Hi everyone,
I have been accepted at UPenn, Cornell, CMU and UC Berkeley for Computer Science and looking for input on relative strengths of each of these schools in undergraduate CS programs, and also other pros and cons worth taking into account.
Thank you in advance!
Sam
At the undergrad level, these are all excellent choices for computer science… you can’t really go wrong.
At the PhD level, Berkeley, CMU are top 5, Cornell is top 10… UPenn is top 20.
If I had a choice, I might go with UPenn and do a joint degree with Wharton.
Compare costs of attendance and personal fit.
Wow. I wish I was in your situation.
I’d pick Berkeley in a heartbeat because of the location.
CMU is the #1 undergrad program, and I believe it has the best recruiting from tech companies (not sure)
Berkeley is right next to Silicon Valley = hottest startups
UPenn is probably the best for connections (Wharton, especially business), and probably offers the best financial aid
Personally, I’d visit these three and pick based on which one you like/price.
I would go to CMU. It is THE computer science program. Anyone who knows anything about CS will be impressed by a CMU degree. Also if you are considering a doctorate, or master’s degree, just look at the placement of the graduates.
UC Berkeley is obviously an amazing school, I would rather not pay that high out-of-state tuition. Sure you have silicon valley, but every city has some sort of start-up culture.
I don’t know how much programming or computer science knowledge you currently have, but regardless I would choose CMU.
Net price at each school?
CMU
I think that it comes down to the school that fits you best. DD was admitted to these four and Columbia. After visiting, she decided on Penn, but there are a lot of reasons to make a different choice. I think that you will do the best if you choose the one where you think you will the most involved and feel at home.
MIT, Stanford, Berkley, and CMU are seen as the ‘big four’ in Computer Science from a recruiting perspective. If your goal is to work for a tech company (e.g. Google, Microsoft) they will pour a lot of their recruiting efforts into those schools for the sake of efficiency which I think is certainly something to consider.
I’d either pick Berkeley or CMU. They are absolutely fantastic schools for CS. As long as cost is doable, I would definitely visit each school (if you haven’t already) and see how you feel about the campus and the location. I know on paper rankings and academics don’t look different at all, but believe me, Pittsburgh, PA is much different than Berkeley, CA!
The big tech companies like Google and Microsoft recruit widely, because they can afford to and need to recruit a larger number of new graduates. Smaller companies are more likely to recruit locally and at a smaller selection of well known distant schools, because they have fewer recruiting needs and resources.
Quick Question: What did you even do in high school to get into such good schools and CompSci too?! I’m really interested in going into the Computer Science field and I am currently a sophomore in high school…like what extracurricular activities did you do to get into all of these programs? Some tips please? Sorry if i sound needy…Thanks 
A few things I would consider:
Congrats on getting accepted. I doubt these schools would even look at my name if I turned in an application. If I was in your shoes I think I would go with UPenn. I’m not really familiar with these schools but I did a project on the ENIAC which is located at UPenn. Pretty interesting stuff.
I would pick Berkeley, hands down. Check this out: https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/EECS.pdf
They all comparable, go by fit, such as location. But I think Cornell, CMU and Berkeley are not easy particularly for Computer Science major. Pick UPenn if you have interest in business classes.
It looks like Penn Computer Science or Digital Design majors generally end up in related positions rather than business. From the 2014 Penn Undergraduate Engineering Placement Survey: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/files/SEAS_CPSurvey_2014.pdf
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