College advice please

My response is biased based on my experience as a Math and Computer Science major who graduated over 40 years ago, from an Ivy League university.

A major factor in starting a career can be the contacts you make in college. Even as a shy kid, I knew enough to begin "networking" with my professors, with other students, and with university staff. I got my internship (which led to my job and career at Megacorp) through that networking.

In addition, though my school was not considered a "powerhouse" at that time for Computer Science, they provided that strong, broad liberal education that helped me after I joined Megacorp - for example, applying skills such as writing clearly, research, giving presentations/talks in front of people, and translating "tech talk" into "common language". Those abilities made me stand out in my career.

In my view, the question is not just "which schools provide the best computer related majors?", but "is this a school that fits my child's personality, where they will take advantage of the opportunities?" and "what marketable skills beyond computers will this school help grow?"
 
Thanks for all the fantastic advice. My son read the responses with interest and we signed up for a campus tour of University of Alabama at Huntsville, which is also the home of NASA, Redstone Arsenal and all of the contractors that service them. We will be sure to ask about internship opportunities there. The scholarship grid indicates that he will receive a full tuition scholarship, though he'd have to score a little higher to get room and board covered as well. We are looking into the websites mentioned. UAH will not be our only visit- its going to be a busy summer. Thanks again!
 
ugeauxgirl said:
Thanks for all the fantastic advice. My son read the responses with interest and we signed up for a campus tour of University of Alabama at Huntsville, which is also the home of NASA, Redstone Arsenal and all of the contractors that service them. We will be sure to ask about internship opportunities there. The scholarship grid indicates that he will receive a full tuition scholarship, though he'd have to score a little higher to get room and board covered as well. We are looking into the websites mentioned. UAH will not be our only visit- its going to be a busy summer. Thanks again!
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Good luck to your son and Mom and Dad!

Do let us know what schools end up on the "finalist" list, and then which is "the one". And what factors led your son to that decision. :greetings10:
 
ugeauxgirl said:
Thanks for the info. He was very interested in what y'all had to say. UAH in Huntsville was already on our list, but based on your advice, we'll move that one up a notch. Georgia Tech sounds good too. Appreciate it!
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Check into Virginia Tech as well... out of state rates aren't the highest out there and they have two very good programs in CompSci and even better in their business school (Pamplin) for Business Information Technologies (BIT).

I have two daughters who went through those programs and doing quite well now (just a few years after graduation).
 
I think the main thing that gets schools highly rated is the caliber of the students attending, including #s of Masters/PhD candidates and research taking place. However, in some of the big name schools, the quality of the teaching at the bachelors level leaves much to be desired, as the students are smart enough to be strong self-learners who can survive with profs who communicate poorly. Do not underestimate some of the smaller lesser known programs, especially those with strong co-op programs.

I was a EE at RPI years ago and it was highly ranked back in my day, especially at the bachelor level. I could also have attended Cornell, Columbia or MIT, but I thought those schools would not have suited me as well as the smaller school did. I seem to recall that back when I was in school, Northeastern had some good co-op programs, but I have no idea where they stand today.
 
DFW_M5 said:
I think the main thing that gets schools highly rated is the caliber of the students attending, including #s of Masters/PhD candidates and research taking place. However, in some of the big name schools, the quality of the teaching at the bachelors level leaves much to be desired, as the students are smart enough to be strong self-learners who can survive with profs who communicate poorly. Do not underestimate some of the smaller lesser known programs, especially those with strong co-op programs...
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X2, many of the big schools are not so good for those wishing to get a bachelor's and then go to work. Bachelor's courses are taught by the grad students or the lesser prof's. Good point made by DFW_M5.


I also did the co-op for part of my college. It was a great experience and resume builder. Working for 6 months is much better way to get involved and do something bigger than typical 3 months summer job. Good way to really get to know the fellow engrs and mgrs. Although in the end the company I co-op'd at was in a hiring freeze when I graduated so went to a different company.
 
College board (the AP/SAT people) used to have a site called big campus. They have changed that to Big Future.
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search

It lets you see stats about colleges/universities... Like how much average aid packages... Percentage of students graduating in 6 years or less... median SAT score...

Going in person is also very useful. Both my boys had UCLA on their list until they visited the campus. It's a great school but not for them.

Once you identify the campuses your son is interested in there are reddit forums for most colleges...

We just went through this as I have a graduating senior (just 12 days left in his last HS semester.) He's proudly off to Cal Poly SLO in the fall.
 
CaliKid said:
I would apply to a bunch of schools including private and public, in-state and out of state, high level and lower level. We were amazed by the sheer variety of scholarship offers that didn't at all line up or make total sense. For our child going out of state, to a mid-level state University, and going into their honors program was a better choice than in-state higher level school due to the combination of cost (100% free tuition due to scholarship), location (proximity to big city jobs), program and the honors college being a small college within a larger university.
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I would modify this approach slightly... Do NOT have your child apply to schools they might get into, but not get any (or enough) financial aid to go to. I personally know two kids who are very upset that they were accepted to private schools of their dreams but their parents couldn't afford the tuition and not enough aid was offered. If you have your son apply to financial stretch schools make sure they understand exactly how much $$ you can/will put towards the school.
 
It's been over 20 years since I've done any interviews. Not sure exactly where the screening happened, but I only saw those from very highly ranked tech schools like Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, etc (can't remember exactly) and some from the local schools. Some of those locals had co-op'd with us and if they provided some value during their co-op time they were almost a shoo-in. At the time my company was a highly desirable place to work because of salary, bonus and stock options. Probably not so much anymore.

For experienced hires, I barely looked at where they went to school. In fact, two in my department that I had interviewed did not even have college degrees. One I knew from my last job, and the other clearly had the skills we wanted, and both were really good hire decisions.

I don't know anything about UA-Huntsville, but Georgia Tech would catch my eye as a strong school for comp sci.

My own story is that I graduated in 1984 and if you had ever written a FORTRAN or Pascal programming you probably had multiple offers just from companies that did campus interviews. My degree was from a midwest state U but I had to write a letter to get an on-site interview and offer from a desirable company, which I probably only got because of top grades and some part-time experience.
 
Lots of good posts here, so just a couple of comments.

I’ve heard or read interviews with tech execs where they say the major employers in the tech industry, such as Facebook and Alphabet, use school / program as a filter for two reasons. One, too many applicants to interview, and two, hiring from a small group of programs makes it easier to build cross functional teams. In tech, school apparently influences employment choices.

I just heard a very good interview with Mark Carney, who was Governor (Chairman) of the Central Bank of Canada, then England. Only a couple of people have ledCentral Banks in more than one country, so he is quite accomplished. He studies economics undergraduate and graduate. This is relevant because, as a senior in high school, he wanted to study marine biology, and changed fields after enrolling in college.

+1@ pjigar, internships are valuable and choosing a program in close proximity to where one wants to intern is a smart move.
 
latexman said:
OP, if your son goes a few years, but drops out and starts building "the best thing since sliced bread" in your garage and starts his own company, could you please let us know. Thanks!
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Lol- I will. Both my kids love "inventing stuff". The younger one came up with an interesting design for a bottle opener he made on the forge...
 
RunningBum said:
It's been over 20 years since I've done any interviews. Not sure exactly where the screening happened, but I only saw those from very highly ranked tech schools like Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, etc (can't remember exactly) and some from the local schools. Some of those locals had co-op'd with us and if they provided some value during their co-op time they were almost a shoo-in. At the time my company was a highly desirable place to work because of salary, bonus and stock options. Probably not so much anymore.

For experienced hires, I barely looked at where they went to school. In fact, two in my department that I had interviewed did not even have college degrees. One I knew from my last job, and the other clearly had the skills we wanted, and both were really good hire decisions.

I don't know anything about UA-Huntsville, but Georgia Tech would catch my eye as a strong school for comp sci.

My own story is that I graduated in 1984 and if you had ever written a FORTRAN or Pascal programming you probably had multiple offers just from companies that did campus interviews. My degree was from a midwest state U but I had to write a letter to get an on-site interview and offer from a desirable company, which I probably only got because of top grades and some part-time experience.
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I called Georgia Tech today- out of state tuition is 35k per year- no waivers. DH laughed and said forget that- Tim Cook graduated from Auburn.
 
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rodi said:
College board (the AP/SAT people) used to have a site called big campus. They have changed that to Big Future.
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search

It lets you see stats about colleges/universities... Like how much average aid packages... Percentage of students graduating in 6 years or less... median SAT score...

Going in person is also very useful. Both my boys had UCLA on their list until they visited the campus. It's a great school but not for them.

Once you identify the campuses your son is interested in there are reddit forums for most colleges...

We just went through this as I have a graduating senior (just 12 days left in his last HS semester.) He's proudly off to Cal Poly SLO in the fall.
Click to expand...
Congratulations to him! Didn't know about the reddit pages, I will have him look at that. He loves Reddit
 
DFW_M5 said:
Northeastern had some good co-op programs, but I have no idea where they stand today.
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I talked in an earlier post about Northeastern. When I went (class of 1978) it was great school with reasonable pricing, and I could earn my way through on Co-op.

When out son went to school (1999) we looked into it, but the pricing had gone way up.

Just for kicks, a few years ago, I looked at the cost. Over $50,000/year, just tuition. Now, I am sure they have scholarships, but I paid $2,000/year in the 70's.
 
jollystomper said:
My response is biased based on my experience as a Math and Computer Science major who graduated over 40 years ago, from an Ivy League university.

A major factor in starting a career can be the contacts you make in college. Even as a shy kid, I knew enough to begin "networking" with my professors, with other students, and with university staff. I got my internship (which led to my job and career at Megacorp) through that networking.

In addition, though my school was not considered a "powerhouse" at that time for Computer Science, they provided that strong, broad liberal education that helped me after I joined Megacorp - for example, applying skills such as writing clearly, research, giving presentations/talks in front of people, and translating "tech talk" into "common language". Those abilities made me stand out in my career.

In my view, the question is not just "which schools provide the best computer related majors?", but "is this a school that fits my child's personality, where they will take advantage of the opportunities?" and "what marketable skills beyond computers will this school help grow?"
Click to expand...

+1

There is a lot of good advice in these answers. As a former professor, I would like to add that most students learn from other students, so it is important to go to a university where the other students are bright and motivated to achieve. Many students change majors, so choosing a school based on their reputation in one field is not a good idea. There are many excellent public universities (even Last Chance Us), but a student needs to be very proactive about finding opportunities such as internships. Top tier private schools have a high price tag, but offer large financial aid packages to families who don’t have a high income. Often, the cost after financial aid is quite reasonable. Private universities also make it easier for students to have the kinds of experiences that will get them a top tier job. Having gone to a top tier university may not count for much later in one’s career, but that first job will.

My advice to my children was to not limit their choices of universities at the application stage. We visited many universities (and yes, this was crucial to do). In the end, both my sons went to a university I thought they had no chance of being accepted at.
 
Navigator said:
...Top tier private schools have a high price tag, but offer large financial aid packages to families who don’t have a high income. Often, the cost after financial aid is quite reasonable. Private universities also make it easier for students to have the kinds of experiences that will get them a top tier job...
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My oldest daughter graduated HS this week, and we pushed for her to look at Virginia's state colleges. She only applied to one of them, and wasn't really interested in going there. A small private school was her top choice, but tuition, room and board is about $55k, which was definitely a big concern. Until the financial aid package came, and knocked everything down to about $25k.
 
HawkeyeNFO said:
Yeah that's what I used to think too. The private colleges know that they have to compete, and cost is a major part of that.
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Thanks, I hadn't really thought about it. I just assumed we wouldn't get any help. That puts a few schools back on the list.
 
ugeauxgirl said:
Thanks, I hadn't really thought about it. I just assumed we wouldn't get any help. That puts a few schools back on the list.
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FAFSA has some weird rules about what they include or don't include in assets, like retirement accounts and small business assets are exempt. So theoretically you could be a billionaire owner of a small business and get aid.
 
ugeauxgirl said:
Thanks, I hadn't really thought about it. I just assumed we wouldn't get any help. That puts a few schools back on the list.
Click to expand...

That's why I mentioned in my original post to look at schools where your kids' ACT is around the 75th percentile mark. You may not get "financial aid" but you may get a "presidential circle scholarship". Same difference - one's just a coupon because they want your kid, another is because you look poor/low income.

daylatedollarshort said:
FAFSA has some weird rules about what they include or don't include in assets, like retirement accounts and small business assets are exempt. So theoretically you could be a billionaire owner of a small business and get aid.
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Indeed. Also home equity used not to count.

It is feasible for a FIRE person who can control their AGI to get FAFSA financial aid.

Note that the FAFSA rules are changing quite a bit starting this fall for next year (which is when I think OP's kid will be a freshman in college). Google "FAFSA simplification" for details. Unfortunately this is a new world for everyone, so the Department of Education and financial aid advisors in high schools and at colleges probably don't completely understand the new rules yet. They're probably busy with financial aid awards and appeals stuff for this fall at the moment.
 
SecondCor521 said:
It is feasible for a FIRE person who can control their AGI to get FAFSA financial aid.
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+1. When our kids were in college the MAGI limits for state aid were pretty high for a family, not too far off from the ACA cliff. So those two programs really saved us a lot during the college years. But I don't know how we would fare under the current rules.
 
So glad that my kids have mostly completed university education. It’s gotten so expensive!

Education is a priority for us so we planned and pinched pennies for it, but $40-50k a year at university, times three kids is rough. In the end it was worth the sacrifices and every penny.

Now I have a Mechanical Engr, a physicist currently working on his PhD, and a brand new nurse with a graduate degree who will start working at a cardiac ICU next month.
 
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