Hey fellow CC’ers,
Does being a woman intending to major in Computer Science (and applying to Colleges/Schools of Engineering) help in admission in any way (considering similar stats)?
I believe its easier for women than men to get into a school for CS at many top schools. However, CS is a difficult major to get into in general, which outweighs the gender-based benefit.
@XCjunior2016 I have read in other threads that schools like GT, for instance, have a men/woman ratio of 2:1. In this case, don’t they try to select a freshmen class with a more balanced ratio (without changing the stats of the admitted students overall, of course)?
My impression is that it helps significantly at tech schools which are trying to maintain a more balanced gender ratio. I think it may also help a little at Engineering schools within Universities but probably not as much as you might think. Those campuses have plenty of women, perhaps even a majority of women–they just might not be in the Engineering classes. Engineers everywhere generally have very high stats, so I certainly wouldn’t count on female preferences to prop up a weak application.
Ok, here’s what I see:
Being a woman does not make or break a decision, sure. If you have low stats, you’re out; if you have high stats, you might be in. If you are applying to tech schools and have stats comparable to those of the students admitted in past years, however, being a girl MIGHT help, especially at schools with high men:woman ratio.
Not a hook, but it may be helpful depending on where you apply.
It’s more of a tipping factor than a hook. If there are a number of students “on the bubble”, that’s when tipping factors come in. Being male at a small liberal arts school is often a tipping factor. Being male in humanities is often a tipping factor. Being female in a school that has a more balanced gender ratio, especially being female in a traditionally male major, is a tipping factor. But you have to have the stats to get to the bubble before the tipping factor comes in to account.
Looking at GT’s common data set, they do enroll more males than females, (more of a 1.5:1 ration than a 2:1 ratio), so if you are a qualified female you may get in above an equally qualified male.
I think being a women in computer science is sort of like a male applying as an english major. It’s a tipping factor, but not a hook. But…since computer science is a VERY POPULAR major at some schools, I think the advantage is negated altogether. I actually just had my interview with Stanford, and the first think he asked me was whether I was another computer science guy. When I said no, he gave me a high-five and said that CS majors are overpopulated. But, being a female will compensate for that.
In my experience, the difference at top schools is that the guys are more likely to have more coding experience when the arrive at college. However, the girls are generally just as strong in gpa and test scores. So, yes, it helps a little, but not a lot. If you are very strong in math, that will give you an advantage. Unfortunately, there are just fewer girls with very strong math backgrounds.
It may help the admission change at some engineering schools. I know a girl got into a top in state flagship engineering school with ACT score a couple points below the mid 50 for admission. They may also offer more merit scholarships to girls than boys with equally good scores as they want to have a higher yield for girls. At least, that is for a school that has less than 25% female.