Visited and kiddo loved it.
Looking for: big school that is social/athletic, diverse student body, busy campus, Comp Sci major, no more than 4-5 hrs from DC metro area.
Kiddo has a 3.75W (rough estimate) 1400 SAT. I’m worried that is not enough to get into UMD (we are in state).
So…we’d like a school that is very similar to UMD, but easier to get into. So far I can only think of Pitt and UDelaware. Any other suggestions? Cost is not a factor. Thanks for any suggestions.
Penn State, James Madison, Loyola MD
We will be looking at JMU. Loyola is probably too small and too homogenous. And Penn State is just too big, although we may take a look. Thanks.
Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Clemson, North Carolina State. W.Va. would give him a hefty scholarship: looks like $14,000 per year scholarship due to his 1400 SAT.
http://undergradscholarships.wvu.edu/freshman/non-resident
Agree, Va. Tech, NC State, Pittsburgh, maybe Villanova or U-Mass Amherst if you’re willing to go a little farther. Also, check out merit aid page at Miami of Ohio. It provides the range of available given a student’s GPA and test scores. Nice campus, larger size, and he would get a good amount of aid. Good luck!
Maybe American U (especially if cost is not a factor).
Temple has a less defined campus, but hits some of what he wants. So does U of South Carolina, but that’s more like 7 hours away.
Lehigh is a mid-size university that might work (may not have the desired diversity). Some choices in the 6-7 hour range might be Syracuse, SUNY Buffalo (may be a good safety), and Ohio State
Thanks, @moooop , WVU was not on my radar and that looks like a good option! Virginia Tech and Clemson were on my list in the beginning- have to check those out again.
Thanks @TTG , starting to consider UMass given their credentials. Already looked at Villanova and we all disliked it (super run down buildings except for business school, and very homogenous population). Never considered Miami Ohio - thank you!
@LuckyCharms913 given that dad works in DC, American may be a little too close to home! Temple and USC we might consider though…hadn’t thought of those!
@happy1 Lehigh is on MY list, but I think that school is going to feel too techy for my kid- also might be more toward the reach range with his GPA. Syracuse is for sure a must-visit now that I’ve looked into it. Kiddo already visited and loved OSU!
Unless the unweighted GPA were really low I’d be surprised if he didn’t get in at UMD from in state.
I think you are smart to look into other schools considering his unweighted GPA. I know several MD kids at OSU who love it. Your son’s chance of getting into UMD are much better if you do not live in Montgomery or Howard county. And if he does get into UMD then its great to have options.
@Mom24boys sadly we are in Howard - so yeah, odds are stacked. I’m afraid to look at what the GPA is unweighted…kid takes all really high level classes, but struggled in 9th and 10th grade and got several C’s. (Although all classes are GT or AP level.)
11th grade is straight A’s…so hopefully they’ll look at the upward trajectory? Unweighted is likely around 2.8-3.0 although after this year will move up slightly. 
Wonder how much they’ll consider the SAT score, which I think is a far better indicator of kiddo’s intelligence?
I second UDelaware, WVU and Pitt, 3 great schools. Some of the Southern public schools would also work (NC State, U S. Carolina and Clemson). Ohio State and Indiana U might also work.
Have you used the federal website called "College Navigator? You can do a search up to 250 miles from a zip code and put filters like size, degree program, sports, cost etc. If you want to go further out you can change the zip code. You can also search by states-- just click on the map and select the state(s).
Def check out Miami of Ohio!!!
Just a little update- just returned from our visit to Pitt, which I thought was VERY impressive and a good option. But son didn’t like it, because he didn’t like the “traffic” feel of busy streets dissecting the campus. Not enough green space.
Still to check out: Univ of Delaware, James Madison. I really want to look at Miami of Ohio (and maybe see Ohio State again…)
I’m not bowled over by WVU’s stats compared to some others.
Any other suggestions out there?
We did check out Loyola since it’s so close to us - I really loved it, but son hated it. Too small, too white, not even close to being diverse enough for him…70% Catholic? Yep, dealbreaker.
Lehigh hits all these points, except “big” (total enrollment of about 7200). My impression is that they weigh test scores more heavily than GPA in admissions.
Lehigh has strong CS, but with an unusual orientation: most of their CS students choose the “Computer Science & Business” program, which is jointly sponsored by the Engineering and Business Schools. This path leads to an unique 4-year BS degree that is fully accredited in both CS (by ABET) and business (by AACSB).
The CSB degree is extremely marketable, so it’s worth considering if your son has any interest in business. If not, then Lehigh also offers a plain-vanilla CS degree (without business), but this is a less popular option.
@Corbett …thank you! Lehigh was on our initial lists…but for some reason it dropped off my radar. I think because their stats and GPA look so high. I had no idea they had that joint program…that sounds very interesting.
I think 7,000 still qualifies as big (or maybe big enough).
We also have a connection to Lehigh…so that can’t hurt! Thank you!
Thought I would update everyone- we visited UDelaware today and it was a hit! Felt big enough for kiddo, sort of like a smaller version of Maryland. Also liked their little town, and everyone was nice and friendly.
Still to check out this summer: James Madison, Virginia Tech, Clemson, and NC State.