PM’ing you
Exactly the same experience for DS.
Very good placement opportunities right from the freshman year - both summer internships sometimes paying over 30 bucks/hr as well as coop if student is interested.
One comment on the starting salary post above - I believe the salary is as dependent on where the student decides to go also. DS and classmates who headed to Silicon Valley started with 6 digits.
I would second CMU - they are second only to MIT for CS, but the program is very intense. If he can’t get into CS directly - it’s very difficult, he can try applying to one of their other colleges and then transferring, but you run the risk of not being able to get in to the CS college once you’re there since there’s no guarantee. My son ran into that problem, and he decided to go elsewhere instead of taking the risk.
Brown is also a good option. One of their professors is the guy who created the computer-generated animation for Toy Story. Apparently, his class is very popular. They also have a virtual reality lab, but I think it’s only for graduate students.
Cobrat gave you a good list as well so you should consider those.
I would not bother with RPI because of his stats unless you’re looking for money.
I had an awesome experience at CMU. At the time I went, there wasn’t an undergrad CS degree (only a PhD) so I started off in the computer engineering program. That was way too hard, so I switched to Logic and Computation out of the philosophy department, where I created a blended interdisciplinary degree combing philosophy, cognitive psychology (for the AI aspect of CS), and CS. I just put “Logic and Computer Science with specialization in AI” on my resume when I graduated because it was less confusing than having to explain the whole thing. I got to take all the pure CS classes that I would’ve taken as a computer engineering major, but swapped out all the math and engineering for psychology and philosophy.
For kids who really like the liberal arts along with CS, I would definitely urge them to have a look at the Logic and Computation program. I feel like it stretched my imagination and expanded my horizons more than a pure CS or CE degree would have, and prepped me better for a career beyond a computer screen.
I have peripheral experience with both CMU and Georgia Tech.
DH was accepted (back in the 80’s, omg) to all departments at CMU except computer science. He found it impossible to transfer into Comp Sci, and eventually transferred colleges after his junior year, got his master’s in Comp Sci at a different uni, and currently is a senior director for software development at a fortune 50 company.
We live in Atlanta and older DD (16) refers to GA Tech as “the place where Hope goes to die” because it’s such a grind the first year that a lot of students lose their hope scholarships (georgia thing-pays tuition for in-state students with a good gpa) the first year because of dismal GPA’s.
DH says that it’s really challenging to hire the Tech kids because they’re so well-qualified that everyone wants them. They consistently pass the programming and interview tests. They know their stuff.
The campus for GA Tech is pretty cool and beautiful, but it’s not safe. Lots and lots of petty crime, and the public transportation (MARTA) sucks.
Older engineering relatives experienced the same thing when they were trying to recruit GTech students to join their engineering/tech firms in the NE and West Coast.
GTech engineering/CS graduates are highly respected and prized for their technical prowess and for surviving one of the most rigorous engineering/CS programs in the country.
Carnegie Mellon for computer science.
^Is DarkStar a Gerold Dayne reference?
Several posters are recommending Carnegie Mellon, which is an outstanding program, but it is only one program with about 200 places and a huge number of applications.
I would add Penn, Cornell, Washington, Northwestern, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Tufts. These all have good CS programs.
@CHD2013 – Thanks for the inquiry. My username goes a little further back – 1969 Grateful Dead Song B-)
Too bad, the Game of Thrones Darkstar is an awesome character in the books 
Rethink the campus size issue. All large schools, like large cities, are really a collection of neighborhoods. Do not eliminate affordable options because the university has a lot of students. He will take his courses with the group of students with similar interests and develop knowledge of the aspects of the campus that he utilizes. Also look at the math departments as CS has overlap with that (my son majored in math, then added the CS major, working in software development at a major company- several courses are crosslisted at UW-Madison). Consider how the computer science department is organized- it should be its own dept. and likely have its own building.
Remember that an all over smart kid like yours should be looking at a school where his peer group is. He hopefully will take nonscience electives for the fun of it. One can take advanced, grad level courses in one’s major and yet indulge in beyond elementary courses in fields totally unrelated to one’s major. He might enjoy a school where he can interact with smart kids with totally different foci instead of just STEM kids. Plus- larger schools usually have more diverse course offerings.
@CHD2013 that’s because Martin would have most definitely gotten the reference in @DarkStar904 's name … Dire Wolf, weirwood, etc … 
^Wow, I had no idea. That’s really interesting. Thanks for sharing. :">
Reverse engineer based on where he wants to work and what he wants to do.
Where do those companies hire from…
CMU = highly paid job at graduation. Extremely high placement rate. My D is a junior there and it’s very challenging and at times borders on impossible. However, if a student wants a job (vs grad school) upon graduation, he/she will most definitely have one. It makes the tuition worth it IMO.
OP, I would suggest that you focus on the college fit and experience that your child desires. CS jobs are plentiful for any good student from a top tier school. I work for a VC firm in the Bay area and have heard of students declining internships at my clients that pay $40/hr ! It is a Sellers world !
Ditto above- give the highest priority to the overall fit of the college for your son. This includes academic, financial and social areas.
Companies hire from many universities- there are several top notch places to choose in every region of the country. Sometimes a large school will have more CS students (but not too many) and be able to offer more courses. Plus- a college education is about more than just getting a job/having a major. Consider the areas relating to CS that matter to him- it could be an excellent math department, robotics, hardware courses or others I know nothing about. He also needs to consider how he will meet other requirements- with standard or intriguing off-the wall options. College is the time/place to explore things one never will otherwise- even if the class seems “useless” or impractical.
How about RIT https://www.cs.rit.edu/
Top CS programs based on placement into “prestigious” tech companies include Stanford, CMU, MIT, Penn, Harvard, Berkeley, Caltech, Washington, Cornell, Columbia, Harvey Mudd, and UIUC.
Whether placement into “prestigious” tech companies is a measure of program success is entirely debatable, but just about everyone I know out of those programs is either earning a six-figure salary after graduation, or is now in a Ph.D program.
The difference between these programs at the undergraduate level is trivial to non-existent, so I would recommend picking out of those schools based on fit. For example, if your son is pretty social (i.e. would want to join Greek life, would be more into parties), Penn and Cornell would be much better choices over CMU and MIT, even though the latter are generally perceived as “stronger” CS schools; that notion is probably true for Ph.Ds, but not for undergraduates. Indeed, I have many friends who picked Penn over CMU for fit reasons. They ended up with the same jobs as CMU graduates. Similarly, if your son wants a small-campus feel, Harvey Mudd would be a much better choice than Berkeley.
Also, tech is relatively meritocratic at the end of the day: I’ve got buddies that did well, career-wise, that didn’t go to schools with flagship CS programs. Coursework will be a bit less rigorous, and you won’t have the same student body to push you and inspire you, but it’s not like doors will be closed to you.