College Planning - Computer Science

1. CS Paths - 

1. CS(Computer Science) - Pure CS
2. ECE( Electrical & Computer Engineering - Branches in EE or CE after 2nd year. CE has CS(70%) + Systems programming, Embedded etc. + Electronics.
3. CS + X (50-50 load shared with Math/Stat/Linguistics/Economics etc.)
4. BA - CS

2. Three School Options -

1. Engineering School 
2. School of Arts & Sciences
3. Computer Science School 

3. Geo Classfication

• NorthEast
• Midwest
• West (UC, UWash)
• South(GTech, UT Astin)

4. School Classification (by deemed Acceptance) (C - CS, E - ECE) 

{Some Ranking are taken from Graduate school, if missing from Undergrduate, esp. ECE}

• MIT(C#1, E#2), CarniegeMU(C#2, E#1), Berkeley(C#2, E#3), Stanford(C#2, E#4), Princeton(C#5, E#12), CalTech(C#5, E#), Harvard(C#13, E#), Columbia(C#13, E#16), UPenn(C#16, E#20)

• UIUC(C#5, E#7), Cornell(C#5, E#9), UWash(C#5, E#10), GeorgiaTech(C#5, E#5),  UMichigan(C#12, E#7), UT Austin(C#11, E#6),  UCLA(C#13, E#14)

• UMaryland(C#16, E#17), UWisconsin(Madison)(C#16, E#15), Purdue(C#20, E#10),  UMass(Amerst((C#31, E#37), NYU(C#36, E#37)

• Rutgers(C#41, E#44), Boston U(C#61, E#45), NorthEastern(C#41, E#37),          UPitt(C#52, E#51), NJIT(C#107, E#?), Drexel/Temple( )

5. CS + X Options

https://las.illinois.edu/admissions/faqcsx

https://www.khoury.northeastern.edu/programs/

College Planning

1. College Financing (KG-12)

• Start early
• College Fees range $25k - $75/year [ Public(In-state) -$20-35K,  Public(Out-state) -$35-55K, Private - $55-80K]
• Fees are independent of Major(some have extra fees - Engg - +2-3K/yr)
• Create 529 Plan (early)
• Growth is Tax-Free, as long as it is used for college
• Is transferable to other siblings
• Max around 15k/year/parent
• Grandparents can contribute too
• Free money - Scholarship, Grants
• Federal loan(thru FAFSA) 
• Low interest
• Subsidized/un-subsidized
• Typical income ceiling at 75K(individual)/150K(family)

2. In High School(9-12)

• Overall GPA. Use AP/Honor to add extra points.
• National Honor
• National Merit Scholarship - Finalist, Semifinalist
• Sports - Varsity
• Community Service(Important)
• Extra-Curricular activities(Duration, Intensity, Competition needed)
• Clubs (Competitive - Robotics etc.) 

3. By end of 11th Grade, decide on Major

• The biggest decision is to decide on ENGG or Not. Most of the other Majors like Medicine, Law are chosen after Graduation(Bachelors)
• Should have finished on  SAT/ACT exams
• Finish Subject SATs(Engg needs at least 2)
• Take AP Exams (Score of 4/5 will help transfer credits to college)

4. Choosing College, once Major is decided

• College choice is personal, but some parameters can be prioritized to narrow down
• Ranking - Overall Ranking/Major Ranking/Doesn;t matter 
• Distance - <50 Miles/<300 Miles/>300 Miles 
• Acceptance - <10%/10-30%/30%+ 
• Size Small - (<5000)/Medium(<20000)/Large  
• Campus - Urban/Subarban/Small Town/Rural
• Type - National Univ/Liberal Art/Regional College
• Funding - Private/Public-State/Public-Regional
• Student Profile - %White/%Black/%Hispanic/ %Asian    
• Lot of resources available to research
• USA News (https://premium.usnews.com/best-colleges) [ Paid subscription $25/yr ] 
• Times (https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-universities-united-states)
• QS (https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2021)

5. 11th Grade Summer

• Start on Common App Essay in Summer - Choose topics, write drafts, get them reviewed
• Build Portfolio (For Art Majors)
• Make a College list(10-12), divided into
• Reach (Difficult) [3-4]
• Match (Possible) [3-4]
• Safety (Sure) [3-4]
• Decide on application type
• Early Decision(ED) (1) [Have to commit on getting in] [typically mid-Dec]
• Early Action(EA) (few) [No Commit] [mid-Dec to mid-Feb]
• Regular(Reg) (others) [end-Mar]
• Research each individual college for its requirements
• #Teacher Recommendations
• #Other Recommendations
• Supplemental Essays
• Supplemental Questions
• Transcript (11th Grade, Mid-year etc.)
• Most Colleges use Common App, but some use Coalition App & a few insist on Individual applications
• (https://www.mefa.org/blog/understanding-different-types-college-applications)

6. 12th Grade - Typically Common App opens on 1st Nov

• Fill common sections, followed by the individual college ones
• Colleges have different deadlines depending on the Application type(ED/EA/Reg). Don't have to rush. 
• Use the School system(Naviance etc.) to request Teacher Recommendations, Transcripts
• Fill standard FAFSA (Federal system for Loan application)[Mandatory]

7. On Acceptance(or before)

• Shortlist a few campuses to visit(3/4) to get a feel 
• Then let the student decide

Halleluiah! 

On Driving Lessons

​Some Basics,

1. Do not get stressed about driving.  

2. You have to enjoy it. Remember it is a life skill that makes you spatially free.  

3. On the Road, you have as much right as anyone else. Also as much Duty.

4. Some Tips:

    a) Don't get intimated by aggressive drivers, keep your cool & let them Pass(ignore honking)  

    b) Be Alert. Always keep looking in the Rear & Side Mirrors, every 10 seconds. You should have a 360 view of the surroundings.

    ​c) Changing lanes is the most complex, u need to show the Signal10 meters before merging. Always look over your shoulder once before merging, to avoid blind spots, which r invisible are in the Side Mirrors   

   d) Always Start & Stop slowly. Sudden movement creates confusion.

   e) Follow Signs(Stop, Yield, Turns) rigorously

4. As you are left-handed, I guess your reflexes might not match the Instructors.

5. If you make a mistake, don't take it personally. Understand what went wrong & correct it.

6. Drive defensively. You control only 50% of the driving, the rest is on the other guy. Need to anticipate what other(Idiot) might do, without Panicking.

7. This is just the first phase. Mom took 15 lessons, I failed both written & driving tests once. Took me 3 months to get the License.

8. This is just a Learning License not the end of the world.

Just take a deep breath & let go of the tension & enjoy the ride.