UVA or W&M or VT for Computer science

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M faculty don't even do research and are not recognized in the field (any field). I certainly would not go there for any degree that involves innovation activities like Computer Science

W&M's relative strength is undergraduate teaching, and this is just as strong if not stronger within STEM as outside. But your premise above is completely wrong. W&M faculty do research, and a simple check on the CS faculty pages show all of the tenure track faculty do research. More importantly, almost all undergraduates, and nearly 100% of STEM undergraduates, do guided research with faculty. This is very useful both in getting jobs, but particularly for those applying to graduate school.

Getting into a top CS graduate school from W&M CS would be almost impossible because of both the lack of rigor and variety in the coursework.

All research universities have undergraduate research opportunities for students, far moreso than W&M.

Wow! How is the view from Mt. Stupid (the peak of where those who know the least speak the most).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W&M faculty don't even do research and are not recognized in the field (any field). I certainly would not go there for any degree that involves innovation activities like Computer Science

W&M's relative strength is undergraduate teaching, and this is just as strong if not stronger within STEM as outside. But your premise above is completely wrong. W&M faculty do research, and a simple check on the CS faculty pages show all of the tenure track faculty do research. More importantly, almost all undergraduates, and nearly 100% of STEM undergraduates, do guided research with faculty. This is very useful both in getting jobs, but particularly for those applying to graduate school.

Getting into a top CS graduate school from W&M CS would be almost impossible because of both the lack of rigor and variety in the coursework.

All research universities have undergraduate research opportunities for students, far moreso than W&M.

Not a single fact in your assertions. The National Science Foundation does track undergraduate origins of PhD recipients by area of study. W&M has the highest percentage of undergraduates among public national universities to receive PhDs and the second highest percentage in STEM fields after UC Berkeley.

All true. Back to the posters question…go to the school that feels right to you and your child. You both will be fine at any of these schools.

[Anonymous]

I have a very small sample but here it is. I have three kids and a nephew who graduated in '20, '21 and '22. My kid #1 graduated from UVA in CS in '20 (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #2 graduated from Virginia Tech '21 in CS (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #3 and nephew graduated from GMU in '22, both in CS (both of them were rejected by UVA and Virginia Tech), and had 3.75 GPAs. Kid #3 is working for Microsoft for 140K and nephew is working for Google for 145K.

Where you attended for CS is not that important. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If money is not an issue, which program is better?

VT has way more Stem gen ed and UVA and W&M have more liberal arts gen ed is what I have understood. All 3 are equal just the college experience may be different for each.

If anyone can share recent exp that will be helpful.

@UVA CS is in the e-school and involves only a few electives and lots of applied math. It is much harder to get into this program than the others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a very small sample but here it is. I have three kids and a nephew who graduated in '20, '21 and '22. My kid #1 graduated from UVA in CS in '20 (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #2 graduated from Virginia Tech '21 in CS (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #3 and nephew graduated from GMU in '22, both in CS (both of them were rejected by UVA and Virginia Tech), and had 3.75 GPAs. Kid #3 is working for Microsoft for 140K and nephew is working for Google for 145K.

Where you attended for CS is not that important. YMMV.

But harder working smarter students typically don't go to 3rd rate commuter schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If money is not an issue, which program is better?

VT has way more Stem gen ed and UVA and W&M have more liberal arts gen ed is what I have understood. All 3 are equal just the college experience may be different for each.

If anyone can share recent exp that will be helpful.

@UVA CS is in the e-school and involves only a few electives and lots of applied math. It is much harder to get into this program than the others.

I thought UVA has CS in the engineering school and also in A&S. VT is engineering school. W&M is A&S.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a very small sample but here it is. I have three kids and a nephew who graduated in '20, '21 and '22. My kid #1 graduated from UVA in CS in '20 (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #2 graduated from Virginia Tech '21 in CS (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #3 and nephew graduated from GMU in '22, both in CS (both of them were rejected by UVA and Virginia Tech), and had 3.75 GPAs. Kid #3 is working for Microsoft for 140K and nephew is working for Google for 145K.

Where you attended for CS is not that important. YMMV.

I agree with your last statement but I don't place much importance in your anecdote. I will say, it should be way more important to look at long term promotional potential than starting salaries. Does everyone just want to be a software developer for the rest of their lives? Most want to move into management where the real money is made and i woudl suspect that UVA and Tech grads have a higher likelihood of that. But again, it's pretty dang close, go where the kid will be happy for 4 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If money is not an issue, which program is better?

VT has way more Stem gen ed and UVA and W&M have more liberal arts gen ed is what I have understood. All 3 are equal just the college experience may be different for each.

If anyone can share recent exp that will be helpful.

@UVA CS is in the e-school and involves only a few electives and lots of applied math. It is much harder to get into this program than the others.

I thought UVA has CS in the engineering school and also in A&S. VT is engineering school. W&M is A&S.

The difference between UVA CS in A/S and school engineering is 10K/year in tuition for 1st and 2nd year and 5K/year in 3rd and 4th year. That's a 30K difference in four years. You're not going to make any more money after graduation with a CS degree in school of engineering vs. A/S.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If money is not an issue, which program is better?

VT has way more Stem gen ed and UVA and W&M have more liberal arts gen ed is what I have understood. All 3 are equal just the college experience may be different for each.

If anyone can share recent exp that will be helpful.

@UVA CS is in the e-school and involves only a few electives and lots of applied math. It is much harder to get into this program than the others.

I thought UVA has CS in the engineering school and also in A&S. VT is engineering school. W&M is A&S.

This is true^ UVA has a BA in CS in the College and a BS in CS in the engineering school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a very small sample but here it is. I have three kids and a nephew who graduated in '20, '21 and '22. My kid #1 graduated from UVA in CS in '20 (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #2 graduated from Virginia Tech '21 in CS (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #3 and nephew graduated from GMU in '22, both in CS (both of them were rejected by UVA and Virginia Tech), and had 3.75 GPAs. Kid #3 is working for Microsoft for 140K and nephew is working for Google for 145K.

Where you attended for CS is not that important. YMMV.

I agree with your last statement but I don't place much importance in your anecdote. I will say, it should be way more important to look at long term promotional potential than starting salaries. Does everyone just want to be a software developer for the rest of their lives? Most want to move into management where the real money is made and i woudl suspect that UVA and Tech grads have a higher likelihood of that. But again, it's pretty dang close, go where the kid will be happy for 4 years.

People in management generally don't even have CS degrees. Getting into management is about social skills, not technical skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a very small sample but here it is. I have three kids and a nephew who graduated in '20, '21 and '22. My kid #1 graduated from UVA in CS in '20 (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #2 graduated from Virginia Tech '21 in CS (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #3 and nephew graduated from GMU in '22, both in CS (both of them were rejected by UVA and Virginia Tech), and had 3.75 GPAs. Kid #3 is working for Microsoft for 140K and nephew is working for Google for 145K.

Where you attended for CS is not that important. YMMV.

I agree with your last statement but I don't place much importance in your anecdote. I will say, it should be way more important to look at long term promotional potential than starting salaries. Does everyone just want to be a software developer for the rest of their lives? Most want to move into management where the real money is made and i woudl suspect that UVA and Tech grads have a higher likelihood of that. But again, it's pretty dang close, go where the kid will be happy for 4 years.

People in management generally don't even have CS degrees. Getting into management is about social skills, not technical skills.

In my experience they may have CS degrees, but career progression is typically more related to developing management skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If money is not an issue, which program is better?

VT has way more Stem gen ed and UVA and W&M have more liberal arts gen ed is what I have understood. All 3 are equal just the college experience may be different for each.

If anyone can share recent exp that will be helpful.

@UVA CS is in the e-school and involves only a few electives and lots of applied math. It is much harder to get into this program than the others.

I thought UVA has CS in the engineering school and also in A&S. VT is engineering school. W&M is A&S.

The difference between UVA CS in A/S and school engineering is 10K/year in tuition for 1st and 2nd year and 5K/year in 3rd and 4th year. That's a 30K difference in four years. You're not going to make any more money after graduation with a CS degree in school of engineering vs. A/S.

I thought the engineering grads have higher starting salaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If money is not an issue, which program is better?

VT has way more Stem gen ed and UVA and W&M have more liberal arts gen ed is what I have understood. All 3 are equal just the college experience may be different for each.

If anyone can share recent exp that will be helpful.

@UVA CS is in the e-school and involves only a few electives and lots of applied math. It is much harder to get into this program than the others.

I thought UVA has CS in the engineering school and also in A&S. VT is engineering school. W&M is A&S.

This is true^ UVA has a BA in CS in the College and a BS in CS in the engineering school.

Which ones are direct admits? Only VT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a very small sample but here it is. I have three kids and a nephew who graduated in '20, '21 and '22. My kid #1 graduated from UVA in CS in '20 (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #2 graduated from Virginia Tech '21 in CS (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #3 and nephew graduated from GMU in '22, both in CS (both of them were rejected by UVA and Virginia Tech), and had 3.75 GPAs. Kid #3 is working for Microsoft for 140K and nephew is working for Google for 145K.

Where you attended for CS is not that important. YMMV.

But harder working smarter students typically don't go to 3rd rate commuter schools.

Wow. Seems someone missed the point entirely.
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a very small sample but here it is. I have three kids and a nephew who graduated in '20, '21 and '22. My kid #1 graduated from UVA in CS in '20 (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #2 graduated from Virginia Tech '21 in CS (3.8 GPA) and got a job with a gov. contractor for 100K; applied but wasn't hired by Google, Apple or Amazon. My kid #3 and nephew graduated from GMU in '22, both in CS (both of them were rejected by UVA and Virginia Tech), and had 3.75 GPAs. Kid #3 is working for Microsoft for 140K and nephew is working for Google for 145K.

Where you attended for CS is not that important. YMMV.

But harder working smarter students typically don't go to 3rd rate commuter schools.

And the number for GMU at Google and Microsoft's is so small, it makes it statistically irrelevant.