CS college recommendations for high stats student seeking merit

57special
Tue, 04 Jun 2019 21:39:48 +0000

AS a dual citizen(CanAm) residing in Minnesota I believe I have something to add. S1 is currently at McGill studying business, while S2, who is still in HS, has a strong interest in CS. Both U of MN and McGill would be excellent, reasonably priced options for him, as would Wisconsin. I would strongly consider;
1 - U of MN vg school, vg price. It might not rank super highly, but there is everything you need there to excel in CS.
2- U of W see above comment. Ranks higher, but for an undergrad CS education, is more or less the same thing, but with more beer.
3- U of Waterloo. Very, very good for CS with a strong co-op program, and links to Google. The place where 4.0 students experience their 1st 53% on a test. Canadian pricing!
4- U of T. It’s a 2nd year admit for CS(as is Wisconsin and U of MN), so you are not guaranteed admission into CS. Very competitive, and very rigorous. Some people love the school, others drown there. Excellent noodles.
5- UBC. Excellent for CS. Rockstar campus surrounded by beaches and snow covered mountains…not that you will see them, because CS students spend all their time studying or doing lab work. Very rigorous. Nice pricing for Canadians.
6- McGill. CS doesn’t rank quite as high as U of T, UBC, or Waterloo, but to me, it’s a distinction without a difference. Very rigorous. Good pricing for Canadians, with an added loophole. If you have never resided in CAN, then you can get Quebec resident pricing, which is about 40% of the CAN price. S2 will qualify, S1 (BC born) did not. S1 has friends who are at Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, etc… In comparing notes on how much they study, and what marks they get, McGill seemed to be harder. Not saying better, but harder…due to his number of AP courses, he did start in 2nd year, so that might have something to do with his perceptions. Can be a fun, diverse place to go to school…in the few minutes of free time that you have from studying. Great food, nightlife, etc…

There are other schools, of course, but out of those 6 you have some very good, relatively low cost choices. The Canadian schools listed will kick your butt academically, though, especially in the first two years. A 36 ACT, 4.0 GPA with 10+ AP courses (assuming that it’s Physics, Chem, Math BC, etc.) should get you 1/2 off tuition at U of MN, maybe more. You might also get into the Honors college, which has that extra academic oomph, and is more likely to win the student research jobs and connections. Canadian schools will also give merit, but in smaller amounts.

As dual citizens, we are extremely fortunate to have access to the Canadian schools, which offer world class educations at wholesale prices, relative to the US schools. The State flagships in the midwest are great options, too. I would have mentioned UIUC, but I don’t believe that WI residents have reciprocal privileges there, as they do in MN.

Feel free to PM me. I’m no expert on CS, but do have some profs in the family, and a passing knowledge of all the schools I mentioned, as well as a few others.

There are some great people on this forum who know a lot about CS and math, both in school and out.