@Magnetron maybe you have some input for the OP. This is a short thread.
What do you mean OP???
For you, Gong, the Original Poster.
My son, now a senior at WSU, looked at both Portland and Gonzaga for EE/CS/Chem E options. We know students and graduates of all 3 schools on your list. One of my D’s best friends is at Gonzaga and D visits her once in a while. Her friend really likes the campus and her classes. My extended family has long ties to Santa Clara.
Both Gonzaga and UP will have small CS programs with only a few dedicated faculty. This is adequate for kids like my oldest who had limited programming skills going in and not likely to seek too much extra depth from the standard curriculum. It would not have been enough for one of S2’s friends who has been programming at a pretty high level since junior high. He is at UW where there are way more class choices, Honors sections, close workings with the Seattle tech community. SCU would be in between.
At either place the CS students will have opportunities but, with small departments, they will have to look a little harder for them.
I am repeating what is said, but I would go ahead and commit to Gonzaga like you are thinking, and as mentioned, see what happens with SCU. The tough thing is there will likely be no merit money at this point, that is not one of their stronger points. There are super nice kids at Gonzaga, it really is a comfortable place, basketball is a hoot there, mine just wasn’t too keen on Spokane, but that has little to do with the overall experience - engineering students are too busy with work! I can say, the CSE department at SCU has proven very strong - even better than I thought going in. They paid her expenses to a high tech conference in Texas to apply to internships and make connections, that was a nice perk, particularly as just a sophomore, and she now has a summer internship. She chose it because she knows she wants to settle in Bay Area after college and SCU is strongly connected there, but you can still do that from Gonzaga, and high tech in northwest is rocking too. I suppose you applied to the other scholarships like Entrepreneurial for that extra 5K. That is a good and a nice chunk of change to add on top.
Yes, you can easily change your mind if she gets into SCU and housing there wouldn’t be a problem if deciding later as well. They have great housing options and do a good job getting you want you want. Good luck, she can do well in CS at any of those.
Thank you, Cadreamin and Magnetron. We put down deposit to Gonzaga last night. Will continue to wait on SCU. Do not know if we will send her there if there is no merit scholarship. My husband is totally supportive to go there with or without scholarship. I have to think twice before I agree to pay over $60,000/year tuition. We will see what SCU will offer her. Thank you again for the advice.
@gong someone in the family needs to be thinking cost/benefit. The others may be thinking some about it. Once all the info is in, H and student would need to do a lot of convincing to spend a lot more money for incremental benefit. However your family has to decide the best place for the out of pocket. People are more willing to pay more when they have the money w/o loans, and they are so convinced that college A is the absolute best for student and will lead to greater success/greater opportunities, etc.
For CS though UPortland > Gonzaga due to location (Seattle - Portland corridor vs. More isolated /Further away from Seattle area.)