Transfer out of CMU after one semester

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Is your kid URM?

This is OP. I don't want to say too much to reveal myself. DS graduated from one of the top schools in the DMV, think of Langley or Churchill. He took 12 AP courses and scored five on all AP exams. He also scored 1580 on the SAT and 36 on the ACT. From what he told me and his brother, he doesn't have any studying issues at CMU, just the courses there are super hard. No, we're not URM.

Which AP courses did he take?

[Anonymous]

I made it very clear to my college kids that they can come home anytime to regroup if it doesn't seem to be working out. Sometimes the school is a bad fit. Sometimes the adolescent brain is still trying to reorganize at the expense of processing skills and mood control. There are a thousand schools offering CS programs if he still wants to pursue the field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CM is a great program however not every kid is smart enough/ fact.

OP no reason to struggle that hard. Have them come home go to community college then transfer. This way they have a better foundation.

Mine went to CM to this program I understand. Mine did not find it hard. I don't say that lightly. Mine had a great foundation from their local public school. Yes public can prepare you for this.

OP, please ignore the bragging, obnoxious parents like this. Your son does not need community college, he just needs to transfer to another college. HE.IS.SMART.ENOUGH.

Wow, the fragile mamas are out in force today.

This is not a bragging and obnoxious parent; it's one who has ridden the road and has good advice. There is nothing wrong with community college.

As someone who graduated from one of the few CS programs ranked above CMU, I completely disagree. That was absolutely clueless advice, so much so that I simply don’t believe that PP had a child in CMU. I think it’s a troll. Regardless, it’s horrendous advice.

The fact you want to believe someone pointing out that the advice was horrible is just a “fragile mama” also shows that you have literally no understanding or experience with the CMU CS program. None. Zilch.

[Anonymous]

Agreeing with the posters who advise kid transfers (to another great school that is a better fit). I went to a Pittsburgh college and recall a high school friend who went to CMU for theater being so disheartened and describing the schools approach as “tearing you down to remove everything so they can build you up as they are fit”. That was in theater.

[Anonymous]

^^ * as they see fit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Is your kid URM?

This is OP. I don't want to say too much to reveal myself. DS graduated from one of the top schools in the DMV, think of Langley or Churchill. He took 12 AP courses and scored five on all AP exams. He also scored 1580 on the SAT and 36 on the ACT. From what he told me and his brother, he doesn't have any studying issues at CMU, just the courses there are super hard. No, we're not URM.

Which AP courses did he take?

OK. Clearly he is not a fit for community college with those statistics. How is he doing socially? Does he still want to major in computer science? If he’s happy socially, I’m thinking maybe he should just try to go back second semester, take easier classes, and put in transfer applications and see what happens. I feel like he might have a better chance of getting in as a transfer if he still enrolled. I could be wrong though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CM is a great program however not every kid is smart enough/ fact.

OP no reason to struggle that hard. Have them come home go to community college then transfer. This way they have a better foundation.

Mine went to CM to this program I understand. Mine did not find it hard. I don't say that lightly. Mine had a great foundation from their local public school. Yes public can prepare you for this.

So CM or community college? This makes no sense!

PP clearly stated community college as the stop gap before transferring. How long does it take to complete a transfer application, be accepted, and be ready to move in?

I don't think a student that got accepted to CMU CS program needs to go to community college. They may need to change major or transfer to another 4 year college for CS but no, I don't think they need to go to CC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I think a key sentence in your post is getting lost on PPs so far, OP. Your older son graduated from CMU and advises your younger son to leave it. That is crucial information, to me. If your older son has his head on straight and is objective and sensible, I would give his advice a great deal of weight here.

A degree from CMU, or anywhere, is not worth it if your younger son ends up so shattered with stress and lack of rest and recreation that he is burned out. If he's grinding this hard on freshman requirement courses, imagine the load when he's a junior and senior....It is fine for him to pursue CS elsewhere, or any other major. It is also important for him to consider whether the issue is CS itself (so he'd have issues at any school in any CS program); CS at CMU specifically (are the requirements especially difficult for him, but he'd be fine doing CS ina differently structured undergrad program?); or CMU in general, overall. It is known as a highly competitive school in many respects, not just the CS department, though CS is especially intense there. If there is a non-academic issue going on -- for instance, if he is studying so many hours a week excessively because he is distracted by other things (dating, sex, substances, lack of friends) OR because he's smart and not distracted, but lacks real study skills -- he needs to unpack those issues too. It may not be 100 percent about CS classes being tough. Can his brother help him, and you, assess all this? Has your younger son talked to an academic adviser at CMU or is he still lost among the freshmen and doesn't feel he knows any adviser or professor enough to say out loud, "I'm drowning, what can I do"?

It's Dec. 19. If he wants to drop out now and not return in January it's too late (probably?) to get admitted at another university undergrad unless possibly he has a specific place in mind already. I would entertain the idea of his dropping out, coming up with a specific plan for how he will spend Jan-June while at home, and apply to other colleges to start in the fall, transferring as many CMU credits as possible (not just CS credits, but any credits he can). Depending entirely on other colleges/programs he may be able to start in summer somewhere, or at least enroll for fall and get some summer courses at that college--?? I do not think a kid who got into CMU is going to be happy doing an associates' degree at community college as his full-on college degree, though.

I do note you say "transferring" but that implies (to me at least) he's got another place lined up or at least has done the research to transfer in January. I'm assuming that's not the case but maybe it is?

This!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CM is a great program however not every kid is smart enough/ fact.

OP no reason to struggle that hard. Have them come home go to community college then transfer. This way they have a better foundation.

Mine went to CM to this program I understand. Mine did not find it hard. I don't say that lightly. Mine had a great foundation from their local public school. Yes public can prepare you for this.

OP, please ignore the bragging, obnoxious parents like this. Your son does not need community college, he just needs to transfer to another college. HE.IS.SMART.ENOUGH.

DP. I did not think the initial (obnoxious) poster was bragging per se. Just a person with a huge chip on their shoulder. I actually read their post just above and laughed out loud. Some people are so transparent, and it always amuses me.

[Anonymous]

CS is a tricky major. Some people found it's the easiest major, but some people just can't do it no matter how hard they tried. I know a few very smart kids failed Data Structure classes back in college. They all graduated with good grades in other engineering classes, but they just couldn't do CS. Let your kid transfer out / change major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Is your kid URM?

This is OP. I don't want to say too much to reveal myself. DS graduated from one of the top schools in the DMV, think of Langley or Churchill. He took 12 AP courses and scored five on all AP exams. He also scored 1580 on the SAT and 36 on the ACT. From what he told me and his brother, he doesn't have any studying issues at CMU, just the courses there are super hard. No, we're not URM.

One key question is: How bad is bad?

Is your son really flunking, or is he just miserable because he’s working very hard and getting C minuses?

Also:

- How much test prep did he do?

- How much does he love CS? Is that really his first choice for a major?

- If he doesn’t love CS: Why is he majoring in CS? Does he like any of his other classes more than his CS classes?

If, say, he really looked like a child prodigy in grade school, he usually scored in the 99.9 percentile on standardized tests, he did minimal test prep for the SATs, he genuinely loves CS, and he’s concerned because he’s getting a C plus in CS, he should probably stay in CS at CMU and maybe get some tutoring. In that scenario, CMU is teaching him good study habits, and empathy for regular college students who barely qualify for Mensa.

If he got into CMU with a lot of tutoring, loves CS for its own sake and is flunking out, or he’s scraping by with D’s, or he actually is lukewarm toward CS but wants to make a lot of money, he should change schools. He’s just not on the right wavelength to major in CS at CMU.

If he is really smart and likes CMU, and he’s not that excited about CS, he should just swallow hard and major in something he likes more, and hope the same forces that help many other non-CS majors earn a living will help him, too.

[Anonymous]

As they say in adventure activities: Challenge by choice!

If his heart isn't into it, despite having given it his 100% best, let him make the choice that is right for him.

[Anonymous]

Had a friend's kid who stuck it out. She said she was studying twice as hard as her friend doing CS at Michigan. Probably both will end up close to same salaries. Meanwhile my poli sci major got crushed taking an intro python class which was a requirement. LOL>

[Anonymous]

Central Michigan University?

[Anonymous]

- How much does he love CS? Is that really his first choice for a major?

- If he doesn’t love CS: Why is he majoring in CS? Does he like any of his other classes more than his CS classes?

Totally possible to think you love CS when you’re in high school but then discover you don’t love CS when you’re taking college courses. Especially when you hit those theory-heavy college courses.