if you hire people with computer science BSes

[Anonymous]

Ok reality check here people

Any college with a CS degree you should do fine

We hire people from JMU, GMU, UMBC, etc ALL the time

I know people on here look down on those schools but they are fine and their graduate get hired by tons of companies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CMU grad here. I studied Information Systems, not CS, and the acceptance rate is better there. I didn't choose it for taht reason, but because I prefer IS over CS (I prefer applied to theoretical).

I was a B student from a good public school in this area. I also had a suspension on my record, but for something that's not illegal (so not fighting or drugs). My GPA was low B's, and my SATs were above average, but not amazing. I did have excellent work experience and recommendations -- I was doing summer internships at real companies helping them with computer stuff.

CMU, at least when I was there, was a pressure cooker school so they would give you a chance, but there's a lot of work so you have to prove yourself. Both my roommates freshman year failed out. One was a straight-A student from smalltown, PA. I guess you get an A just for showing up. He finsihed the first semester with 4 Fs and 1 D.

I was willing to work, and proved myself. I even graduated early!

Not sure if it's still like that, but I encourage him to try if he really has a love for computers. I did, and I think it came through in my application, so they took a chance on me. I guess it paid off for them, as I'm doing well and am a mid-level donor as well.

Thank you for this information. My DS is really really good with computers (I work in a computer intensive research field, so I know). Maybe he does have a chance at CMU. When he enjoys what he is doing, he works very hard. But, if he is not interested, wild horses can not make him do it (he is the opposite of me here... I was always a very "good girl" who does what she is told). Maybe we'll apply just for the heck of it... But it would be a real "Hail Mary" application, and I do need some sensible backup choices.

This is me to a T, personality-wise -- did well on tests and could write my way out of anything, but never did homework. As a result, I was a C- student in HS; not because I was dumb, but because I was bored and unmotivated. I went to West Virginia (not for computers or other sciences) and graduated cum laude in an area I thrived in. It really is about finding the right fit where it's enough to push him to excel but not necessarily a pressure cooker if that's not an environment he will excel in. I don't know about WVU's computer science program specifically, but it is part of their engineering school, which is very good. Much better than many people who aren't familiar might think. If he can handle the, um, celebratory atmosphere (that is, apply himself and have some self-discipline and put down the beer when necessary), it could be a good fit.

You do sound like my DS! West Virginia is indeed on our list; I had heard that it is a good place for somebody who has potential but is maybe maturing late. And he is not at all a party kid. He has a group of about 10 friends that he plays D&D with for recreation, so maybe that will be fine.

I went to WVU for CS. Really high SAT/ACT scores but totally unmotivated as a student. I feel like I got a good education there, and got a full ride to a very good graduate CS program. The PP was correct about the party atmosphere; it can really mess up kids without enough self control. It's definitely worth looking into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CMU grad here. I studied Information Systems, not CS, and the acceptance rate is better there. I didn't choose it for taht reason, but because I prefer IS over CS (I prefer applied to theoretical).

I was a B student from a good public school in this area. I also had a suspension on my record, but for something that's not illegal (so not fighting or drugs). My GPA was low B's, and my SATs were above average, but not amazing. I did have excellent work experience and recommendations -- I was doing summer internships at real companies helping them with computer stuff.

CMU, at least when I was there, was a pressure cooker school so they would give you a chance, but there's a lot of work so you have to prove yourself. Both my roommates freshman year failed out. One was a straight-A student from smalltown, PA. I guess you get an A just for showing up. He finsihed the first semester with 4 Fs and 1 D.

I was willing to work, and proved myself. I even graduated early!

Not sure if it's still like that, but I encourage him to try if he really has a love for computers. I did, and I think it came through in my application, so they took a chance on me. I guess it paid off for them, as I'm doing well and am a mid-level donor as well.

Thank you for this information. My DS is really really good with computers (I work in a computer intensive research field, so I know). Maybe he does have a chance at CMU. When he enjoys what he is doing, he works very hard. But, if he is not interested, wild horses can not make him do it (he is the opposite of me here... I was always a very "good girl" who does what she is told). Maybe we'll apply just for the heck of it... But it would be a real "Hail Mary" application, and I do need some sensible backup choices.

This is me to a T, personality-wise -- did well on tests and could write my way out of anything, but never did homework. As a result, I was a C- student in HS; not because I was dumb, but because I was bored and unmotivated. I went to West Virginia (not for computers or other sciences) and graduated cum laude in an area I thrived in. It really is about finding the right fit where it's enough to push him to excel but not necessarily a pressure cooker if that's not an environment he will excel in. I don't know about WVU's computer science program specifically, but it is part of their engineering school, which is very good. Much better than many people who aren't familiar might think. If he can handle the, um, celebratory atmosphere (that is, apply himself and have some self-discipline and put down the beer when necessary), it could be a good fit.

You do sound like my DS! West Virginia is indeed on our list; I had heard that it is a good place for somebody who has potential but is maybe maturing late. And he is not at all a party kid. He has a group of about 10 friends that he plays D&D with for recreation, so maybe that will be fine.

I went to WVU for CS. Really high SAT/ACT scores but totally unmotivated as a student. I feel like I got a good education there, and got a full ride to a very good graduate CS program. The PP was correct about the party atmosphere; it can really mess up kids without enough self control. It's definitely worth looking into.

Thank you for this information. His test scores are quite high as well. Maybe this will be a good match for him as well.

[Anonymous]

What about Stevens?

[Anonymous]

I want to second Drexel. Also, do check out Rose-Hulman--it is a great engineering school that frequently flies under the radar but people hire from. I would be careful with UMD--his grades don't sound competitive enough and if he isn't disciplined it could be a very negative experience. UMBC is great though!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't hire but what about Carnegie Mellon?

Ha, ha, ha. Not for B students.

[Anonymous]

RPI spams my B+/super-high test scores kid like crazy. I'm not sure of their CS reputation but it might be worth a look. I understand Troy, NY, can suck the soul out of a person, which maybe one reason why they are so relentless in recruiting. (My kid isn't a real tech-type despite the high math test scores so he's not considering it.)

[Anonymous]

What about New Jersey Institute of Technology?

[Anonymous]

I had good luck going to Manhattan College in the Bronx. A strong regional/NY reputation for engineering. They also had a computer engineering major, at least at the graduate level when I attended, that is useful if you want to gain an appreciation for the whole "stack".

That said, I believe good programmers are born so the key to me would be how he did on a programming test I would administer and his intellectual horsepower. If he's going to be good, he has to have the passion and that usually shows through. And the more code he writes the better.

That said the best programmers I know where already superstars by the time they entered college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't hire but what about Carnegie Mellon?

Carnegie Mellon isn't a school for B students. I was going to say Pitt instead, but the average weighted GPA of this fall's entering class was 3.98.

Maybe George Mason or Temple?

George Mason, WVU, UMBC, NC State.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't hire but what about Carnegie Mellon?

Carnegie Mellon isn't a school for B students. I was going to say Pitt instead, but the average weighted GPA of this fall's entering class was 3.98.

Maybe George Mason or Temple?

George Mason, WVU, UMBC, NC State.

Past Performance Is No Guarantee of Future Results[i][u]

One of my cousins attended Virginia Tech majoring in CS and he was kicked out for poor academic performances. He then transferred to George Mason and studied CS. He graduated with 3.8 GPA and a GS-14 government worker.

The other cousin attended University of Virginia majoring in Computer Sciences. He graduated with 3.4 GPA and was jobless for 12 months. He is now working but make 33% less than the cousin graduated from George Mason.

Btw, they both graduated in the same year