses one and then you find out later that it is unaffordable.
Drexel is a co-op focused school, although optional co-ops can be done at many other schools.
Beyond that, the student should consider things like what upper level CS courses are offered, and what the requirements for the CS major and general education are at each school.
https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/ can help show pay outcomes for recent graduates (who received federal financial aid) by major from each school (if the sample size is large enough).
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In addition to @ucbalumnus i think you have to see the fit. Rutgers a large flagship. Football and all. Drexel in city. Stevens small. Great placement. RPI renowned. But one sided. And then there’s a gender imbalance at two.
All four will set your kid up right. Which is right for him ?
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Assuming they are all affordable I’d go with fit.
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Hi, what do you mean by one sided about RPI
Hi , sorry for my ignorance, what does that mean by co-op focused school.
It means that co-ops (extended job experiences compared to summer jobs; intention is for them to be related to major and post-graduation goals) are an expected part of one’s schedule. See Computer Science BSCS < 2023-2024 Catalog | Drexel University for examples. Note that 12 quarters (4 academic years) worth of course work is spread across 5 instead of 4 calendar years in the first example. The second example is closer to a more traditional 4 year program, but includes a summer schedule of course work because a co-op job is assumed in one of the spring quarters continuing to the summer quarter.
Northeastern and Cincinnati are two other co-op focused schools.
Many other schools do have formalized optional co-op programs.
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Meaning Rutgers is a major university. You want to major in or be around kids in nursing or history or women’s studies or Hospitality Management, Rutgers has it. Big 10 sports - Rutgers has it.
RPI is mainly a STEM school. Yes, it has some other majors - but it’s mainly a STEM/Engineering type school - it’s why kids choose to go there, it’s what they are known for, etc. And it’s why per the CDS of two years ago (most recent0 - 11,100 males applied and less than half that amount female. It caters to what traditionally have been male oriented fields.
That’s what I meant.
The size, vibe, atmosphere offerings at Rutgers are different than RPI/Stevens.
Both are great depending on the kid.
What is it that you want? The whole kit and kaboodle - or a more targeted atmosphere?
Same cost, I’d pick Stevens.
Yes, it’s small, but what a spectacular location and placement.
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Co-op is the main selling point of Drexel; if you’re not aware of that aspect, then there’s no reason to be drawn to Drexel over the others. Reputationally, the others are stronger, and co-op options have become more prevalent and available at traditional schools as well. I would cross off Drexel unless there’s some sort of scholarship involved that makes it a notably better deal than the others.
Of this group, RPI is most known as a “grind” school - rigorous in a good way, but also in a way that some find oppressive - it’s important to assess whether that would be a fit. Very strong program if the intensity appeals. Rutgers, OTOH, offers strong CS in the context of a traditional flagship-university experience. Stevens is the smallest (although almost-4K undergrads isn’t tiny) and the most gender-imbalanced (although RPI is within a couple percentage points), but another very solid program in a terrific location if access to NYC (or even just the view of the skyline from campus!) appeals.
How does she feel about being outnumbered more than 2 to 1 by guys? Feelings about this can vary quite a bit, and there’s no right or wrong answer, but it’s a real factor to consider.
In the abstract, you can’t go wrong among these three, but it would certainly possible for one or more of them to be wrong for a particular individual. Given that the geographic spread of your options isn’t especially wide, I would hope that you’re able to visit all of them and assess fit. The academics shouldn’t disappoint at any of them, but happy students are better able to get the most out of their academics, so choose on the basis of which feels most like her potential “happy place.”
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Thanks for that detailed reply. You are right ,happiness is what I am looking for my daughter.
Co-op we don’t care much, RPI we are crossing because of distance.
So what’s left is Rutgers vs Stevens, Stevens has all super smart kids, not sure if that is a negative or create some competition.
Thanks for the inputs, we will figure out soon.
Stevens has some super-smart kids …
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Rutgers will have super smart kids in CS, too. Upside is the choices at a large school, diversity, & perhaps athletics. Downside is the multi-campus set up with buses one must take from one building to the other.
Stevens has more of a gender ratio imbalance, has a more compact campus, will have less diversity (ethnic, background, profile…).
NO wrong choice here if both are affordable, since both are well-respected in the tri state area.
Whichever environment feels best is likely the best for your child.
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I don’t think the intellectual horsepower of the CS cohort will be meaningfully different at Stevens vs. Rutgers. What will differ is the larger population outside of her major cohort.
Same is true of the gender balance issue. The CS cohort at Rutgers is just as unbalanced as the overall population at Stevens. At Rutgers, the gender imbalance in CS increases over time, with poorer retention for women than for men. https://people.cs.rutgers.edu/~tdnguyen/pubs/2021-vroman-gender-diversity-case-study.pdf I don’t know whether comparable info is available re: Stevens.
Rutgers has made the effort, however, to address this issue and to create additional supports for women in STEM. Has your daughter considered enrolling in the Douglass residential college, and its sub-program for women in STEM? This could be a nice option for a young woman in a male-dominated major.
https://douglass.rutgers.edu/wise
The closest thing Stevens has to this is Living at Lore-El Center for Women's Leadership | Stevens Institute of Technology
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Do you have more information about the DRC Wise program? Is it beneficial? We were there at the open house and they were explaining about this program
I don’t have firsthand info; I’ve heard good things about the residential college generally, but only know about the WISE program specifically from the info that’s online. Douglass does offer its own tours, though, both in-person and virtual Visit Campus | Douglass College - that could be a good way to get more info.