Computer Science

I’m a computer science major at JHU (rising sophomore) and I really like it. What’s nice about the program is that it’s small, so you really get an opportunity to get to know your profs and the other students in the department. I believe the department is getting larger as well, with more students declaring CS, and the university has built a brand new building (2014) that houses the CS department and the Extreme Materials department.

Another great thing about CS at JHU is that it is EXTREMELY interdisciplinary. There are so many different tracks within the major, and each one is pretty highly ranked (don’t know exact rankings off the top of my head); but ultimately it’s not really the ranking that matters but rather the networking and experience that you gain through the department. Personally, I’m very interested in computational medicine/robotics, and because of the highly-ranked BME department and the emphasis on research, there are plenty of labs where you can land research positions.

Finally, it’s very easy to double major at JHU, particularly with another engineering field where there’s a lot of course overlap. I was initially planning to double major with CS and political science, but decided not to for my own reasons - it was, however, doable. That really gives you a multifaceted view of your field (CS or any other field) that you don’t get from many other CS/undergrad degree programs in the country.

Ultimately, it’s your decision, but I can tell you that it’s a great program and you have a lot of great opportunities if you choose to come here. Rankings tend not to matter that much when compared to the experiences you have. Also keep in mind that you might (probably will) change your mind - God knows I did. JHU is unique in that almost every degree offered is highly ranked with brilliant faculty- International Studies, Neuroscience, Writing Seminars, Computer Science, Classics, Biology/Chemistry, Mathematics, etc. You’ll have a lot of difficulty finding a department that’s not strong. Even if you stick with CS, you’ll have a lot of opportunities to explore other subjects at a very high level, which not a lot of other places can offer. You’ll end up getting a high-quality CS education along with great experience in other fields you’re interested in. You can’t lose.