UMD CS or UVA CS?

[Anonymous]

No way I’d send a college student to VA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UMD or UVA CS? Come on...they are both going to offer excellent education. If one offers concentrations that interest you, go for it. If you like rankings that are somewhat subjective, go for it. Prefer a faculty with fewer lecturers? Go for it. Like the idea of having 300 people in your first year class? Go for it. Fancy the Assistant Professor from Princeton? Yeah, go for it!

UVA is going to admit students with overall better stats. And does anyone think that the typical UMD computer science graduate is going to come out more polished and a better speaker and writer than the typical UVA computer science graduate? Get real. Prefer a more urban location? Go for it. Take a look at the faculty...look at the institutions granting the terminal degrees. Can you tell a difference?

"Polished".. sounds like UVA is more of a finishing school than a serious STEM school. Sure, pick UVA. More space for serious STEM students at UMD. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Go to either based on fit. They are extremely different schools culturally.

UMD is definitely better to go fully into CS, but UVA may provide a more Greek-centric experience for those that want that.

UVA CS is going to be easier to not get weeded out, because it is smaller. UMD is notorious for weeding out students even in higher level required courses.

So go to UVA if you want a guaranteed degree. B/c a CS degree at UMD is not guaranteed regardless of how much work you put in.

[Anonymous]

For the vast majority of undergraduate students, the "better" program doesn't mean much to them. UMD has a larger CS department, more faculties, and more specialties presumably. But it also has more students. So the chance of getting into a particular lab as an undergraduate would be the same. For the very top students who would like to participate undergraduate research, UMD is a better option. If you just want to get a CS degree and work after graduation, either school will provide a fine education. It comes down to other factors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the vast majority of undergraduate students, the "better" program doesn't mean much to them. UMD has a larger CS department, more faculties, and more specialties presumably. But it also has more students. So the chance of getting into a particular lab as an undergraduate would be the same. For the very top students who would like to participate undergraduate research, UMD is a better option. If you just want to get a CS degree and work after graduation, either school will provide a fine education. It comes down to other factors.

Please be more specific

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the vast majority of undergraduate students, the "better" program doesn't mean much to them. UMD has a larger CS department, more faculties, and more specialties presumably. But it also has more students. So the chance of getting into a particular lab as an undergraduate would be the same. For the very top students who would like to participate undergraduate research, UMD is a better option. If you just want to get a CS degree and work after graduation, either school will provide a fine education. It comes down to other factors.

Please be more specific

Do you like old architecture style


or newer looking buildings


Urban vs semi-rural
School size
Boys/girls ratio

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well University of Illinois is ranked higher than Harvard, UMD, Princeton, and GT among others. Going to a school based solely on the ranking of the major seems shortsighted. I would go with overall interest in the school.

ha ha. Yea, pick UVA over UMD GATech UIUC for CS. LOL. Please do it. Make room for other kids at those CS focused schools.

There is zero CS ranking where UI is ranked higher than Harvard or GATech. What are you smokin?

USNWR undergraduate CS ranking:
5. UIUC, Princeton, GATech
12. Harvard
16. UMD
29. UVA

NP here - I was thinking (agreeing) that UMD is ranked much higher, and is also a better program than UVA for CS. I don't think that it is only USNWR that says so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UMD or UVA CS? Come on...they are both going to offer excellent education. If one offers concentrations that interest you, go for it. If you like rankings that are somewhat subjective, go for it. Prefer a faculty with fewer lecturers? Go for it. Like the idea of having 300 people in your first year class? Go for it. Fancy the Assistant Professor from Princeton? Yeah, go for it!

UVA is going to admit students with overall better stats. And does anyone think that the typical UMD computer science graduate is going to come out more polished and a better speaker and writer than the typical UVA computer science graduate? Get real. Prefer a more urban location? Go for it. Take a look at the faculty...look at the institutions granting the terminal degrees. Can you tell a difference?

"Polished".. sounds like UVA is more of a finishing school than a serious STEM school. Sure, pick UVA. More space for serious STEM students at UMD. Thanks.

+1

[Anonymous]

OP, most people do not think of UVA when they think of CS, just saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Besides CS, UMD is a far superior engineering school. So even if in CS they have options in other related areas such as robotics/industrial engg etc..

+1 UVA boosters are fooling themselves.

Do CS grads from UMD make more money than CS grads from UVA? The answer is no it is pointless to have this discussion.

Overall, yes, actually, they do.

Do CS UVA grads make more than CS VA tech grads? If the answer is no then why pay $$ for UVA when VTech is so much cheaper?

It isn't going to make a difference. However, you choose the best fit for the school. Both are excellent choices and OP should be very proud.

[Anonymous]

Either one is fine. DC will have ample opportunity to learn at either place.

Companies recruiting at one usually also recruit at the other. Starting salary will depend more on which CS electives DC takes, GPA, resume quality, and interview skills.

[Anonymous]

UMD is more serious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UMD is more serious.

Here's a basic 4-year plan for UMDCP for a CS major.

https://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/sites/undergrad.cs.umd.edu/files/images/u167/CMSC%2007010%204%20Year%20Plan.pdf

Many would place out of the first two semesters of math and possibly a semester of CS.

In addition, there are several variations on this involving specializations in machine learning or data science etc.

https://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/degree-requirements-cs-major

UVA CS was very rigid when I went there. I'm assuming it hasn't changed. We had a total of 4 electives over four years, and we're required to take 12 hours of physics, 8 hours of chem, 20 something hours of core engineering like thermo, circuits, etc, mostly stuff that has nothing to do with CS. UVA is has an amazing campus, and for most majors it's probably a better choice but for CS I'd go with MD hands down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well University of Illinois is ranked higher than Harvard, UMD, Princeton, and GT among others. Going to a school based solely on the ranking of the major seems shortsighted. I would go with overall interest in the school.

ha ha. Yea, pick UVA over UMD GATech UIUC for CS. LOL. Please do it. Make room for other kids at those CS focused schools.

There is zero CS ranking where UI is ranked higher than Harvard or GATech. What are you smokin?

USNWR undergraduate CS ranking:
5. UIUC, Princeton, GATech
12. Harvard
16. UMD
29. UVA

NP here - I was thinking (agreeing) that UMD is ranked much higher, and is also a better program than UVA for CS. I don't think that it is only USNWR that says so.

for CS the industry uses csrankings.org USNEWS is mostly just BS that a lot of schools manipulate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go to either based on fit. They are extremely different schools culturally.

UMD is definitely better to go fully into CS, but UVA may provide a more Greek-centric experience for those that want that.

UVA CS is going to be easier to not get weeded out, because it is smaller. UMD is notorious for weeding out students even in higher level required courses.

So go to UVA if you want a guaranteed degree. B/c a CS degree at UMD is not guaranteed regardless of how much work you put in.

Although I am a bigger fan of MD CS, UVA has one thing going for it that distinguishes it from MD. Ironically, its admission criterion is higher. This is mainly why there is lower weed out.