<p>Just wanted to add some additional insights to what has been posted here. I have an undergrad BS in computer engineering from CWRU so all of the classes are in the EECS department for computer science, computer engineering, and electrical engineering. If you consider this, you may see some of the issue with the program. It is not particularly well-defined in terms of what exactly a graduate from this program knows. Also, some faculty members are old and out of date, and others are annoying know-it-alls who only care for their publications. It is not particularly kind to undergraduates in the sense that the professors do not make themselves available but the TA’s try really hard to make up for this, there are not a lot of extra resources provided even as far as something like “additional reading” on a class syllabus which I learned to appreciate much later in my graduate degree in CS at George Mason. I think GQ Zhang was one of the most defining characters in all of my education and had a profound effect on my skill level and awareness of the fact that there is always more to know. So there are gems there. </p>
<p>The reality is though that the students are very overworked. Some professors are very old-school in a weird way that is not very kind, and I don’t think they notice how this ultimately affects the community’s perception of the school. The administration really doesn’t care or pay attention to the inner workings of this department. We had one professor who literally stole the entire class from Stanford, giving no credit and not nearly the support to the students that Stanford does, and when we all signed a petition about it they got this person removed from teaching that class for I believe only one semester, then right back to it. </p>
<p>I am not sad that I went to CWRU. Many older people in the field are well aware that Donald Knuth came from there, and that in general it is a rigorous atmosphere. I got accepted at Rose-Hulman (kill me with a spoon, all work and no play makes jack a dull boy and weird utopian atmosphere), RIT (underground tunnels seemed oppressive even for a Cleveland native just to avoid some snow), Purdue (blech, dirtiest school I visited I don’t care about their reputation), and U of Mich, too huge for me to handle. </p>
<p>I LOVE the Cleveland art museum and I treasure my memories of the lagoon at night during my undergrad years, Cleveland in general is beautiful and underappreciated. There is plenty to do on campus. But it’s an odd place. Computer science students also are not apt to help each other to grow for fear of I guess competition. I think that CWRU did a bad job of representing itself as some hugely awesome tech school in the late '90’s with that whole most-wired campus thing and honestly that kind of thing plays out over many years to make other people just scoff at it and say what did they really know? But I really wonder, I mean CMU is supposed to be CWRU’s sister school but I do not see them sharing the wealth. The opportunities provided to CMU students for careers and support are much broader. I don’t understand this.</p>
<p>To be frank, I have heard from other colleagues that schools like Cornell and Harvard pander to their students, making it easier for them and grading very leniently just because they made it there, even one of my professors at George Mason who studied under Aho (one of the authors of the Dragon Book) said that he gave almost everyone an A because “he did not want to discourage anyone”. So take it as you will. Rankings are mostly useless, it’s just a payoff scheme and popularity contest. But CWRU graduates are strong, I have a very strong career as a developer and manager and had no problem with my graduate program. It is an insidious cancer the poverty and wealth disparity, politicking of the Rust Belt, the focus on landscaping and the medical program that ultimately detract from what could be a super powerhouse of amazing students.</p>
