Big fish in small pond CS program?

College Search & Lists
1

Hi,

I’m looking for colleges ideas for my stepson, who is currently a junior. Unfortunately, his school counselors don’t do any college counseling, so we are on our own. He and I have talked a lot over the last 6 months about what kind of college he might like best, and this is what he came up with:

Looking for colleges…

– with a good enough computer science program (he might like to double major or minor in economics or entrepreneurship)

– where he can be a big fish in a small pond, stand out, build confidence

– that fit a student who is both nerdy and social, loves play D&D, but also loves to go out with friends and wants to have time for an active social life (but not a party life)

– where a student from a rural, majority low-income, majority minority high school with poor college prep will not feel completely out of place

– that are preferably not LACs, but willing to explore

We are willing to pay full price for the right fit.

All the top computer science programs appear to be in really competitive environments, and we are having a hard time finding colleges that fulfill his criteria. We have Santa Clara and Chapman on our list to check out.

He is in state for both Texas (mom) and Washington (dad), but he would prefer to go elsewhere due to family politics.

He has a 4.0 UW GPA and his PSAT scores were 620 reading/writing and 600 math. He took a practice SAT this summer via Khan Academy and got a 610 reading/writing and 560 math. ECs in band, drama, National Honor Society-- no recognition beyond the school level.

I would really appreciate any thoughts you have to share.

2

Hi. How much can the family (both parents) afford to pay?

3

We can pay full price and would like to explore everything both private and public, in state and out of state.

4

I’ll do my mention of DePaul, one of the largest Computer Science schools in the country if not the largest, with almost 3,000 students amongst 16 majors in their College of Computing (almost 25% of their entire undergraduate population). And it has a good Business program and a good Music program. The university average SAT score is around 1200 or so, but test scores are optional. They are pretty well endowed so they should offer some decent financial aid.

Obviously the fit issue might be that the CS school at DePaul is smack in the middle of downtown Chicago, not exactly rural, but everything else seems to match his criteria very well.

5

If he has a preference for being around kids of a specific ethnicity, which ethnicity would that be?

6

@ProfessorPlum168, thank you. He would actually prefer to go someplace “where there are things to see and do,” so Chicago could be great. What is DePaul’s undergraduate experience like? Is it easy to make friends if you come from out of state? I tend to think of DePaul as a place where there are many local, commuting students-- is that a misconception?

7

Clarkson might be an option.

8

@allyphoe , No, he doesn’t have a preference for being around kids of a certain ethnicity. He’s just looking for a place that won’t be total culture shock after coming from a failing school in rural, low-income environment. He feels uncomfortable when he visits a college and it seems to have a majority of upper-class, preppy kids who he feels like he has nothing in common with. (Of course, I think he’ll find he has things in common with kids from every income level, but I definitely understand where he’s coming from.)

9

@quarkpie I’m probably not the right person to ask since I graduated from there 30+ years ago and I was a commuter student. Yes DePaul probably is still primarily a commuter school, but there are a lot more dorms than before. They have housing both in downtown and at the main Lincoln Park campus.

I made a lot of friends while at DePaul, almost all were Computer Science majors (I was one myself), so I would say that making friends was pretty easy even bough I was a commuter. And I keep in pretty close contact with many of them even today. I also worked as a tutor and TA in the CS labs my last 3 years so I got to meet a lot of people that way as well.

And yep there’s lots to do, the Cubs play 1.5 miles away from the Lincoln Park campus, the Bulls play a short El train ride away. Obviously many things to do in Chicago. The school basketball team which has been pathetic over the last 10-20 years will be pretty good these next few years, I predict.

10

DePaul has 32% of undergraduates on Pell grants (i.e. approximately lower half of the income distribution), and 19% not getting any financial aid or scholarships (i.e. those from the very top of the income distribution who did not get any merit scholarships). There were also 74 CS majors in a recent graduating class, but there were also others in computer related majors.
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=depaul&s=all&id=144740#finaid

About 71% of frosh at DePaul live in the dorms (presumably, about 29% commute from where they lived before attending).
https://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg05_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=350

11

By “small pond” does that include the CS major not being huge in enrollment, or just not being filled with super-competitive students?

12

Illinois Institute of Technology? Very diverse racially and economically, excellent programs, excellent outcomes, strong in CS but it’s not an impossibly competitive environment . My D is a recent engineering grad and had a great four years. She knows some CS majors who are doing well. They also have a good business major and some other non-STEM majors. Not sure about Econ specifically.

13

The number of CS graduates is a wee bit misleading, as Computer Science is one of the 16 majors in the College of Computing and Digital Media. Other majors in the CDM School include Data Science, Information Systems, Animation, CyberSecurity, Game Programming, Game Design, Film and Television, etc. Many of these majors would not exist at other schools and would roll up into Computer Science if these courses/concentration did exist.

Wow, didn’t know that it was that high a percentage of on-campus dormers. Back when I was going to school 30+ years ago my guess was maybe 5%.

14

@ucbalumnus Just not being filled with super-competitive students. Thanks for asking such a good, clarifying question.

15

In other words, a small* or large school or a school with a few* or a lot of CS majors is ok, as long as it is not super-competitive to get into the school or the CS major, right? (*of course, not so small that its CS offerings are too sparse to be academically suitable)

That probably makes a wide range of schools suitable for this criterion.

16

A quick look at https://www.cdm.depaul.edu/academics/Pages/Undergraduate.aspx suggests that the following appear to be the more technical majors offered there:

Computer Science
Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering
Data Science
Game Programming
Math and Computer Science

The others may roll up into other areas like art, film/media studies, or business if they do not exist.

17

@ucbalumnus Right, exactly. My son is really lacking in academic confidence, even though he is quite capable (especially when it comes to programming). He would like to be at a college where he is in or around the top quarter of his class. Otherwise, he is looking for a great overall undergraduate experience where he can have a great group of (nerdy) friends and get involved in a lot of clubs and activities on campus. He does not have a preference as to size, but felt that most of the LACs he looked at were either too competitive or didn’t offer enough CS courses.

18

@quarkpie: Not a school suggestion, just a thought that a bit more SAT prep could help get your son’s scores up a bit, and maybe even improve his confidence. Has he considered the ACT? Some students take better to one than the other.

19

I live in Chicago and totally didn’t think of DePaul. Most kids tend to live on campus. It’s in Lincoln Park(neighborhood) in Chicago not downtown. It’s a very nice area to live especially as a student. Brand new music and theater buildings. This is a major city with plenty to do. Doesn’t need a car. Mass transit is great. Midwestern people tend to be friendly. Not a Commuter school.

20

What about the University of Tulsa? You should check out their computer science program.

https://engineering.utulsa.edu/academics/computer-science/