<p>I think this is my first post on CC. I was recommended to come here from another forum I use a lot (the Art</a> of Problem Solving Forum)</p>
<p>I also don't know if this is the right place to place this thread, since I'm new to CC and all. I also haven't used this website at all, so it's quite possible that the answer to my question is on this forum and I haven't found it.</p>
<p>In any case, can anyone weigh in on the undergraduate computer science programs at Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT? I'm having trouble deciding among the four colleges, and I haven't found a lot of information on the undergrad programs, just graduate programs.</p>
<p>(Yes, I realize that Harvard and Princeton haven't released their decisions yet, but if I get accepted, I don't want to end up asking twice.)</p>
<p>I’d suggest either MIT or Stanford. (H and P are also really great, but S and M are the best of the best.)</p>
<p>This is coming from a junior who’s been researching the same schools (amongst others) so take it with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>MIT and Stanford both are a cut above Harvard and Princeton in CS. While Harvard and Princeton both field fantastic programs, they’re not as all around spectacular.</p>
<p>MIT and Stanford both have their share of rock stars (Minsky and Liskov v. Knuth and McCarthy, take your pick). They both have top reputation, good job placement and grad school rates, and offer comparable levels of research. The biggest difference seems to be the culture.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input so far. I’ve also heard from someone at AoPS that MIT and Stanford both have better CS programs than Harvard and Princeton.</p>
<p>If I go to MIT, I know I’ll probably be majoring Course 6-3. Stanford just has a general computer science major, if I’m not mistaken. Is there a specific area that MIT/Stanford specialize in within the field of computer science though? I’m open-minded regarding what I do in computer science; right now all I’ve been exposed to is the algorithmic problem-solving side (USACO etc.).</p>