<p>What schools?</p>
<p>Before visiting, you can check the courses and curriculum on the web site of the school. Look for junior and senior level course offerings including algorithms/complexity, operating systems, computer networks, software engineering, databases, security, compilers, languages/automata, graphics, digital systems, computer architecture, artificial intelligence, preferably offered frequently (some small schools offer some courses only once every two years). If more hardware focused, look for courses in electronics and integrated circuits as well.</p>
<p>You can also make a quick check by checking if the school is either well known for computer science (top 50 or so in any ranking – do not worry about small differences in rankings) or has ABET accreditation in computer science or computer engineering. If neither, check the courses and curricula very carefully, since some schools, particularly small ones, can be very limited in computer science offerings.</p>
<p>If the school’s computer science department has course web pages up, check to see if it uses several programming languages in the courses. Schools which teach everything using one programming language may not expose students to the programming methods used in others.</p>
<p>See if the school has a career survey on its web site showing what kinds of employment and graduate school destinations that its graduates find. For employment and internships, consider proximity to computer companies as well as the school’s reputation. Some smaller companies recruit primarily locally because of limited travel budgets; the school’s reputation is what attracts non-local company recruiters to visit.</p>