UMD full-ride BK for CS OR MIT at full pay — which would you do?

[Anonymous]

i know CS kids from all kinds of schools who have gotten into FAANG+.

so i agree that the school doesn't matter as much in CS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are people getting full rides to UMD from MD?

Yes. My son went to Seneca Valley High in Germantown and got full ride Banneker Key scholarship. It includes tuition + dorm + book expenses

[Anonymous]

I would say MIT all the way BUT remember the crowd at MIT, will your DC succeed or be swallowed? Some kids don’t do well to fall from a straight A student to less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is no brainer. MIT any time ! Almost anyone who gets into MIT atleast have 2-3 full ride opportunities from other universities. But MIT is once in a life-time. That too in comp sc

Just remember that all the students there will be top HS students. So someone has to be the bottom at MIT. If this is important to you, then think hard if your child is ready for that kind of environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC I have 320k for you to use.
1) Go to UMD and keep the money.
2) Go to MIT and spend it.

This is what I would do.

No, way too much pressure on an 18 year old.

I would do MIT 100%. It's a unique, awesome opportunity that very, very few people get. Is there any better way to spend the money?
I mean, do you need more things? Clearly my perspective is thats it's worth sacrificing a lot and living very simply in the name of "experiences".
And to me, time at a top and unique college is the ultimate experience you can give your kid. It's not just a means to an end (a job), it is an end.

[Anonymous]

My kids took BK UMD engineering over MIT years ago and it worked out nicely. Went to MIT for his PhD though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are people getting full rides to UMD from MD?

Yes, I know someone from MD who got the full ride BK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is no brainer. MIT any time ! Almost anyone who gets into MIT atleast have 2-3 full ride opportunities from other universities. But MIT is once in a life-time. That too in comp sc

Just remember that all the students there will be top HS students. So someone has to be the bottom at MIT. If this is important to you, then think hard if your child is ready for that kind of environment.

Freshman year at MIT is pass/fell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD also got Bannker Key UMD and has Georgia Tech full scholarship, Caltech, waitlisted for MIT. Have money saved up, which one would you choose for CS?

That is a harder one. What does your DD want? For programming type cs, I’d probably say Georgia Tech is then best for CS of those schools, then MIT. Caltech is amazing but it’s not a cs school, it is a science school. If you like the math / science part of cs (ie the theory) and are totally bored by any stem class in high school because it is too easy, then Caltech. Good luck you your DD!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is no brainer. MIT any time ! Almost anyone who gets into MIT atleast have 2-3 full ride opportunities from other universities. But MIT is once in a life-time. That too in comp sc

Yes. Depends on what the kids wants but MIT is totally worth it if that is what someone wants. It isn’t a snooty Ivy - it literally creates the knowledge, and the teaching that the rest of the world uses in CS. The only competitor is Stanford. MIT will give you and extraordinary STEM network as well and an amazing experience. Really incomparable if this type of thing is what you like.
(I’m an MIT alum but have degrees from 2 other schools and am now a prof so I have seen a ton of schools and students up close in different ways).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is no brainer. MIT any time ! Almost anyone who gets into MIT atleast have 2-3 full ride opportunities from other universities. But MIT is once in a life-time. That too in comp sc

Yes. Depends on what the kids wants but MIT is totally worth it if that is what someone wants. It isn’t a snooty Ivy - it literally creates the knowledge, and the teaching that the rest of the world uses in CS. The only competitor is Stanford. MIT will give you and extraordinary STEM network as well and an amazing experience. Really incomparable if this type of thing is what you like.
(I’m an MIT alum but have degrees from 2 other schools and am now a prof so I have seen a ton of schools and students up close in different ways). [/quote
PP here again, I actually teach at an Ivy so I don’t mean to trash them but honestly Ivies for Cs give you what you would get at a great CS state school like UMd in terms of cd, but give you a snootier, richer student body. MITs education is totally different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids took BK UMD engineering over MIT years ago and it worked out nicely. Went to MIT for his PhD though.

Kudos to your kids. That's what I'm talking about. But some people are too shortsighted. OP's kid and some other on this site who enjoy bragging run the risk of severe burnout by the age of 20 and quit sooner than necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are people getting full rides to UMD from MD?

Yes. My son went to Seneca Valley High in Germantown and got full ride Banneker Key scholarship. It includes tuition + dorm + book expenses

Congratulations!! For intelligent kids, HS or college can be anywhere. They will still rise.

[Anonymous]

The BK students from UMD are getting into any grad school they want and getting top notch internships. Did you hear about the amazing young lady who just got into 13 med schools? She was in Gemstone and a BK student at UMD, with one year of post-bac at NIH.

I would go with the school that has a better fit for your student after a visit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD also got Bannker Key UMD and has Georgia Tech full scholarship, Caltech, waitlisted for MIT. Have money saved up, which one would you choose for CS?

DD is choosing Georgia Tech in state price over UMD full BK.
It was hard but she likes GT better.