How much is it going to cost to attend ISU? Are your parents ok with that expense?
ISU is a very good option, and you will get a good CS education there.
St. Olaf is a very good school in its own right; I suggested it because you were gung-ho on Carleton, so obviously you are content with attending school in that location.
Even if your parents won’t fill it out for you, use whatever info you have at your disposal, asking random questions (ie;? what’s the house’s worth? Or using a real estate website to estimate based on neighborhood prices…) Apply ED to the college which looks cheapest for your data. Carleton or Grinnell may well be it.
Have they even told you how much they can afford to pay for you?If they’re embarassed to have you discover they earn much less than you think they make, remember that “middle class” means 60-80k, and tell them you’re fine doing the NPCs on their own without their watching. Have they run the FAFSA EFC? (Actually, FAFSA is up and they should be filling it out for all your universities).
Each year there are students on this website whose parents tell them in the Spring they can’t afford to send them to the college the students thought they were going to, or that they can afford to but don’t want to. Please have this discussion with your parents now. If they refuse, ask point blank but nicely if it’s because they don’t have money (be understanding of this, don’t be a spoiled brat obviously, and explain 100% need colleges would be best) or if it’s because their budget isn’t what you think it is (ie., they make a lot more but don’t want to/can’t pay their EFC = you need merit money).
I definitely second St Olaf for a CS degree. (Try to get in touch with Ben Lecam there to have an idea of what you can do). It’s within range for you and there your ED would almost definitely result in admissions, but even RD your odds would be 1 in 2 if not 2 in 3 if you start demonstrating interest (email admissions now, fill out the request info questionnaire). At Carleton, your odds are quite low. Keep in mind that bottom 25% students are “hooked”. However I understand your reasoning: applying ED to Carleton is likely your only chance of getting in.
If engineering and LAC is the desired combination, has the OP considered Rose Hulman in Indiana?
Carleton does not consider applicant’s interest for admission. https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/ira/assets/CDS_2014_2015_completed_with_Part_G.pdf
Carleton is a HUGE reach for you. IMO you would be much better off going to a school with engineering and starting in that area. If you decide to move to CS after a semester or two you can do that.
I have to agree that Carleton seems unlikely with a 29 ACT. I think Grinnell might have some preference for Iowa kids, and maybe even some money? You might look into that more.
What intparent said in post #15 is very important. Carleton is need-aware and meets the financial need of admitted students. Check this: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/carleton-college/1645526-interesting-article-about-financial-aid-and-what-need-aware-will-mean-at-carleton.html (must read post #20 in this Carleton need-ware thread).
If you need financial aid, 3-2 engineering program is not for you. You can get FA from the LAC for 3 years but the school you will attend for the engineering courses for year 4 and 5 will not offer FA for students of 3-2 engineering program. There are many discussions on 3/2 engineering program. Do your homework and you will realize it’s not a practical option for most students aiming at an engineering career.
Carleton is very transparent about its 3-2 engineering program:
“How many students express interest in the 3-2 engineering program?”
“There are 50-60 students on the engineering email list.”
“How many students per year choose to pursue the 3-2 or 4-2 engineering program?”
“Roughly 0-3 students per year apply to either the Columbia or the Washington combined degree program.”
(https://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/physics/for_students/department_links/engineering/questions/)
Since engineers often work in group projects, I’m not sure it is a good thing to spend 3-4 years in a college with only a handful of engineering-minded peers. There are other small liberal arts colleges that offer engineering majors, which may fit your career goal better: Lafayette College (1/15), Union College (1/15), Trinity College (1/1), Smith College (if female). You can also consider Illinois Institute of Technolgy, which is often underrated. It offers many solid engineering and business program,s and research and internship opportunities abound.
Do you want Computer Science or Physics + a LAC, or do you want a technical field (like engineering)?
This would make a difference.
A few more LACs with engineering: Swarthmore (even reachier than Carleton), Bucknell and Trinity U in TX. You’d qualify for a $17K merit scholarship at Trinity U, their CS is excellent and it’s about $10K cheaper than many other private LACs to begin with. It also has a very strong business program.
Although I said earlier distant isn’t a factor, I was speaking for the colleges I had already selected and I believe bucknel and trinity ahould be too far. I am planning on gaining an engineering degree and pursuing graduate school, but I prefer a smaller school if its an option. In this case, I would likely get either a physics or CS degree as the first step. Also regarding the engineering 3-2 program, financial aid is still dependent on whatever school I would be at and I understand many do not pursue that option. I plan to get a LA degee and apply for grad school which is, as I understnad,the more popular option. I understnad that carleton does not consider demonstrated interest as a huge component of admission, but rather would apply ed because admission rates are almost twice as high as the RD admit rates according to collegedata. Also I will do my best running the calculators but the reason it hasn’t been done yet is my mom owner a business and it makes almost no sense to estimate the numbers until the book keeping is done since they fluctuate so much year to year. I will definently apply to St olaf but not ed since I feel I have a fairly good at admission enough chance that making the commitment/using an ed may not be wise, especially since I know almost nothing about the school. Lastly as I said earlier, I do understand carleton is a reach, but that doesn’t seem like a reason that I wouldn’t apply ed as I could only improve my chances if it is truly my number one choice (as of now it is). I again appreciate the help and would love to hear anymore advice.
Also, could someone please explain how hooked students make up the portion of the class at/below the 25 percentile of the mid 50 ACT range? I understand that my numbers are below the average act of 31, but with a mid 50 range of 33-29, doesn’t that mean approx 1/4 of students have a 29 or below? Also, I realize that they need to bring in athletes and other special students for their programs but is it safe to say that all of these students filll up the spots below the 25%? I would appreciate any input on this, thank you!
For Carleton ED 2 applicants, CSS Profile must be submitted by January 15, 2016 (using actual 2015 income figures or estimates if necessary). Let your parents know that it is time to fill out the 2016 FAFSA and CSS. Don’t wait until the taxes are done for 2016. Use 2015 tax data and estimate. Update the figures later. If your application of FA is not completed by the deadline, you won’t get any FA.
Also second question, if Macalaster is my second choice (since I understand that is very similar to carleton and I would prefer to go to an LAC) and I don’t have a very good chance of getting into carleton, would it make more sense to use my ED to apply to Macalaster? I understand a lot about Macalaster and obviously have done a lot of research, but could anyone give me some insight into the key differences between Mac and Carl besides the obvious ones such as location, acceptance rate, rankings etc. (Specifically Macalester strength in my intended major, campus life, and student body). Thanks!
Macalester is a “political” campus, in that politics are important to most students and many define themselves by a cause that’s very important to them.
Carleton is intellectual and quirky.
Students are down-to-earth and friendly at both.
Macalester is in the Cities’ coolest neighborhood (one of the best areas I can think of). Carleton is in a really nice (if small) college town, but only 45mn from the Twin Cities.
Ok that makes sense. Would it be fair to say they are both very similar? Thanks!
Carleton has more students majoring in sciences than Macalester.
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=carleton&s=all&id=173258#programs
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=macalester&s=all&id=173902#programs
They are both in MN. One is in St. Paul, the other is in a small college town, 45 minutes from the Twin Cities.
Carleton is the more rigorous, but Mac is not far behind at all.
Mac is not the CS school that Carleton or St. Olaf are. Stronger in other areas.
You DID read the note that Carleton requires the CSS profile, right? If you don’t get all that paperwork done in the next week, you will get zippo from Carleton, even if you are lucky enough to get admitted. It takes time and plenty of cooperation from your parent(s), so be prepared.
If not, Carleton is going to well over $250K for 4 years. Can you pay that? You certainly can’t get loans for all that, nor would you want them.
You also received a suggestion of Trinity in San Antonio. Excellent recommendation, as they have a Tier I CS program, an Engineering program, and a business school, too. Plus they are great on merit aid, which will drop the price substantially for you to attend.
Check them out in Fiske’s and online. You will be plenty impressed. As an added bonus, the job market in Texas for internships and potential FT employment are dynamite.
Good luck!
That 25% is primarily made up of recruited athletes, under represented minorities, legacies, and maybe a few students who have some especially “zesty” EC accomplishments that are out of the norm. Also, the ACT composite range is 30-33, so you are under the 25% mark. It sounds like you haven’t visited Mac – you should not ED to a school you have never visited.
Intparent, I have seen different numbers reported for Carleton’s ACT range but on their website (http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/parents/carleton_101/) reports 29-33. I have it worked out with my parents that the financials will be prepared by the end of the week and the css profile account i will probably have done this weekend. San Antonio is a bit far for me (I stated earlier distance wasnt a factor but I meant only for the schools that I had listed in the original thread). I also am planning on visiting both Carleton and Macalester soon, obviously before the deadline, so I will hopefully have a better idea afterwards.
Also, is the idea that the spots for colleges at the bottom of the test score and grade ranges are reserved for hooked students more of a general understanding than a hard fact? I realize there is not real way to tell until I actually apply, but wouldn’t it be fare to say that a number of the student with these hooks may fall above the bottom of the number spectrum? Is it really safe to say that these spots are generally all taken? I realize that these numbers are even subject to change from year to year, but im not sure that it would be fair to say that if you are below average and unhooked you do not have a plausible chance at admission given you are within a point or two of the average.
Your odds really go down. Especially if you need aid, as Carleton states that they are not need blind for students on the cusp for admission. I just checked the common data set, and apparently they did go down a point to 29 as the 25% mark. But you need something extra to get over the hump of low scores. At the 25% mark still isn’t a good chance.
Colleges don’t say how many of their ED students are athletes, URMs, or legacies. Nor can you tell how many of the lowest 25% are those students. But most colleges ask their recruited athletes and legacies to apply ED (and then they accept a lot of them). A lot of the athletes get an early read from admissions before actually applying so they don’t waste their ED on a school that won’t accept them. And colleges accept low test scores mostly from students who have something they want. With no hook and needing aid, your chances are significantly reduced.