Wow! I don’t know how you decide from that list of great options! Can you eliminate any from your admitted list yet (like Elon, UNCC, ECU, Northern Arizona)? Still confused over whether you’re picking business, cs or engineering. FWIW, my daughter (not an engineering major) is OOS at VT and we don’t pay $55k (it’s closer to $41-$42K depending on dorm & meal plan choice). But you’re right, for engineering, if you like the vibe at NC State it doesn’t make much sense to pay OOS to go elsewhere.
We’re going through this with youngest son at a different university. If GPA was the only criteria for a limited access major he’d be a shoe-in but it’s holistic. But, he knew that going in.
Honestly, you need a plan C if you’re considering universities with limited access majors. Especially if admission is holistic.
If you can’t come up with a plan C I’d look at direct admit schools only even if they were lower ranked.
This is what my younger daughter chose to do, and I think it was a great decision for her. Knowing the work ethic that she has, I have no doubts in her future success.
I would venture to say that even though there are advantages to top-ranked programs, it’s not as if career success is automatically dropped in their lap - they still have to make an effort and put in the work. And if they are lucky enough to get in, the competition doesn’t end there - they will all be competing against each other for the internships. Those who don’t rise and thrive in a competitive environment will find themselves at the back of the line.
Yeah, picking has been tough! I’m still waiting on quite a few so the picking game isn’t even close to being finished, haha. I eliminated Elon, ECU, Northern Arizona, and ASU. I am a CS major, not business.
Also, hmm. That’s weird. That’s really nice that you’re paying 40k OOS for your daughter…not sure why my package is about 54k; maybe it’s because I’m in engineering.
And yea, probably not paying 54k for VT OOS when I already have NCSU and UNC here for way cheaper, haha.
Yea, I do like pedigree but the thing is if I join UNC now, I’d have to go through a whole application process for getting into their CS program - feels like a never ending journey.
If there was no app and I was directly admitted to CS, I would most definitely go there.
Will have to see how the outcomes go for the rest of the schools.
Last Update: April 1, 2022. Please feel free to give and advice and input!
Note: All admittances are CS unless otherwise specified.
Fordham - Deferred EA - Admitted - Pretty sure it was yield protect EA
RIT - Admitted w/BS-MS Accelerated Program with scholarship
Denison - Waitlisted (Did not write “why us” essay)
Northeastern - Rejected
Vanderbilt - Rejected
Carnegie Mellon - Rejected
U Mich - Deferred EA - Rejected
Tulane - Deferred EA - Rejected - No demonstrated interest shown whatsoever
Wash U - Rejected
Johns Hopkins - Rejected
Harvard - Rejected
Cornell - Rejected Previous Decisions (all admittances unless otherwise specified):
UVA - Rejected Georgia Tech - Rejected Fordham - Deferred University of Michigan - Deferred Tulane - Deferred Purdue - Admitted second choice major of Business Analytics and Information Management NC State
University of Pittsburgh
UIUC (CS + Chemistry)
Virginia Tech
Baylor
UNC Chapel Hill
Michigan Technological University Elon University
Stetson University (Received $21,000 yearly presidential scholarship) Seton Hall University (Received $88,500 scholarship for 4 years - $21,000 annually) University of South Carolina(Received minimum of $86,000 scholarship for 4 years)
UNC Charlotte
University of Alabama
Northern Arizona University
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Missouri S&T (Received $16,000 total scholarship)
East Carolina University
Florida Institute of Technology ($40,000 total scholarship, $10,000 yearly) Arizona State University(Presidential award, $15,500 yearly w/admittance to Barrett)
Waiting for:
Nothing. Application process has concluded.
And…that’s a wrap. Not good enough for the elite schools but decent enough for schools that are mid-tier. Thinking about attending either UNC or NC State but have not weighed out options. Will start researching everything and completing intend to enroll soon. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you everyone for the guidance and help throughout the process; each and every one of you is greatly appreciated and it means a lot.
I believe UNC and NC State are in state so absolutely go with those. ASU may cost the same with a prestigious scholarship but UNC and NC State are more rigorous programs.
You have some great acceptances to consider. Did you ever figure out your budget from your family? If you haven’t had that talk, have it now.
UNC and NC State are great options, and you’re so lucky that you’re in-state for them. Just to confirm, are you a direct admit to CS at UNC or would you need to do a secondary admission to the major later on? Also, did you mention that you were more interested in tech and engineering than pure sciences, if you were going to veer away from CS? If those statements are both correct, I’d definitely lean towards NC State between your two in-state publics. Have you visited both campuses? What were your thoughts?
Are there any other colleges that fall within the budget, without needing loans? Do you like any of those options more than NC State or UNC?
I’ve had the talk any my parent say they’ll pay any amount if it’s worth the school. For example, they’ll even pay like 60-70K a year if I get into Harvard just because of the massive amounts of success that the school will yield after graduation.
I am not a direct admit to CS at UNC - there is a secondary admission process that they started this year with a projected CS major acceptance rate of <50%. That’s the main thing that’s worrying me. I am definitely more interested in tech than pure science, but I want to do a lot of business things as well, maybe even a double major. That’s why I’m still in the dilemma since UNC has such a good business program with amazing connections and opportunities.
I visited NC State and I mean it’s alright. Will visit UNC soon.
Due to rank, fellow student and professor quality, reputation, job prospects, etc. I’m not as familiar with UNC for CS but I know that NC State is very well regarded. I never hear about ASU except for Supply Chain, Carey School of Business and SBUX baristas. And Herman Edwards football.
If one wants to leave the state, ASU is a fine alterative especially with a Presidential scholarship which surely gives other perks besides money and its direct entry to CS. I like Purdue’s combo program as well but not sure if OP’s parents would consider it worth $45K relative to sub-$30K in state to UNC and NC State.
It doesn’t sound like you particularly cared for your visit at NC State. What was it that you didn’t care for? What was it that you liked? Based on your feedback, people may be able to give you additional guidance concerning your list of acceptances.
With an acceptance rate of less than 50% to get into UNC’s CS major, then I wouldn’t be tempted by it, personally. I know that its business school is also very competitive to get into (well less than 50% chance, I believe).
Although your family may have been willing to pay $60-70k for Harvard (which is less than what Harvard costs), that’s not one of your acceptances. Having received your financial aid packages from the universities that accepted you, look at how much each university will cost. Which of those are at prices that your family is willing and able to pay?
It appears as though you got scholarship money from RIT, Stetson, Seton Hall, U. of South Carolina, Missouri S & T, Florida Institute of Technology, and Arizona State. How much would each of those cost per year? You’re in-state for NC State, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, and ECU. Did U. of Alabama not give you scholarship money? With your GPA and SAT scores there should have been some generous merit there.
Are there any schools that did not offer scholarship money that your family is willing and able to pay for? We need to get the list down to what is a realistic option, and all of your acceptances may not be feasible based on what your family wants to pay. It’s hard to help if we don’t have that information.
NC State’s campus just looked like a normal, ordinary campus to me. Nothing special. It felt like how I imagined a “state” university to be. I wouldn’t mind going though. It’s alright.
Let me run down the prices (yearly) for you for each school.
I did not receive financial aid package from Alabama, U of SC, or UMN.
NC State: 27K
UNC: 25K
UNCC: 22K
ECU: 22K
Florida Southern: 22K
ASU: 36K
RIT: 51K
Elon: 55K
Purdue: 45K
Florida Tech: 23K
Pitt: 46K
Seton Hall: 41K
JWU Charlotte: 22K
Virginia Tech: 55K
Fordham: 55K
UIUC: 57K
All of these prices are affordable, but my parents are concerned with the “worth.” They either want me to go to NCSU or UNC with a greater lenience on NCSU.
Using a 3.9 GPA, 1510 SAT, and indicating that you completed the requisite number of years in the various academic subjects, Arizona State’s calculator is indicating you should have gotten the Presidents Award and the COA should be around $31k, not $36k. Is this different than what they gave you?
U. of Alabama’s website indicates that with your stats you should be getting the Presidential Award for $28k/year. That should make your costs about $17k for tuition, room & board there. If you haven’t heard anything from them, I would reach out.
Oh wow, I didn’t know Bama was that cheap. Either way, it’s in Alabama and there isn’t much opportunity there so will not attend.
You mentioned the U of SC scholarship. Yes, I got that scholarship but I’m not sure where to find financial aid package. They never email me with any info.
I would reach out to U. of South Carolina (USC) and get the details. Also, USC has one of the most well-reputed honors colleges in the country. Did it require an application? If so, are they still taking applications? That would also make it a strong contender.
I think there’s a lot of opportunity at Alabama. @tsbna44 has a son there in engineering, so I won’t steal his thunder about the opportunities that are there.
At this point in time, I would be doing lots of research on your accepted universities. Find out all the special programs they offer, especially those that would only be open those in an honors program (i.e. Barrett at ASU, another highly-regarded honors program) or for scholarship recipients (and if it’s too late to apply for honors). Which professors or classes excite you? Clubs? Residential opportunities? Map out what 8 semesters would look like at each university, including the possibilities to fulfill any distribution and major requirements.
Are there any that jump to the top off the list? Or jump off the list? This is where you will be spending the next 3-4 years of your life. Don’t base your decision on hearsay; base it on what you learn and find out.