@yikesyikesyikes, you’re completely ignoring the OP’s interest in music.
How many of those CMU CS grads heading to unicorns also devoted a ton of time to music composition?
Actually, it is pretty common for people to be involved in something like a campus orchestra or another kind of ensemble - from what I have seen. I have a friend at a prop shop who was a concert pianist as well. However, actually studying it as an additional major is really rare, to be fair.
CMU SCS is clearly the superior choice if your primary concern is the strength of their CS program. The depth/breadth of their curriculum, CS degree options, faculty, facilities, and research opportunities available at CMU place it securely in the elite ranks of CS programs.
But……
I am not convinced that it is the clear best-choice for the OP. Why?
First, it is not clear that money is indeed not an issue. All said it sounds like you’ll need more than $250k. If you have that amount on-hand great, CMU should remain on the table. If not UMD.
More importantly, I’m not sure CMU is the best “fit” for OP. Reviewing this thread I’ve run across a few statements from OP that raise concerns over accepting CMU. The statements revolve around her love of music and social aspects:
If the OP was all-in-passionate for CS, then the choice of CMU would make sense. But I don’t get that impression. I’m a big fan of CS at CMU. I’ve researched and toured CMU (along with Stanford and Cal) alongside my S as he was making his final choice as to what school to accept. It’s a great CS program. It’s also intense, collaborative, and challenging. I’m just not sure it’s right for the OP.
CMU has a combined computer science degree called BCSA. The issue is not whether I will not have a lot of time to do it because it was made to be done in four years and I can always take an extra semester etc. It’s whether I can get into the actual program.
@deadgirl Aside from letting this decision be your choice, are your parents helping you navigate the CS and music questions with the schools? Are they supportive of your direction? Would attending UMD make you feel more empowered to choose your career direction?
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@deadgirl Try harder not to let your feelings about your brother influence your decision. You have the incredible gift of being able to decide where you want to go. Sounds like for your own peace of mind, you will want to find out exactly how much is in the college funds. Old family money can be squirrelly to discuss, but you’re making life-changing decisions now and it would not be unreasonable to ask your parents and grandparents to clarify for you.
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After reading #103 and more info from OP, I agree that UMd seems to be the best fit. Not based on $ (though that helps too!) but based on OP’s varied interests and concern that CMU might be too stressful and the CS part would be all-encompassing at the expense of music and other interests. And you’re into a top CS program with a scholarship that will distinguish you from your peers.
I’m only a freshman in HS so you might not want to listen to me, but in my honest opinion, the difference between CMU and UMD is not worth that 200k…education isn’t worth that type of money. Your brother shouldn’t be a factor.
@yikesyikesyikes Actually it wasn’t a just a list of billionaires. It was a list of successful umd grads from all sorts of things. Entertainment science industry and cs. The point of the illustration is to show school outcomes are individual. And umd has the ones outlined and more. To deny this is just being intellectually dishonest.
Also your list of companies and funds is more of a long shot. Unicorn company startups. Really. That’s the measure of opportunity?
Not sure of your age. Experience over time will soften your certainty around these matters. It’s good to hold to a firm position but it is also good to allow for flexibility in your thinking.
Once again —I think the op would be completely justified in choosing CMU.
But for the broader audience of readers, a viewpoint narrowly focused on perception, imho, is a recipe for personal and financial disappointment.
Not every company becomes a unicorn. Not every cmu grad is assured success. Nor are any umd grads either.
My point is that a wonderful t10 cs honors college with access to the wide spectrum of educational alternative pursuits within a flagship research uni, plus 200k for other things in the future, should be carefully weighed against the t5 or number one cs school full pay.
To say otherwise without having attended universities,simultaneously,makes both your and my analysis nothng but conjecture.
I never said getting into unicorns or hot startups (which, by the way, is a lot more likely than being famous enough in CS to have articles written about you) is the measure for success - you are putting words in my mouth. I also never said every CMU grad is guaranteed success. That is also putting words in my mouth.
I simply said CMU CS is significantly more well regarded, and provides more access to certain very desirable CS opportunities. I also said, ceteris paribus, CMU CS students outperform UMD CS students on average. I never said a UMD CS student could not perform at a higher level or be more successful than a CMU CS student.
How am I being inflexible or narrow minded? I literally said that there is not a bad choice here. If you disagree with one my points - fine, point that out. But please do not use strawman to make it look like I said things that I did not. Also, discounting my advice on the account of my young age is a little disingenuous, especially since I have had recent good exposure to both sides of CS campus recruiting, as have many of my close peers. If anything, I think that provides some valuable perspective that someone more experienced would not have.
Agree……
And agree…
The lifestyle the poster describes does not match the income. $117k with an expensive private school bill, expensive designer clothes and “jewelry” and presumably savings for two private college educations. While entirely possible there is either definitely a sizable source of income or assets coming from somewhere else or debt somewhere. At the same time the poster paid for some college app fees which also seems a bit out of the ordinary for a parent willing to shell out 200k.
@deadgirl - Please see my PM.
If your parents pay $200k for you to go to CMU, isn’t that out of pocket too?
I wouldn’t spend $200k just because you assume your brother will get to attend an expensive private college. Expensive privates may be out of reach for a family with a ~$120k income by the time he gets to college. If he continues on his current trajectory they may not even be an option for him.
What happens if you don’t use the money? Does it automatically revert to your brother or can your parents use it for their retirement?
Just to say that it’s really bother me if I set money aside for a kid’s education and it was used for a car or parents’ retirement (except in catastrophic circumstances).
@MYOS1634, OP hasn’t said that she’s considering attending CMU for the school, or the program, or ECs, or the fit. The only reason she gave for turning down UMD’s full ride in the initial post is that it “doesn’t benefit (her).”
Spending $200k because it’s there and you’re afraid you won’t personally benefit from it doesn’t make the $200k item worth having. Spending it so the brother can’t have it is a poor use of $200,000.
Oh yes I agree.
The choice should be made for what each school and program offers. But not because of a brother or guilt. Op should push away all external factors and really look at whatr she wants and what each offer entails.
Deadgirl, I have a secret to tell you. Parents aren’t perfect. And they try to do the best for each child, according to that child’s needs. I would be irked, too, that the lazy goof off little brother gets private school, private high school, and probably will get private college (and unless he wakes up and starts working, it won’t even be a good one), while you make the virtuous choice to save the family a s-itload of money by accepting this hard won scholarship to go to an admittedly excellent flagship state U, instead of an excellent private college.
You need to sit down with your parents at a quiet, planned time, when little brother is out of the house. You need to have a very frank discussion with them about finances. It sounds to me as if your parents are living WAY above their income. Clearly there is family money backing them. I don’t live in a very expensive part of the northeast, and we would have a hard time making ends meet on $116K/yr, without even taking into account paying for college. When your grandparents pass away, and your parents hopefully inherit their money, from the way your parents spend, there may not be anything left for your generation. You need to get them to commit that they will not divert your college fund to your brother if you choose the full ride, but will save it for your or your future children’s use. You may need it for grad school. If you don’t use it, it can be used for other things, too. It can even be used for your children’s educations! Imagine how much that would be worth, were you to have it invested in the stock market for 25 yrs, until your kids needed it! Your children would have the luxury of private school and private college, all paid for, for all of them. A 529 is kind of like a Roth IRA for education, growing forever tax-free, with tax-free withdrawals, as long as they’re used for education.
Unfortunately, a lot of families are secretive about money. They won’t talk about it with the kids. They either don’t want the kids to feel insecure (because there isn’t enough money), or they’re afraid the children will lose their motivation (because there’s enough money that the kids might feel that they never will need to earn their own livings, and so will have lazy, meaningless, spoiled lives, and achieve nothing in life). But this is a big mistake. It can lead to people having a severe misunderstanding about what one needs to live on, and develop some very strange and handicapping misconceptions about money. The first step to managing money is for you to understand what the family’s financial situation is, so you can make a more informed decision.
That all being said, I’d go with the free ride to UMCP, and save the college money for future use.
@austinmshauri and @MYOS1634, personally, I would set aside the same amount of money for each kid, but they don’t have to use it on undergrad. They could save it for grad or retirement or seed money for a startup or invest it for their retirement. And they get to decide but I’d consider them prudent if they decide to save the money and invest it. Compounding is real.
People kept saying a PhD would be funded. Sure, but MOST students who go to grad schools go for a masters and not a PhD. And that is NOT generally funded.