<p>Hey! I was wondering if anybody could tell me more about the computer science program at gtech. i've heard a lot about how the classes are difficult, but it seems like this information pertains to the engineering classes; I haven't heard all that much about the comp sci programs. </p>
<p>Also, can anyone tell me about the faculty and advisors? Are they really helpful in getting back to you about things you need, or do they seem to be overwhelmed all of the time with the number of students and are unable to help you individually? When I visited, I got the vibe that the college will try really hard to get a student to where he wants to go (ie research opportunities, traveling abroad) - is this how the college really works? </p>
<p>Thanks for your help in answering my questions!!</p>
<p>Half of CS courses are math based (calculus 1 to Calculus 4, probability and static, algorithm, discrete math). The other half of CS are project based. For those courses, the key is time management (projects count 40 to 50%). So if you don’t finish the project, you won’t able to get good grades. </p>
<p>CS is not very difficult major, IMO, a lot of easier than ChemE, EE and Architecture. But it can be time consuming. Professors at CS have limited office hours, but I found most of them are very approachable when I need help. The key is to talk to them several times early on, not just before midterm and/or final.</p>
<p>First year CS courses are somewhat difficult since most students don’t familiar with programming concept. As it went on, it is easier as one goes on. Many senior level courses are jointed courses with graduate students. Those courses are much easier to get A’s.
There are a lot of research and co-op opportunities.</p>
<p>If you like more liberal art education instead of math based, there is new major called computing media.</p>
<p>Computer Science majors at Tech choose 2 from among 8 available “threads”, or tracks. They include Devices, Information Internetworking, Platforms, Theory, Media, Modeling&Simulation, People, and Intelligence. Go to cc.gatech.edu for more info. </p>
<p>Your threads determine your upper level classes. For example Theory threads would have a lot of math classes, where People threads would focus more on cognitive science, where devices threads would focus on circuitry and low-level architectures, etc etc.</p>
<p>As for lower level classes, they are time consuming but if you put time and effort into it it’s definitely doable. PM me with questions… I’m a CS major @ Tech and loving it :)</p>
<p>Considering, I actually develop and program my own game that uses the java language, I would say it’s very easy. I would have an easy time with any CS class because i am so used to it. I think I know just as much as a first year CS student because I’ve been learning it for 2 years on my own. I understand the methodology. I suggest going on the internet and begin your studies there as it will help you tremendously with the classes you will be taking.</p>
<p>Yeah, if you have prior experience anything is easier. If you can, try to start learning a language over the summer, it’ll help ease the transition.</p>
<p>(Exp: I’ve been programming for four years now, and I’ve worked some unpaid internships and paid contracted jobs. It is a good source of income for a high school senior.)</p>
<p>Double majoring is pretty hard at Tech - it would be a lot easier to just <em>minor</em> in math. Every non-liberal-arts major here has pretty heavy requirements, Computer Science and Math included… you could double major but I don’t think you could do it in four years without taking a full load of classes <em>every</em> summer… But if you’re willing to stay an extra few semesters it’s definitely doable.</p>
<p>I’ve heard a lot of good things about both these schools. My concerns mostly lie in whether or not georgia tech is worth the extra 7 to 10 grand when I’m not sure about which field in engineering interests me. Georgia tech has a higher ranking for its engineering program, but UCSD seems to be a btter environment. Also, i’ve heard that Atlanta can tend to be quite dangerous and not very diverse. Below are some questions I had about both universities, thanks for any help.</p>
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<li><p>How hard are the classes? Is it easier to get a higher gpa in either university? (assuming the same classes are taken in engineering)</p></li>
<li><p>In which university will it be easier to participate in research projects and inernships? I’ve heard that Georgia Tech is very research oriented, but UCSD is heavily funded by other companies.</p></li>
<li><p>Will it be easier to go on to better graduate schools if i graduate from UCSD or Georgia Tech or will it not make much of a difference?</p></li>
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<p>First of all, I would only attend Georgia Tech if you know what you want to do, and that’s engineering/science/business. If you’re still a little unsure, go to a large state school where you can easily transfer when you decide that your passion is Japanese and not Computer Engineering. </p>
<p>Second, for $7k - $10k per year ($30k - $50k depending on 4 or 5 years), I’d go to UCSD. It’s a very good in-state option, and I tend to advise people to stay in-state when they have a good option. </p>
<p>But that said…</p>
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<p>UCSD… wow is that a great environment. Perfect weather, close to the beach, the only bad part is that you have to occasionally leave (well that and CA taxes).</p>
<p>But I assume you’re not talking about the weather (Atlanta isn’t bad at all, but no where compares to San Diego). In terms of student life, you’ll see more student diversity at UCSD. Tech is very heavily science / engineering / business.</p>
<p>One thing that does make the schools different in terms of employability is that UCSD is the #5 engineering school in the state. GT is the #1 school in the entire region. So when someone in California says “we need the top engineering students for our small but highly desirable company”, they go to Caltech, Stanford, or Berkeley. When someone says that anywhere from Virginia to Florida, they come to GT. </p>
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<li><p>Atlanta is one of the most diverse cities in the country. The city is roughly 40% white, 50% black, 10% Hispanic, it has the third highest LGBT population in the country, 20% of the city are below the poverty line and 10% are millionaires, and it has some of the largest immigrant communities in the country (specifically Japanese, Greek, African, and Caribbean) with 1 in 10 Atlantans being born overseas. </p></li>
<li><p>It’s a myth that Georgia Tech is “unsafe”. It’s one of the safer campuses in the country (despite the anecdotal evidence). Just comparing GT and UCSD (for 2008, the last reported): Aggravated Assault: GT 0, UCSD 4; Arson: GT 0, UCSD 5; Sexual Offense: GT 1, UCSD 7; Hate Crimes: GT 0, UCSD 2; Burglary (theft): GT 106, UCSD 76. So while GT had more burglary (e.g. stealing a bike), UCDSD was higher on all of the aggravated offenses. </p></li>
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<p>Engineering classes are comparable in the two schools for difficulty. The biggest difference is that at UCSD (and most non exclusive technical schools), the engineers have low GPA’s and are well below average for the university. At GT, the engineers have low GPA’s comparable to UCSD, but they are average for the university (since virtually everyone is in engineering / science)</p>
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<p>You can participate in both at both, but GT is a little better. GT’s internship and Co-op program is the premier program in the US. They were one of the first, and they’re a model to many other schools. It’s an incredibly good program. </p>
<p>For research, GT has higher expenditures for research. GT is the #2 US university for engineering research expenditures ($310 million) while San Diego is #20 ($88 million). If you divide by the number of engineering undergrads, that’s about $44,000 / undergrad at Tech (~7000 undergrad engineers) and about $22,000 / undergrad at UCSD (~4000 undergrad engineers).</p>
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<p>The GT names carries a little better, but it’s really not a huge difference. Graduating top of your class from either school will get you into a comparable grad school.</p>
<p>Yes, thanks a lot everyone for the responses! They’ve been really helpful!</p>
<p>Although one thing does bother me; I recently heard that there was strict policy against working with others if you’re a computer science major. Apparently, any sort of helping constitutes cheating if you’re working on comp sci material… is that true?</p>
<p>No, that is not true. Just do NOT use other people’s code. That would be copying/cheating, rather than just helping. You are free to collaborate as much as you want, help each other, and otherwise generally work together on assignments. As long as you remember that there is a difference between getting help and copying someone else’s code, you will be fine.</p>