Help DC decide for CS
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
DC is fortunate to have been accepted to several top schools for CS and was deciding between Carnegie (full pay 57K), U of Michigan and Georgia Tech (both OOS - full pay Michigan at 50K and Georgia at 35K). To complicate things, U of Wisconsin unexpectedly just offered DC a full tuition scholarship and now DC is even more undecided. DC has visited all 4 and likes them equally.
We can afford the tuition but it's also good if we can save it for grad school or even down payment on a house. Do you think spending close to 150-200K in tuition is worth it for the name recognition? Wisconsin is also very good for CS but may not have the same name recognition as the other 3. I am tempted to advise DC to choose Wisconsin but I am a bit worried that we might later regret the decision. What would you do in our shoes? |
Anonymous
|
If all schools are equal for CS programs (I just don’t know the particulars) and he truly likes them all equally and money is not an issue, then let him choose the one he likes best.
Saving money for grad school (or a car, or travel, or down payment on a house someday) may also be appealing and if so, then I’d choose between the full ride at Wisconsin and Georgia Tech which would save you a bundle either way. I mean, saving 200k would be sweet. So would saving 80k. If there is some compelling reason Michigan or Carnegie Mellon are really worth the extra $$ maybe someone else could explain. |
Anonymous
|
Just from the CS program standpoint, you can eliminate Michigan. The 7k difference between CMU and Michigan is negligible. CMU's CS is one of the best, if not the best, along with MIT, Stanford, and UCB.
Basically it comes down to: Is CMU $20k better than GA Tech? Is GA Tech $35k better than Wisconsin? Is CMU $57k better than Wisconsin? Personally I will pick CMU if I am already willing to spend $35k. Full ride from Wisconsin is tough to beat. |
Anonymous
| Your kid must be a star, congratulations to you all! |
Anonymous
| Congratulations. For CS, comparatively few go to grad school because it confers little advantage unless AI/Data Science. Most go into industry after graduation. You won’t need to save for grad school if that’s what you were thinking |
Anonymous
| CMU for sure. Difference will be easily earned back. CMU is best of the best. Tech companies sweep them all up. |
Anonymous
| No question - CMU. |
Anonymous
| My husband is in IT. He went to a no name school and is doing really well. Do send him to graduate school. He can do well without a graduate degree but some jobs prefer it. People here push name recognition but if he's good at what he does it will not matter especially after a few years experience. I'd go free or lower cost and pay for a house, future needs or even put it into a college fund for his kids. They are all very good schools. Congrat's. Great job. |
Anonymous
| Can you share the stats of your kid? |
Anonymous
|
Thank you all for feedback. Only a few more days left to decide.
DC stats are 1590 SAT, 36 ACT, 4.0 UW GPA, lots of ECs related to field of study with leadership roles. |
Anonymous
|
Congratulations on getting accepted into these fantastic schools. CMU SCS is super hard to get in. If your child has a true love for theoretical CS then this it the program bar none. It simply is one of the best CS programs on par w MIT, CalTech and Stanford. Given that you can afford the program, the only other advice I could think of is to assess the workload and pressure a program like that would bring. DH graduated from CMU w EE and ECE double major in the 90s. He has great respect for those SCS kids. To him it takes a certain type of genius to get through the rigor. But when you do, you seriously can create just about anything including the next programming language or push the boundaries of true AI/ML. I went to UVA CS and had the good fortune of studying w the late Rancy Pausch. If you Google him and watch his last lecture, you will know what CMU CS genius looks like. He was intense when he taught at UVA but I am a better person after that experience.
Michigan and GT CS are not easy but they will definitely be less intense and tend to have more focus on application than the CMU SCS program. Both are bigger state schools if that makes a difference to you DC. CMU CS has about 200 kids per incoming class. No experience on Wisconsin. Full ride might be tempting but in the end where your DC can learn the most per his/her interest is the key. Your DC is very fortunately to have supportive parents and to have schools recognize the unique talent your DC is. Very happy for you all. It is a good position to be in especially during this admission season. Oh one last note, at CMU SCS, your DC probably won’t have much of a chance to double major. Each major is so intense and tough, double majoring and finishing in 4 years is just not feasible. So if You DC wants to branch out, it may not be so easily done at CMU. Sorry for the long response. Our DS is in a similar boat w CMU, Michigan, and a few other places. So I know a fair amount about these two programs. Good luck to your DC!! |
Anonymous
NP. So which school is your DS choosing? |
Anonymous
| I would narrow it down to CMU for prestige and Wisconsin for value. |
Anonymous
| If you can swing the nearly $80K a year at CMU, go for it. The recruitment is out of this world. Students routinely get internships after freshman year. |
Anonymous
| CMU has the beat job prospects. The others are great programs, but big state schools don’t have the same loyalty in networking that small private schools do. |