@CateCAParent I have a similarly undecided junior who excels in science, math, and CS, but isn’t sure where he wants to land. He’s trying to figure out if engineering is for him through a summer program. His college list as of now includes some of the colleges mentioned on this thread, but it’s TOUGH to find colleges where all doors are open freshman year. U of R has engineering AND an open curriculum… it’s on our list for this reason. Case Western has an open door policy, which is useful for the undecided kid who wants to dabble. As mentioned, pre-reqs are going to be an issue for programs like CS and engineering. If you give up on engineering, there seems to be many options to explore STEM. I particularly like Hamilton and Grinnell, which both have great CS and math, but allow exploration with their open curricula. Check my thread (CS LACs for 36 ACT student) if it’s helpful!
I definitely will. Thank you!
If physics seems like a potential major, then note that a Hamilton professor (and Williams graduate) was the recent recipient of an American Physical Society prize:
A recognition such as this pertains especially to the important aspect of mentorship on the undergraduate level.
Thank you @Search2022, I will- I have been following it already, but will re-visit.
The open curriculum v core is another head scratcher for me. On the one hand, a strong core requirement will give him time to mature into his decisions while still timely moving toward graduation goals. Plus, while stem sustains him, he enjoys econ, history and political science, and may want to study abroad and flex his second language muscles.
On the other hand, I can see the ability to chart his own path deep into stem as wildly exhilarating for him.
Ultimately, this is for him to figure out, not me. But it does make the wide array of options to research daunting. I like a good decision tree, and I am stuck in the decision forest. 
You can do what we did, hire someone to help him figure it out and to stay on top of things like application deadlines and essays. Getting out of that loop was one of the best things we’ve ever done.
Cold, but they have tunnels between many of the buildings. Here’s an older video that got my guy hooked on the place back in 2012:
The “80%” research is roughly how many undergrads participate in research across all majors. “Limitless core” is very little in required courses - one writing class and two “clusters” in different areas than one’s major, both of which (writing and clusters) have oodles of options.
It talks about sports, but sports really aren’t a factor compared to “sports heavy” schools. 20% Greek means there’s a life without Greek (or with for those who want it).
There’s certainly snow. 
Otherwise, science and research are what the school is known for, including Physics, Engineering, and CS from the “why” perspective.
The Arizona publics UA and ASU offer significant merit, and are probably not hard to change majors in.
For a very likely admit, does UC Merced as mentioned above make sense?
Yes it does. If figure when it comes to it, he will be applying to several UCs, including Merced. I haven’t been there, but I think of it as the up-and-commer people will be talking about years from now.
Now you at the more common, I am willing to pay, but only for certain schools. That makes the decision more complex.
@CateCAParent Haha, we’re still in the woods too, but I can see a decision tree emerging! First, the engineering decision Y/N will limit entire categories of schools or at least make some colleges a lot more appealing. Then, the computer science decision. Depending on if it’s the sole focus or more of a minor/concentration, that matters. Some of the best CS programs are direct admit, so good to make a decision on level of interest in CS.
At the moment, while my son gets to know himself, he has flagships, techy schools, and LACs on the list. It’s probably a good thing to apply to different types of schools anyhow.
Core reqs may be less of an issue for your son since he might like to take classes outside STEM. Open curriculum is appealing for us as a way for my son to control his own destiny while he explores the diverse areas within stem.
Even at a college without many curricular requirements, a motivated science student can create a core education through carefully selected courses in fields such as history, religious studies, classics/philosophy, government and literature. In other words, the absence of core requirements does not preclude a core education.
I could have written this post verbatim- my son is at a similar crossroads. It is making it difficult to narrow down a list.
I fully expect for him to tell me to butt out, and that is fine, though it will be hard! He will choose well. It is my OCD that is driving this inquiry today.
I am utterly fascinated by the process of researching and selecting colleges, on so many levels. Not just for kiddo, but across the board. This seemed like a question that other people might relate to, and I hadn’t seen it framed quite this way, so I thought it was worth putting out there for the greater good. I am loving everyone’s help.
But if the UCs aren’t true safeties, and there is an oos public school that is, and it checks most of the boxes (like AZ might, for example), I am fine with it. In the spirit of “love your safeties” it seems essential to look at oos publics seriously.
The analysis is: does UC Merced offer more value than AZ State for a California resident interested in stem? I currently don’t know. If not, AZ wins.
Regarding the University of Rochester - Canadian Physicist Donna Strickland who currently teaches at the University of Waterloo in Ontario and got her Ph.D. there was a Nobel Prize winner in Physics in 2018.
@Search2022 - exactly this! This is the tree! Your kid and my kid probably diverge somewhere around cs direct admit. Or core/no core. Or come to think of it maybe engineering/l&s.
See, this is why I am useless at this! Lol.
Maybe the answer is to just hack down the tree, make a stump to sit on and a nice camp fire, and relax, enjoying the view. These are seriously first world problems - I do recognize that. But I am still fascinated.
@CateCAParent Totally agree, I’ll join you at the campfire 
Even as I look at the 15+ divergent schools on my son’s list, I’m sure he will be fine at any of them. Like you said, it’s just fascinating to explore the options, especially with all the voices of wisdom here on CC.
The hard part about answering if one school is worth it is that everyone has a different marginal utility of money(MUM). If I use the UC system and Wisconsin as the entire universe, different people will place Wisconsin at different places in the UC list due to the increase in cost ( from in-state CA). A person with a low MUM (billionaire) may put Wisconsin second in the list after UCB. Another person with a higher MUM may put it in around UCSD. Someone with a high MUM would put Wisconsin at the bottom of the list. None of the answers are wrong.
I’ll bring the marshmallows!
Rice!!!