Georgia Tech!
Totally agree that a student should pick the school based on fit and finances. My CS student picked the University of Alabama and has interned in Silicon Valley at a well-known company, and now that he has graduated is starting full-time there with another top company. I have heard that these companies hire from all over the country (and abroad); going to a top CS university is not necessary.
@kjcphmom “I have heard that these companies hire from all over the country (and abroad); going to a top CS university is not necessary.”
It is definitely true that top companies hire from a wide range of schools and attending a top college is not necessary. You can get to a great job from almost any school if you are a top talent.
However, a top program can be helpful. Especially for the average student. At the top programs, even their average students are able to also get amazing opportunities, and starting pay of their average graduate is higher.
I don’t think there are any average students doing CS at a top program.
@wis75
Why is this important?
“I don’t think there are any average students doing CS at a top program.”
I mean average for their program.
A standout CS student from any school can land a top job at a big name tech company. But at a less competitive school, it is important to stand out. At a top school, most of their students will have those opportunities.
Look at the top programs. Having their own program means they are in charge of things and not dependent on competing with, say, the rest of the math department for resources. Being a department would give more autonomy. Large schools tend to have separate buildings for different departments- again they don’t have to compete for space in a “science” building. A department large enough to have its own building likely has more resources I would think.
Hmmm, should the EECS departments at MIT and Berkeley be downgraded on this basis?
Perhaps. Ask the computer science people if they would rather be their own departments. Another thing- is the CS dept in the liberal arts/letters and sciences/ whatever school/college or the engineering one? Different ways of approaching things. A pure science like physics or chemistry et al or an engineering outlook? These may be minor differences. One should look at courses required for the degree, not just the major. Perhaps at elite schools the sense of organization lumps some things together and the CS department is powerful instead of being under the thumb of mathematicians or engineers or whomever.
Just pointing out some things that may/may not matter and many would never be aware existed differently than what they know. Ideas to get people thinking.
At Carnegie Mellon the Computer Science people basically decided they wanted more autonomy and left the engineering school to form their own school. They had some ideas about what they wanted the students to do that weren’t necessarily in line with the Engineering School requirements. For example all CS students have to have a minor. They also have a 1 credit course where they force the freshman to get to know Pittsburgh a little.
It does not look like MIT is divided into divisions of this nature.
At Berkeley, the EECS department is in the College of Engineering, but students majoring in CS can do either EECS in the College of Engineering, or CS in the College of Letters and Science (L&S CS). Admission to the school is more difficult for EECS applicants, but those who enter L&S need to complete the prerequisites with a high enough GPA (currently 3.30, formerly 3.00, formerly 2.00, based on popularity of the major) to enter the L&S CS major.
All the great CS schools have been mentioned but the student who I know who has had the most opportunity is going to Trinity in San Antonio. The school promotes her, sends her to conferences, and has supplied money for a women in tech program. She has had internships in California, Seattle and next summer London. And she has a full ride there. The reason I write this is sometimes on CC we lose focus that students can do very well at many universities and not just the top 10 or 20 on the list.