Very interested in school, have some questions.

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stevens Institute of Technology
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<p>If anyone currently attending or recent grads have input on any of these inquires the help is much appreciated. I will list my questions for the sake of organization:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>GPA is 3.8 UW and more than a 4.0 weighted. SAT 2030 (M 670 CR 690 W 670). AP classes:AP Calc BC, AP Computer Science A, AP Bio, AP Psychology, AP English and Composition and AP U.S. History. Done very well in AP classes. Lagging freshman grades bring my UW GPA down. Good ECs. From MA. How are my chances?</p></li>
<li><p>I am going to major in Computer Science. Want more than a B.S.; not sure if willing to get a doctorate or only M.S. How is undergraduate education in the field? How many students go on to graduate school? Is there good placement into top national programs?</p></li>
<li><p>Do I have to live on-campus? I enjoy my personal liberties and would prefer my own private living arrangements. Also, do many students own cars?</p></li>
<li><p>At risk of repetition: Any personal accounts of computer science program? I know job placement is good, but what about the education itself?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks a lot for any help you all have to offer.</p>

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<p>I am a parent of a current Stevens student. I will try to answer a couple of your questions.</p>

<p>1-First of all, your chances are good. You should try to do a campus visit and interview if Stevens is a top choice.</p>

<p>3-I understand your wish to live off-campus, but it would be very expensive. Studios rent for ~1k and up. 1BRs around $1300 and up. You would probably have to share off-campus housing in order to make it affordable. Of course if you have plenty of money, your options increase.</p>

<p>First year students live in dorms but second year there are options for shared apartments both on and off-campus as well as singles on campus in an upperclassmen dorm. It didn’t seem too difficult to get a single room as a sophomore student (most people seem to want apartments). Rooms are assigned via a lottery system and the more popular options (apartments closest to campus) go quickly.</p>

<p>Dorm spaces run about 3-4k per semester. Apartments obtained through Stevens (they rent blocks of rooms in several buildings around town, as well as having a few on campus) are more expensive at ~6k per semester, but you can live in them basically the whole year. If you are in a dorm you must purchase a meal plan, expensive at ~$3400 per semester. Full meal plans for those in apartments on campus are not required.</p>

<p>I am guessing that most students do not own cars. Parking is always a challenge, even for residents, and there is a lot of convenient public transportation available. Path train and ferry are blocks away, and buses run on a regular schedule through town. </p>

<p>Hoboken itself is 1 block square so you can basically walk anywhere you want to go. There are also Zipcars available on campus and throughout the town, but you have to be 21 to use them. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.zipcar.com/sit[/url]”>http://www.zipcar.com/sit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I can’t speak about the CS program. Hopefully, a Stevens student can help.</p>

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<p>You should also consider Rutgers for CS if you don’t mind a huge university atmosphere.</p>

<p>Stevens is much smaller.</p>

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<p>Thanks a lot Rualum for giving me such thorough responses. You are right, the living arrangements look very pricey. And I’d be sad to part with my hard earned car, but nonetheless Stevens looks like a school I’d like. Trying to avoid a big state school like Rutgers though I know its CS department is very good… Still haven’t got any inside reviews on CS though. I’m assuming it’s decent if not very good.</p>

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<p>Stevens is having a computer science information session on Sept 28 if you are interested. You need to go to the website and register.</p>

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<p>Hi Rualum,
I’m hoping you could share if your child did receive any or a lot of scholarships/ financial aids from Stevens. My daughter is very interested in the school after speaking with a Stevens rep at her high school who encouraged her to apply. We’re a long way from there (California) so any information regarding Stevens is much appreciated :slight_smile:
Thank you in advance.</p>

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<p>Unfortunately can’t give any insight on the CS program…I know it usually squeaks in under the top 100 CS programs but not by very much. We visited last year. Definately more known for its engineering programs. Its too bad you’re so far away because of all the schools we visited, probably 20, Stevens was probably one of the most unique in locatation (amazing Manhattan views) and campus. A few pluses and minuses (at least for us) Some really nice buildings…but the campus is tiny. Some sports teams but definately not “rah rah”. Great co-op program and I would assume stellar job placement assistance. The fact that there are quite a bit more post-grads at the school than undergrads was a deal-breaker for us. Good luck!</p>

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<p>tiff, yes my son did get good merit at Stevens. If your daughter has competitive scores and GPA I would expect some amount of merit money. She can do a phone interview if you are unable to visit campus since you are in California.</p>

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<p>I have D looking at Stevens with good stats -any merit aid numbers to be shared ? Looks like 60 K all in and no need based $$.</p>

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<p>JoBenny,</p>

<p>There are about an equal number of graduate students to under grad students. Why would that be a deal breaker? </p>

<p>Stevens has one of one lowest student to professor ratios and a policy that only professors the teach their classes. Graduate students and assistant professors are used as support and recitations, but the course lectures are presented by the professors and the professors are the ones the students regularly meet with during office hours or communicate with via e-mail.<br>
… if that’s what worried you.</p>

<p>Having such a large graduate population means quite a bit of research work and much more opportunity for the undergrads to participate in that work. In fact, almost every year several undergrads get their names on published papers… not something commonly seen.</p>

<p>So… I’m sitting here scratching my head as to why such a thing would be considered a deal breaker to anyone. The way Stevens runs their programs, I only see benefits for undergrads.</p>

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<p>dratr1 I don’t think that what someone else got will indicate what you will get. You can see a list of Stevens’ merit awards on the school web page. They are going to look at the same things that all the other colleges do. </p>

<p>If your application is strong and you need to compare merit, I would suggest applying regular decision. It’s a long wait but it’s the only way to know all of your options. My son applied regular decision so he could do that.</p>

<p>For those who are more borderline for acceptance, applying early decision may help your application.</p>

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<p>Thanks rualum, my D just had interview and will play sport . Just trying to get a feel of range of merit to decide ED versus RD for us. Her other engineering schools have EA which is not binding but first choice would be Steven’s.</p>

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<p>rualum is correct. My son is a freshman at Stevens and from the feedback he’s gotten from his new friends, the awards seem to be all over the place. Besides merit and need, geographic area and other factors seem to play an important role.</p>

<p>BTW, his short list was Cornell, RPI, Lehigh and Stevens. He fell in love with Stevens and continues to be in love with it. He made a great set of friends who are like minded. Although he’s from metroNY, he’s enjoying seeing the city anew through their eyes… in a way/context he hasn’t noticed before. They study and work out together regularly. He’s doing very well… thriving in fact.</p>

<p>What more could a parent want? I’m so happy for him. Such a great start!</p>

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<p>Congrats Maikai -My D has heard only positives from Stevens alumni and students. We also love Hoboken and the dramatic views of NYC. I wish $$$$ wasn’t a factor .</p>

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<p>I think dollars are a factor for most people. If your daughter is a strong applicant, I would suggest doing regular decision. </p>

<p>Supposedly, merit will be awarded regardless of when the student applies, but I find it hard to believe that they (or any college) would give their biggest awards (Edwin A Stevens, Ann P Neupauer) to people who commit early. </p>

<p>It is hard to wait, especially if Stevens is her first choice, but you can’t compare offers otherwise.</p>

<p>edited* I just checked and my son’s merit award congratulatory letter was dated late March. I think that they give you some indication of what your financial package would be if you apply ED1 or ED2.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the info.</p>

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<p>I’m not so sure about he difference between ED (1 or 2) and regular admission. That’s probably a wives tale. I’ve had talks with admissions about this when my son was applying ED1. In fact, the admissions officer we worked with has left Stevens for a corporate job in NYC. He and I have remained friends since. He still maintains there is no difference. The same metrics are used during ED1 and ED2 as regular admissions, except they know the ED kids are a more pumped to attend Stevens. This year, they took a larger percentage from ED than from regular, if I remember what he said correctly.</p>

<p>A family’s ability to pay has more to do with award than the timing of your son’s application. You will “drop your drawers” financially speaking. :wink: If you are an affluent family, don’t expect Stevens to bend over backward offering your child cash to come… unless his stats are spectacular. </p>

<p>Also, they look for students from around the country and from abroad. So if you’re from NJ or NY, you’ll probably get less than if you were from New Mexico or California.</p>

<p>There are a lot of things that go into the award. And don’t be afraid to ask for more. I did and they kicked it up a token amount.</p>

<p>The main benefit of going regular admission is probably the ability to play one school off the other. If you get a better offer from RPI or Lehigh, schools Stevens feels it competes with, you can probably leverage that into more dollars. I don’t know for sure, because I did not go down that path. But that’s the only way I could imagine regular admissions could offer an advantage.</p>

<p>That being said, keep in mind schools like RPI will give a quick read on acceptance and financial aid if you tell them you’re applying ED to somewhere they consider a competitor. They offered that to my son and I’m sorry we did not take them up on their offer. ;-)</p>

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<p>Hi maikai-</p>

<p>It seemed (last year) like they took more students from ED than regular just based on what people were posting on this site. But even if the metrics are the same, they know the ED people are not using it as a safety school. I’m sure it helps Stevens’ stats when more of the people they accept, end up attending. </p>

<p>If you had to do it again, would you still have your student apply ED1? How long did it take for them to give you a merit offer once he was admitted? </p>

<p>Stevens says this:
Did you know?
Stevens provides more than $46 million in financial assistance to 93% of our students, and last year’s incoming class had an average Stevens grant and/or scholarship of nearly $22,000.</p>

<p>I am guessing that the 7% of people who don’t get any aid are international students. Also, I think Stevens, as a private school, tends to use merit money to get certain students rather than because the student has achieved a specific set of statistical parameters. </p>

<p>So if you can afford the cost of attendance, and you apply ED1 or 2, I wouldn’t be surprised if they offer token merit.</p>

<p>So you really don’t know what you will get until the fat admissions officer sings. Hence my advice to dratr1</p>

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<p>I go to SIT - EE major, but I know people in CS.</p>

<p>Small school. One of the major reasons I came here is because, when all was said and done with merit and a tiny bit of grant aid, it was cheaper to go here than Rutgers. I liked the small, close-knit feel of the campus - it’s proven to be useful in my later years as I am one of maybe 20-30 in class and it’s easy to get to know the profs. Very comfortable place to learn.</p>

<p>I went ED 2. Going 1, 2, or regular doesn’t make much of a difference with the $$$ from what I’ve discussed with my friends here. Maybe 1 or 2 gives you a slight edge in terms of merit scholarships, but not need-based. </p>

<p>My SAT score was about the same - maybe a couple of points lower at a 2040. Walked in with a 3.95 or so UW GPA from high school with a bunch of APs. Most kids here do though. I’d say the majority of kids here were in the 10% of their classes so it’s a lot of “smart kids” (or so they thought) in terms of high school GPAs, but the SATs are what really bring you the $$ and distinguish you. If you’re son did theater, make sure he asks about the DeBaun scholarship. Extra 5k a year makes a huge difference.</p>

<p>Standards have been going up each year. A lot more kids applying - slightly lower acceptance each year (I think they’re down to 38% as of last year for the new freshman class)</p>

<p>Application is free - apply, setup a phone interview, and see what they throw you. If the offer looks good, I’d consider it. I know a couple of people here from Cali/Oregon/Wash State. </p>

<p>Message me with questions. If you’re household $ is < 120, you’re looking to pay about 20-22k when all is said and done. DeBaun will take that down a bit if he qualifies. They also have a couple of other alumni-sponsored scholarships so be sure to ask.</p>

<p>In terms of job placement, a hard working CS major here can walk out making 60-100 K (guy I know very well works for a large financial firm making about 100 fresh out of college). If you play the system right here, you can walk out with a masters without dishing out extra cash too. The flexibility is what makes this school so great. If you have a passion for something and are willing to put the work in, you can make it happen without many objections from administration.</p>

<p>FYI, I also applied to Northeastern, Cornell, RIT, and Rutgers. Chose Tech</p>

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<p>Application is now $50, although you may apply for a waiver due to financial hardship.</p>

<p>oates does your 20-22k figure include tuition, room and board?</p>