opinions for CS - Wisconsin, UIUC, Purdue, Michigan, UNC or perhaps UVA
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Anonymous
True regarding Purdue. A friend's kid goes there and loves it. Parents pay around $20k all-in (after DCTAG). |
Anonymous
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Do you mean U of I? No one says UIUC.
- Chicagoan |
Anonymous
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Look into whether each school offers a direct admit into CS. I believe Wisconsin does not. I have read that some kids avoid Wisconsin for CS because of uncertainty in getting the major once there. This is worth understanding for each school. Once you get there, is there a GPA requirement for classes first year or certain classes in order to be admitted into the major? Is entry into the major automatic if you hit the GPA for the required classes? Are the number of CS majors capped? I also know several kids that applied to Purdue for CS, but we’re admitted for another major.
It may not matter to some students, since they may be very confident the can meet the requirements to get the major. However, my student wanted to know he could get CS with only minimum grade requirements. Also, University of Washington is almost an impossible admit from OOS for CS. I don’t recall exactly, but I think it is like 4%. |
Anonymous
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2023 kid with similar stats (35 ACT, 4.85 GPA, 13 AP mostly 5s, varsity athlete, club leadership etc). Ultimately at UMD and very happy, better to be 10 miles from home than at a lesser school and paying more.
Schools he considered: UIUC (rejected), GT (waitlist), CWRU (waitlist), Cornell (waitlist), CMU (rejected). Peers with other majors and similar/lesser stats were accepted. Of course no way to judge soft factors like essays and recommendations. Purdue would be one to look at along with Michigan. Not sure UVA or UNC that well regarded for CS. |
Anonymous
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OP, I understand that your DS doesn't want to go to a school that's < 10mi from your home. My DS felt the same, but UMD also offered merit, and so it was a no brainer. DS is in UH, and their dorms are nice.
We just visited over the weekend. I asked DS, "Are you happy here?". Answer: yes. DS said there are some super "cracked" kids there -- I take that to mean super smart. Likes the classes so far, and the food (very important to him). We ate at the new dining hall, and omg, it was good, and so much variety. It's a large enough campus where you can meet new people from not MoCo. And your DS doesn't have to come home at all if they want to. Bonus: moving in was super easy. No logistical issues, and you can take your time to move in because you are so close. And visiting is easy, too. I understand the desire to not go to " 13th grade", but UMD for CS is T20 (some list shows T15), and it's a bargain for what you get. My DS applied to some of the schools on your list, but in the end, financially, it did not make any sense to spend so much for OOS on schools that were about the same caliber as UMD. |
Anonymous
It's the "other majors" part. CS is just brutally difficult for admissions compared to most other majors. |
Anonymous
He's going to apply. I went there and studied CS, so I know that it's good. My wife went there as well. At the time, they wanted CS majors so it was easy to transfer into it. |
Anonymous
No, we mean UIUC. I mean, you can find UIUC on their website. |
Anonymous
Also I should add that of the WL schools, only Cornell was one he would have seriously considered over UMD. Others were thrown in since we never considered UMD a safety. Sounds like my kid and the PP whose kid is at UMD having similar experiences. Merit+Honors is hard to beat and peer group is impressive. |
Anonymous
DS was a direct admit to CS and also honors. We're FCPS. He's having a blast his freshman year and doesn't regret his decision at all. Go Terps! |
Anonymous
They’re DCUM, they don’t know |
Anonymous
| You don't need a luxury name brand for CS. BTW, I work in IT and my DH is at a FAANG. Not a chance in hell we are reccomending our son who is a senior in high school do major in CS. The market is insanely over saturated right now and with so so so many in college right now for CS it's not getting any better. My company in particular really is hot on the Applied Mathematics kids with MBAs. |
Anonymous
No one calls it that. I guess you'll learn the hard way. |
Anonymous
Strange. I have always heard it called UIUC. Never heard U of I. I would think that is Iowa. |
Anonymous
It's Urbana Champaign, not Chicago. We know. |