Best-fit Colleges with Strong Math/CS Departments

College Search & Selection
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<p>I'm a rising senior in high school, and I am currently refining my list of possible colleges. I would appreciate any suggestions about where I should or should not apply, so I am going to summarize my interests and preferences below.</p>

<p>•My objective statistics are strong but not extraordinary by CC standards. I scored 35 on the ACT, 800/730/730 on the SAT IIs, and so on. The point I'm trying to make here is that although I will be applying to several Ivy and Ivy-caliber schools, I still need some safeties. You can read more here: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1652569-chances-and-college-list.html#latest"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1652569-chances-and-college-list.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p>

<p>•I am planning to major in computer science, but I may take a second major or a minor in mathematics. I have a strong preference for the theoretical side of computer science, so schools like Caltech and Princeton appeal to me. At the same time, I would like to have a good founding in the practical side of programming as well. Combined programs like MIT's 18C, Mathematics with Computer Science, also appeal to me.</p>

<p>•An intellectual community with numerous academic extracurriculars is also a must. To me, a big part of the college experience is intellectual interaction with peers. I want a college where I can participate in Hackathons, join group projects, form a research team, etc. with my classmates.</p>

<p>•After college, I am planning to either (1) enter the CS industry or (2) acquire a PhD and then enter the CS industry. The latter path would be primarily for the fun and intellectual stimulation: I don't intend to pursue a career in academia. Any factors that help me achieve this goal are a plus (e.g. nearness to Silicon Valley, entrepreneurial spirit, being Stanford, etc.).</p>

<p>•There are also some less important factors, but none of them are deal-breakers: location (northeast/west preferred), weather (cold and rainy preferred), in/near large city, prestigious, not pretentious, friendly to home-schoolers, near-equal male/female ratio, not too conservative, small student population, good food/dorms, small/mid-size core curriculum (or few humanities courses in core), focus on math/science, somewhat academically diverse (art is a good thing), small student/faculty ratio, pretty campus, majority of students living on campus, no/little focus on Greek life.</p>

<p>•I'm currently planning to apply to MIT (18C), Caltech (CS), Stanford (CS/Math minor), Princeton (CS/Math minor), Harvey Mudd (CS/Math double major), UC Berkeley (L&S: CS, Math Minor), Cornell (CS Eng/ArtSci; unsure about math), Rice (CS; unsure about math), Carnegie Mellon (MCS/SCS double major), USC (CS, Math minor), UW (applying priority; CS, Math double major), UIUC (CS, Math minor), but I can be persuaded out of anything but MIT.</p>

<p>•Honestly, I think MIT is my best fit school, and I think I will probably be accepted. Everything I have read on their website, heard when visiting, and heard directly from their admissions counselors supports me in this conclusion. The academic program, extracurriculars, and student atmosphere is a near-perfect fit for me, and I believe I can convey that in my essays. I also think I can be accepted into my safeties (UIUC and UW) and Carnegie Mellon since (1) I will be applying to MCS and SCS and double-majoring across schools and (2) I know someone in admissions who claims he can get me in easily. However, I likely won't attend because (1) I'm not sure it is the right fit for me and (2) I'm not sure it is ethical to capitalize on my connection.</p>

<p>So, where do you think I should apply? Do the colleges currently on my list seem like a good fit for me, and if not what would you change? Personally, I think my low matches and safeties (last four on list) aren't very good fits. However, I hate to sacrifice academic strength for a better fit school; until I discovered MOOCs and MIT OCW, I always had trouble challenging myself in school, and I don't want to have that problem in college, too.</p>

<p>Feel free to ask any questions you might have about my academic interests, career goals, college choices, personality, etc.</p>

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<p>SJSU in the probably the best safety school for someone interested in CS and wanting to go into the industry. </p>

<p>BTW you are probably better off applying to a lot of those schools as a math major. A math major and a CS major will take the same classes early on so it wouldn’t be too hard to switch majors after being admitted. </p>

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<p>If you want the Northeast, why not replace Mudd, Rice, CalTech, and Berkeley with Columbia Engineering and Olin?I’d add RPI, Worcester Polytechnic, and Lehigh to the list, as lower match schools.</p>

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<p>What is your home state and what can your family afford? You have public Us (which don’t offer much, if any, aid to OOS students) from three different states.</p>

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<p>FYI, UIUC actually has a Math & CS major.</p>

<p>Also, while the overall admission standards at UIUC aren’t that high, for the majors in engineering, they’re going to be pretty high (at least on quant aspects). You’re not going to be surrounded by dummies there.</p>

<p>As for safeties, consider some Bay Area schools (Santa Clara, for instance).</p>

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<p>Yes, your cost constraints and state of residency may be relevant.</p>

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<p>@woogzmama: Actually, I said the West or the Northeast. IMO, Berkeley has the best location of them all, and Rice’s high quality (e.g. food/dorm quality) of living makes up for its location. Columbia is a possibility; I visited once and was neither impressed nor disgusted. I’m visiting Olin soon, but I’m afraid they may have too much focus on engineering and too little focus on computer science theory. I’m also visiting RPI and Lehigh soon, but I think UW and UIUC might have stronger computer science departments.</p>

<p>@"Erin’s Dad"‌ @ucbalumnus: I’m OOS for all three. My in-state publics are rather weak, and TBH I really want to get out of here. We’re unlikely to get any aid, so the public universities are actually cheaper for us. My parents are willing to pay for full-cost privates, though, and they have the financial resources to do so.</p>

<p>@PurpleTitan: I’ve heard that LAS degrees are less impressive to future employers than ENG degrees. Fortunately, I can apply to UIUC during the priority filling period and still apply to an even safer safety if I am rejected from ENG. Also, reading about the “Jesuit tradition” at Santa Clara kinda scares me; I’m not sure I would be comfortable there.</p>

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<p>LAS CS less impressive than ENG CS at Illinois? Which employers? I’m curious, because unlike at some schools (like Cal, where the EECS people make it a point to point out that they’re EECS), the CS majors at UIUC didn’t seem to care.</p>

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<p>However, ENG at Illinois is more prestigious. You might get access to School of Engineering-only recruiting events, so there’s that.</p>

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<p>Honestly, from your description, I would consider the University of Chicago. Their math department is world class, and their theoretical CS is outstanding. It’s not right for everybody but it’s right for you. You should check out the course offerings: <a href=“http://www.cs.uchicago.edu/courses/description”>http://www.cs.uchicago.edu/courses/description&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I don’t know which UW - Wisconsin or Washington both are ones you should look at. </p>

<p>I pretty much disagree with most of woogzmamma’s post except for Columbia. I can say for sure that If you like the theoretical side of CS, WPI, Lehigh and RPI are definitely not the right schools. Olin is definitely not the right school. Those schools are much more focused on producing software engineers than on producing computer scientists. WPI is a great school to get AWAY from the theory. University of Rochester is a much better fit. </p>

<p>One place you may not have considered and would absolutely be a great fit as a safety is University of Waterloo in Ontario (unless THAT’s the UW that you meant). Check out their department. It’s like a smorgasboard. </p>

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<p>If the goal is a major in math and CS, what’s the difference between “regular” CS and EECS but with the focus on CS? For example, at MIT it would be course 6.3. How much “engineering” is involved vs just “regular” CS classes? Does this change the areas of employment or how employable a graduate would be?</p>

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<p>Theoretical CS is much closer to math than to engineering, though it has produced some impressive engineering. Basically, RSA and Akamai were both started by MIT theoretical CS professors. RSA does cryptography, whereas Akamai is the premier web caching company and uses a lot of graph theory in their algorithms. Of course search algorithms can use very theory heavy algorithms. Machine learning and big data are areas where theoretical and software are starting to find a good intersection. </p>

<p>All CS graduates are very employable. </p>

<p>My view is that software skills prepare you for your first job, and theory skills prepare you for a 40+ year career. </p>

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<p>What about Reed? It has girls, rain, and liberals. Not as techy as the others on your list. </p>

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<p>Okay, I’m going to play homer here. My S was in their Eng School. As a safety, would UMaryland fit the bill in terms of focus on theory? I know it’s supposed to be math-intensive. It’s worth a peek because it’s a terrific program. The department is not in the Engineering School but in the College of Computer and Natural Sciences. If you’re interested in cryptography, UMD and the surrounding area is a terrific place to be.</p>

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<p>@Lizardly, CS is only done via a 3-2 program at Reed.</p>

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<p>@ClassicRockerDad “My view is that software skills prepare you for your first job, and theory skills prepare you for a 40+ year career.”</p>

<p>I like this! </p>

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<p>This seems like a good list and seems much more theory heavy than the US News lists. </p>

<p><a href=“QS World University Rankings for Computer Science and Information Systems 2014 | Top Universities”>QS World University Rankings for Computer Science and Information Systems 2014 | Top Universities;

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<p>All of the CS departments ranked by USN in their grad CS rankings (of which UMD is one) will have plenty of theory courses. UMD CS is certainly well respected.</p>

<p>I’ll put in a plug for UChicago as well. They’ve been (aptly) described by one poster on CC as fiercely intellectual and they themselves extol living the life of the mind. If that is the type of culture you see yourself fitting into, look in to them. </p>

<p>You can get a pretty good sense of the culture of many schools just by how they present themselves. Stanford is very mercantile; they want to invent things to change the world but also to commercialize them and profit from them. CalTech prides itself on being strictly merit-based (on academics). Admissions do not consider race, legacy, or athletic ability at all. They want to stay small, focused, and elite. MIT, to me, actually doesn’t have as strong an identity as the first 3. They just seem to collect brainpower. </p>

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<p>Why not apply to UMich? Fantastic Math and CS departments, plus companies do some heavy recruiting from Michigan so finding a job won’t be an issue at all.</p>

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<p>@PurpleTitan: Perhaps I confused prestigiousness with impressiveness. I’m hoping to visit UIUC at some point over the summer, so see if I can get any opinions about this while I’m on campus.</p>

<p>@ClassicRockerDad: UChicago has always been on my radar, and I’ve actually visited the campus twice. I love the ethos of the school, but I was always worried that other colleges would have better computer science departments. However, based on your advice and the link you provided, I am strongly considering applying. I also love what you said about “theory skills prepare you for for a 40+ year career.” BTW, I was referring to University of Washington. I’ve considered University of Waterloo, but my parents don’t really like the idea of my leaving the country.</p>

<p>@jkeil911 @PurpleTitan @gauravk306: I’m going to do a little more research on UMD and UMich.</p>