Computer Science at Duke vs GTech

Hey guys, I have recently been admitted to Duke and Georgia Tech for computer science. I am also a recipient of a full ride to go to UNC Charlotte for computer engineering. I know that Georgia Tech is ranked higher in CS than Duke, and have heard that Duke is also more well known for other majors (biomed-eng, etc.). What’s your opinion on the CS program at Duke vs at GTech. Also, is it better to just go for the full ride to UNCC, in your opinion? Money is not the biggest factor in my decision, however, the program at UNCC does offer an additional research/study abroad and internship stipend, along with a lot of elite opportunities such as leadership retreats. My biggest concern with maybe going to UNCC, however, is that I am not sure whether I want to go hardware (w/ CE) or software (with CS) and the scholarship binds me to CE. Anyways, just wanted a few opinions on what everyone thought on Duke vs GTech CS programs, so I can narrow my options a bit and make the decision easier.

Go to tech if you are serious about CS. I am a Computer Science student at Duke and I can tell you with absolute certainty that you will learn way more at Georgia Tech. The department here has been pretty underwhelming in my opinion. The only pro that I can think of is that you will probably have a much more well-rounded education if you do only CS at Duke (even if that means taking classes you care very little about but are forced to for T-Reqs). ECE/CS double major is also an option, but then you would be in Pratt which has its own issues.

At the undergraduate level, I would recommend making a decision based on the overall quality of the university. I knew several students who turned down full-rides at Georgia Tech (President’s Scholars) while I was at Duke. Take that for what it’s worth.

Also, @kp2241 is entitled to his opinion but it’s probably worth noting that his “absolute certainty” is almost definitely misplaced (unless he attended both schools which clearly he did not).

@JenniferClint Objectively speaking you will take more classes related to Computer Science at Georgia Tech. The major is only ten classes at Duke and out of those ten, all of your electives don’t even have to be in the CS department. You get breadth and depth from the “threads” structure at Georgia Tech that is impossible to replicate at Duke. Apart from that, very few CS electives are offered consistently as there are very few faculty members to teach them. The demand is super high for Computer Science at Duke, yet the department refuses to hire new faculty to keep up.

@kp2241 Thanks for the insight! What year are you in at Duke and are you in the BA or BS program? Do you know about the job placement opportunities at Duke, and the kinds of tech companies which recruit CS majors from there? I see where you’re coming from on the shortage of CS classes compared to GTech’s thread program, so I’m just wondering what your perspective is on if hiring companies may see Duke CS students as more unprepared than, say, Tech.

@JenniferClint If I could ask, what was your Duke graduating class year because I’ve heard that GTech’s reputation in CS has increased exponentially in just the past few years. I’m wondering if this could be why a few of the students you knew gave up a full ride to Tech, so they could go to Duke.

I am graduating this December with a BS (most students do BS, which adds 2 more electives and Math/Stat in addition to the BA requirements). The typical student will likely get several interviews at large companies (mostly tech and banks). Startups are little bit more work, but the Duke network is huge so no worries there either. Lots of brand name companies recruit on campus and hold on-campus interviews in the career center. Your resume will definitely get a second look from anywhere you apply. For Georgia Tech, I would speculate that the recruiting is heavier towards actual tech companies (opposed to tech jobs in non-tech companies). As far as preparedness goes, I don’t think that hiring manager will know enough to make a distinction (or even care for that matter). After you get an interview (which you can from either school), what matters most is your interview performance.

@tu.ed. I’m a recent grad (<5 years). This may be of interest to you:

https://trinity.duke.edu/initiatives/quantitative-initiative
https://today.duke.edu/2017/09/quantitative-investment-promoting-sciences-duke

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@kp2241 @JenniferClint thanks for the information. Does duke has a theoretical class based experience in CS or more coding oriented classes. Can you combine higher level math with CS in the Duke? What about adding finance course along with CS?