Choices for Comp Sci...

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I've been accepted thus far to the following schools (for computer science):</p>

<p>SUNY binghamton
SUNY buffalo - honors
Cal Poly SLO
UMass Amherst - honors
U Pitt
Northeastern</p>

<p>I'm really happy to have all of these choices (and waiting for two more reaches, which would make this problem irrelevant!) but I'd love some thoughts on the schools above. A little bit o' relevant info- I'll be a comp sci major, I'm entrepreneurial/creative, I like development and design, and I'm very interested in studying human computer interaction.</p>

<p>I've somewhat knocked out buffalo in favor of binghamton. I feel that bing is at least slightly higher quality. Bing's course selection doesn't seem as interesting as some of the others I've seen (no mobile development, natural language processing, human comp inter.,etc), but I've heard the program is very good overall - true? It seems a lot of people on the 'internets' complain about Bing being boring w/ bad weather. As per the weather, I love rain and snow. I'd love to have someone prove them wrong.</p>

<p>I know the least about UMass and UPitt. It seems UMass is rated very highly on all of the rankings, but I don't hear much about it outside of that. Both seem to have an interesting selection of courses</p>

<p>Cal Poly is a tough one for me. It seems like one of the best schools on my list for computer science, but the graduation rates are making it an uneasy choice. The education seems to be top notch and their motto "learn by doing" (more hands on) sounds great- I'd love go work in the valley ASAP, not to mention it's in cali and I'd love to take the risk of moving across the country. But from what I've read, most engineering majors take 4 1/2 to 5 years to graduate. It is a well priced school. They do have a few human computer interaction courses which caught my attention!</p>

<p>Northeastern was great when I visited, Boston seemed really neat. The courses seem really interesting (they have HCI as well), but it is very expensive. I'm also not sure about how I feel about the CO-OP program. It seems great to help students get work under their wing, but it seems a lot simpler and more practical (at least for a CS major) to go through the regular 4 years of college, with a few summer internships.</p>

<p>My mom keeps on telling me I should worry about choosing the top quality of education for CS w/o worrying about money, but my parents are not paying for my education...</p>

<p>In terms of DEBT after I graduate, Northeastern would be the most (over 100k), Bing the least (under $25k). The others would be in between (even w/ 5 years @ cal poly) and that's as specific as I care to get.</p>

<p>Of course I'm not asking for you to make a decision for me, just hoping that your input supports or contradicts anything I've said. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Check into optional co-op programs at Cal Poly and the other schools. Also check on the school-specific forums what the reasons for low four year graduation rates are.</p>

<p>$100,000 debt is generally considered far too much for any major at any school. Note that the amount you can borrow yourself is $31,000 for all four years, at most $23,000 of which can be subsidized.</p>

<p>No Stony Brook? That is generally considered the top SUNY for CS. Of the SUNYs you list, Buffalo probably has a better reputation in CS than Binghamton, although Stony Brook is the one that is likely the most attractive to non-local recruiters. If it matters (for patent law career directions), Stony Brook and Binghamton do have ABET accreditation in CS, but Buffalo does not.</p>

3

<p>didn’t apply to Stony Brook, so that’s not even an option. I don’t think I would feel comfortable in $100k+ of debt, even though I liked Northeastern, so I sort of agree with you there. </p>

<p>I have checked the reasons for the low 4 yr grad rate at Cal Poly. It’s because the engineering related classes are very difficult, and many people fail. Since some of the courses are only offered at certain times of the year, you fall out of the cycle and have to wait for the course to start again. At least that’s how I understand it.</p>

4

<p>The max debt you should have is about $30k.</p>

<p>*My mom keeps on telling me I should worry about choosing the top quality of education for CS w/o worrying about money, but my parents are not paying for my education…</p>

<p>In terms of DEBT after I graduate, Northeastern would be the most (over 100k), Bing the least (under $25k). The others would be in between (even w/ 5 years @ cal poly) and that’s as specific as I care to get.</p>

<p>Of course I’m not asking for you to make a decision for me, just hoping that your input supports or contradicts anything I’ve said. Thanks!*</p>

<p>Sorry, but your mom isn’t thinking straight. I guess it’s easy for her to say that when SHE won’t be paying :rolleyes: Is she aware that she would have to co-sign those big loans and SHE would have to pay if you’re not able to (and you probably wouldn’t be able to pay $100k of loans back without her help).</p>

<p>You will NOT be paid more based on the school you go to. Companies pay new CS/engineering employees the same amount regardless of where they went to college. </p>

<p>Go to Bing…and when you’re working and realizing what a pain in the tush the payments are for that $25k debt, remind your mom how crazy it would have been if you had $100k in debt. (I’d like slap parents like this upside the head. )</p>

5

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<p>There are, however, variations in where companies recruit. Big companies recruit widely, but smaller companies often recruit mainly locally, perhaps traveling to a few higher profile schools. Students at less recruited schools may need to be more aggressive at searching for companies to apply to if they want more potential places to work.</p>

<p>To the OP, since you are not being specific about the debt levels for the schools between Binghamton and Northeastern, others may not be able to help you as much in terms of whether the different schools are “worth it”. If Cal Poly or UMass debt were $25,001, that would be different from the case where it was $99,999.</p>

6

<p>You are correct, companies do not alter pay based on the school you graduated from.</p>

<p>However, that doesn’t mean that every college will prepare you equally to get those top computer science jobs. Some schools have more advanced/engaging curriculum, which I began this thread to hear opinions on. </p>

<p>As per only $30,000 max debt, I think that’s a reasonable opinion, but my goal is not to just choose the least expensive school. I want to have an interesting computer science education, and would love to learn about interface design and human computer interaction specifically if possible. You also have to take into account my major. Computer science grads often earn 60-100k right out of college, sometimes with bonuses. Assuming my education is proficient and I take advantage of what’s offered wherever I go, I wouldn’t be working at Starbucks after graduation, but making good money.</p>

<p>I would be in 50k w/ Umass, 80k for Pitt, and 50-80k for Cal Poly (4 or 5 years)</p>

7

<p>I would be in 50k w/ Umass, 80k for Pitt, and 50-80k for Cal Poly (4 or 5 years)</p>

<p>The Pitt debt is way too much.</p>

<p>How are you figuring the Cal Poly debt? aren’t you OOS? For an OOS student, the cost is about $36k per year…and as you know, many kids there take more than 4 years to graduate. As an OOS student, you wouldn’t get much/any aid beyond federal aid. Where are you getting your cost estimates?</p>

<p>There are, however, variations in where companies recruit. Big companies recruit widely, but smaller companies often recruit mainly locally, perhaps traveling to a few higher profile schools. Students at less recruited schools may need to be more aggressive at searching for companies to apply to if they want more potential places to work.</p>

<p>this won’t be an issue for the schools that he’s considering. Bing is going to have recruiters. </p>

<p>frznpixel…I don’t think you realize how debt affects adult life. The differences between the schools you mention will be negligible. Certainly not enough to justify big debt.</p>

8

<p>Computer science grads often earn 60-100k right out of college, sometimes with bonuses.</p>

<p>I am more than well-aware of what CS and eng’g majors earn out of college. lol My entire family is in the high tech field. Those who might earn in the higher ranges will be living in very high cost-of-living areas so a good chunk will go towards rent, etc.</p>

<p>Don’t expect to be hired in the 6 figures range. More likely you’ll be hired around the $50-70k range…depending on the region of the country (again, the region’s cost of living will largely influence this).</p>

<p>What you may not realize is that a single person gets hit hard with taxes. You’re not going to see about half your check. With state, fed, and FICA coming out of your check along with other employment deductions, you’re not going to be bringing home as much as you think. </p>

<p>Once you’re employed, you’ll be also paying rent, utilities, cable, internet, cell phone, car payments, gasoline, car insurance, health insurance, food, clothing, etc. You’re not used to paying these thing so you may not realize how much of your take home pay these things will cost.</p>

9

<p>UMass Amherst has a very strong CS department, if that is your cheapest option I would go for it. In fact, the department has been elevated to the status of a separate school within the University. <a href=“News & Events | Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences | UMass Amherst”>News & Events | Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences | UMass Amherst;
<a href=“https://www.cs.umass.edu/files/uploads/files/csbooklet.pdf[/url]”>https://www.cs.umass.edu/files/uploads/files/csbooklet.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
If you have specific questions about the curriculum, then email them to the department head and see what kind of response you get.</p>

10

<p>Go with Bing, the others would all leave you in too much debt.</p>

11

<p>“but my parents aren’t paying for my education.”</p>

<p>*Accepted!
Out of State - NYC
Not sure what a ‘Cal Poly GPA’ is, but my average was 91.5
2080 SAT
Computer Science
Found out via Portal</p>

<p>.*</p>

<p>OK…so you’re instate for NY. Since your parents aren’t contributing to college, does that mean that you’re low income? </p>

<p>What is your EFC?</p>

<p>Did you get any merit offers from Buffalo?</p>

<p>I noticed that you’re wondering about FA from SLO. You’re OOS. The Cal Polys and the CSUs rely on Cal Grants to give aid to instate students. You won’t qualify. You’re likely only going to get a $5500 student loan and maybe some Pell money if your EFC is below $5k.</p>

<p>The CSUs and Cal Polys expect OOS students to pay the costs. They charge high OOS rates for a reason. They don’t cover those costs with aid.</p>

12

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<p>You should have applied to Stony Brook, which has a good reputation and rigorous curriculum in CS, attracts a lot of recruiters since it is both a good location (NYC recruiters can go there without flying) and good reputation (non-local recruiters are attracted there), and should be lower priced for you as a New York resident.</p>

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<p>Probably not as many as Stony Brook, for CS at least. While Binghamton is the OP’s only realistic choice given the stated debt levels, the OP should be more proactive about finding and applying to companies (other than the big GAFAM ones that recruit everywhere and which everyone in the country seems to apply to).</p>

13

<p>To the OP, looking back at your earlier thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1390595-school-suggestions.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1390595-school-suggestions.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>It looks like you were then overly optimistic on the financial aspects of paying for college, while ignoring the recommendations of others for potentially lower cost good schools like Stony Brook. It looks like you are lucky now to have one affordable choice (Binghamton).</p>

14

<p>Well all I really wanted was some advice on the CS programs and the schools in general that I have listed, not a strict discussion about debt. Oh well.</p>

<p>I am middle class, but at this time my parents are not paying for my college education. I don’t think you need to know why or how the debt amounts are what they are. I am happy with the schools I chose and have been accepted into, and in no way do I feel that I have pushed myself between a rock and a hard place.</p>

<p>ucbalumnus - I understand your affinity for Stony Brook, but that is not a school I applied to, for my reasons. I don’t want to stay home for college, and I don’t want to go to a commuter school.</p>

<p>mom2collegekids - I appreciate your concerns about my debt situation, but I don’t feel comfortable choosing the cheapest school. Where have you come up with the $36k cost? To be honest, CP doesn’t make it easy for OOS students to see what thy will pay, so I will have to call to find out later today. I did receive a $2k per year scholarship. </p>

<p>I would like to go to college to learn about the topics I am interested in, as I have mentioned. I would appreciate some help from others who know about the CS programs at any of these schools who could share some info/stories/experiences with me.</p>

15

<p>Buffalo wouldn’t be commuting for you and it’s not a commuter school. It also may not be your cheapest choice, but it’s a good choice. Bing is also a good choice. Were you offered any merit at either school?</p>

<p>*Where have you come up with the $36k cost? To be honest, CP doesn’t make it easy for OOS students to see what thy will pay, so I will have to call to find out later today. I did receive a $2k per year scholarship. *</p>

<p>Tuition and fees …$20,181<br>
Room and board …$10,679<br>
Books and supplies… $1,737
Estimated personal expenses…$2,289
Transportation expenses…$1,134 (probably higher for NY resident)
Estimated Total…$36,020</p>

<p>If you’re not low income and won’t qualify for a Pell Grant, then likely all you’re going to get from SLO is a small student loan and that $2k scholarship. </p>

<p>I used the Net Price Calculator and even if you were low income, the only need-based aid SLO gives to OOS students is a Pell Grant (based on low EFC of less than 5000) and a student loan.</p>