American University VS George Mason University-----BS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

College Search & Selection
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Hi y’all!

I am very conflicted when it comes to deciding which school is best when it comes to computer science! I could really use some help haha
I got accepted into both AU and GMU’s computer science program but I’m not sure which one to attend. As far as I know, in general AU probably had a better reputation than Mason, but I’m not so sure about their computer science departments.
I’ve heard great things about Mason’s CS program but I’ve never really knew anything about AU’s.
All I heard was that AU wasn’t very known for stem majors but they’re definitely growing.
AU doesn’t have an engineering school, I’m not sure if that is a sign about what their CS department is like. CS is within the Arts and Sciences school at AU, but part of the engineering school at GMU.

Both Mason and AU offered me decent money in scholarships and grants. Even though I got more money from AU, I will still be paying a little more as I am eligible for in-state tuition at Mason. I might have to work a lot more if I do attend AU but I can still figure out a way to pay for AU.

I will be commuting to both! The traditional college experience is something I will have to give up on and honestly I’m fine with that!

I am a lot more worried about the academic and financial side of things haha!

I also got accepted into UMD-College Park and VT in similar majors to CS. Yet, there is absolutely no way I can afford paying the tuition + room and board + personal expenses even with the financial aid and scholarships I have been offered from both schools. As much as it kills me, knowing that both VT and UMD are excellent schools, I kind of have to give up on both schools.

I also applied to GW’s CS program but have yet to wait for their decision and wether or not I will receive any grants/scholarships.

For now I need help choosing between AU and GMU!

As y’all can tell the financial side of things is a major factor in my decisions.

I would truly appreciate you guys’s help in choosing the right school for a BS in Computer Science!!!

Thank you thank you thank you!!!

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Right so the financial side IS the main question. And frankly with how much American charges and how bad its FA usually is, it’s hard for me to believe that even with commuting you’d have less debt than at UM College Park–which is an excellent school. It’s also hard for me to believe that AUs CS department is as strong as some of these other schools’.

Could you please run the numbers and list them here? When you do, could you PM me? I can help you look at them if you like.

Another option is to look at the college catalogues of all schools that you’re interested in. They will tell you the actual course offerings of each school. That will be an indication of rigor in that department.