See 11:09's response. Duke gives you a decent CS education (ranked 25, i believe), better salary outcomes compared to most other better ranked CS schools out there with the exception of the top 3 maybe, and the non-CS cohort is about as smart as the CS cohort would be. Probably not the case at some of the other schools on the list. |
It's frigg'n Duke. Hiring managers cream when they see it on a resume. If you can get in, regardless of major, it isn't a bad choice. Doesn't mean there might not be a better choice for a particular kid in a particular situation, but your suggestion that it shouldn't even be considered is asinine. |
Following this person's logic, has OP considered Amherst for an English major? Hmmm? |
That's a truly stupid reason. But you do you. |
Ah...as a techie...seeing a CS degree from Duke would do nothing for me...might be a negative for hiring. |
Yup. It’s like going to Caltech to study sociology. |
| OP asked about big state schools. Think you guys are taking this thread somewhere else. |
My advice is don't pick a school solely on intended major. Major may (likely) change and college is much more than the major. |
| Go to your state school and pay for a masters. My husband one to a school no one has heard of for CS and doing well. Some of it is skill, not just the name of your degree. Where you get your degree is more about ego. |
what does that mean? |
They have set a limit on the number of students who can be in that major (i.e. it's too popular). A major like Philosophy isn't impacted, because natural demand is limiting the number of students electing that as a major. If you're a high schooler set on Philosophy, you'll get that major if accepted to the school. Computer Science is very popular. So much so they cannot accommodate all who want that major. The criteria to be accepted into that major will be tougher than the criteria to get into the school itself. |
That will be true for a number of schools on the list above. |
That's rather weird, everyone knows Duke is a great school but I doubt anyone "creams" themselves over it. And as someone else stated, in tech going to a school that hiring managers from traditional industries "cream" over can be a slight negative because it has the perception of weak technical skills and strong focus on networking/workplace politics. Outside of MIT, Caltech, CMU and Stanford, there aren't many privates that hiring managers in tech will cream over, and certainly not schools like Duke, Vanderbilt, or U. Chicago |
Fair enough, maybe things work differently in the nerd world, but it's also worth remembering that more than half of college students change their major at least once. Just because a kid is dead set on CS when they enter as a freshman doesn't mean that's the degree they'll graduate with. That's the danger of a school like Caltech. It's almost unmatched for engineering, but if a kid changes their mind and wants to do something outside STEM — which, gasp, happens from time to time — they're looking at a transfer and starting over at a new school. Duke, while maybe a tad bit less elite in certain specialized fields, offers a degree that will open doors no matter the course of study. |
Cal alum here. Just wanted to note that Berkeley has two types of CS majors. CS is in Letters & Science and EECS is in Engineering. EECS if you can get in and graduate opens tons of doors - $150K salary base plus equity plus signing bonus (data point from family friend who is a 2020 EECS grad). |