Drexel came of the list for a few different reasons but not at all due to location or safety concerns.
We spent almost 2 days there, had some time on our own, a faculty meeting, the student tour and then dinner with folks we know, two of whom work there. It was interesting as we visited it right after RIT, which is also a co op school and they couldn’t have been more different.
Drexel’s posted slogan all over the place was “ambition can’t wait”. And that’s the personality that came across. Not in a grinding or uber competitive way but just in the sense that the kids were really focused on careers and working. Very nice kids. But we didn’t get a feel for school spirit or social activities outside of class and internships. They are on quarters, which, with the co op system means most summers are spent working on co op or in class. You do 3 co ops, each 6 months long which does seem to make it harder to be connected to other students. We also were not wowed by the faculty meeting, at all. We did really like the residential part of the campus and the overall location but the CS program seemed like far more of an afterthought than we’d expected, in the lower levels of an apartment building, allegedly moving and linking up with another program (maybe game design, I don’t recall) into a new building that was being built. Bottom line was he just liked his other options better wanted a sense of community and school spirit that he didn’t feel there and for me, avoiding the PROFILE was a win.
He did want to keep it on just for the location but really, that is not enough reason for me! I think for the right kid, it’s an amazing choice and they really do a fabulous job on the co op program, very impressive.
@JBSeattle RIT is Rochester Institute of Technology. We are on the north end, just outside the city limits kind of at the tip of Lake Washington, UWBothell is about a 10 minute drive. UWB is, and isn’t, underrated. It gets great national press actually and their outcomes are outstanding, acutally better than UW Seattle. But it’s definitely a commuter school and for most kids I think, the backup plan if they didn’t get into UW Seattle. The school itself really tries to sell you on how much smaller the classes are than at UW Seattle. I’d assumed there was faculty crossover but after sitting in on the panel, it really doesn’t seem like there is. It’s the ultimate super saftey. He’d get a great education there but not the full college and social experience he’d like. You can do any sports and clubs at the main campus but it’s not the same. We do know kids who do it though, mostly marching band but it’s at least something. I’ve been there on a weekday and it’s pretty active with kids (and a pretty campus, but SMALL) but boy, on the weekend it is a ghost town. Granted, lots of things are walkable from there with the trails and Bothell itself has totally reinventied itself but…it was dead.
For cost reasons though…man it’s attractive. 4 years there = 1 year at RIT and thats IF the $ comes in at a semi livable number.
Yes, my S17 did get a nice scholarship at UVM. They also have him an additonal one for his sophomore year (although based on this current semesters grades he may not be offered that extra one again next year). It’s definitely a holistic read as he was offered more than I’d expected based on their NPC and what others on CC were offered with better stats. Being from WA probably didn’t hurt. I’d expeted him to get the trustees and instead they gave him the presidential. Which is good as if he’d only gotten the trustees, it would have been over budget and he’d be at WWU right now lol.