<p>so ofcourse naturaly i plan to go with BU.
BUT here is the twist
I keep looking around, reading reviews and stuff like that and i stumble upon this</p>
<p>So as you can imagine. It really hard on me to decide between a uni which got a #94 overall but #20 in computer science(#8 in AI) and one which got around #47</p>
<p>P.S: Since UMASS is know for its out of control party, i actual have this metal feeling that the university is just a joke and also quick Google search doesn't yield many results of computer science in UMASS compare to the rank it has got. (in other word, since its CS is highly ranked, there has to be a that thing on the internet which should have a main focus on UMASS's CS, but instead it goes on about other stuff like its Business Schools, etc which are not as highly ranked.</p>
<p>So again, please help me out here :confused:</p>
<p>If money is a consideration, go to UMass (assuming you live in MA and are paying in-state tuition.) You will be able to take courses at Amherst, Hampshire, Smith, and Mount Holyoke and get a lot for your money. If money is not a factor (good aid or you are well off), go to BU.</p>
<p>If you are from out of state, don’t even think about UMass. The only reason to go to any state’s flagship university–no matter how good it is–is if you are a resident of the state in which it is located.</p>
<p>Is there a financial consideration? I think the CS rankings are for grad school, which can depend on many things and which isn’t as important for you. BU is the better school for undergrad. Eitherway these are reasonably good choices.</p>
<p>At UMass you can take classes in the consortium, but it might be difficult to do within your major, that is usually pretty mapped out. However definately try one or more for general requirements.</p>
<p>UMass does have a bit of a party reputation - for those who are into that sort of thing. It is also known as a great school for learning - for those who are into that. It sounds lke you may fall into the latter group, so it’s all good.</p>
<p>BU is a much more expensive school, but is pretty well respected. Of course, it has its super-serious students as well as its slackers. If you can easily afford it, it may make a good choice for you.</p>
<p>“When Watson, billed as “the smartest machine on Earth” competed on “Jeopardy!” in February, 2011, against the show’s two most successful players, computer scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst were cheering for the machine. UMass Amherst is one of eight universities collaborating with IBM on the Question Answering (QA) technology behind the company’s intelligent new computing system.”</p>
<p>I do think UMass Amherst’s CS program is pretty good, but BU is well respected also. I don’t think it is worth agonizing over their relative rankings in US News (which is probably talking about the grad school anyway when they are talking about CS). You may want to make your decision on other criteria such as costs/financial aid, campus location, etc. UMass is in a small college town, while BU is in the middle of Boston - so they are very different! Have you been to the campuses?</p>
<p>Actually, some state flagship universities have lower out-of-state costs than some other state universities’ in-state costs. And if the OP is a full pay student, University of Massachusetts’ out-of-state cost of $36,150 per year is much lower than Boston University’s $59,100 per year.</p>
<p>As far as the consortium goes, it may be most useful for out of major courses, since University of Massachusetts is the strongest of the five in computer science (the others are relative weaklings in the subject, based on their limited course offerings as listed in their catalogs).</p>
<p>Your post points to the weakness of rankings.</p>
<p>So, here are my thoughts – overall, BU has a better reputation than UMass Amherst. BU is the harder of the schools to get into. This is reflected in the overall USNWR rankings.</p>
<p>All of which has absolutely nothing to do with the education you will get at either institution. BTW – even schools that have a reputation of being party schools have many serious dedicated students who put their education ahead of their social life.</p>
<p>Mass seems to have a better ranking computer sciences department BUT – I confess that I have never truly understood the methodology (it looks as if it’s purely or mostly reputation based – and besides, I think that USNWR’s rankings relate to the graduate program not the undergraduate program, so you’re really comparing apples to oranges.)</p>
<p>In general, I recommend choosing the University rather than the program (with exceptions too numerous to mention). But particular strength in a program, cost, and intangibles (which school do you prefer, rankings aside) can make a difference.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for replying in such detail. i really appreciate it!</p>
<p>Ok so, it seems what most of you are suggesting is that, it doesn’t really matter on the ranking but on factors such as location, cost , prestige etc. So if thats the case, i shall lean towards BU (cost isn’t an issue)</p>
<p>How ever, i have some things to point out.</p>
<p>
tk21769</a>, that is from the university website. what i meant is, external websites should talk about it. eg an article. i no there exist such stuff but not a lot. infact, this website form college board shows that CS is not one of the most popular majors despite its high ranking (see in majors & learning envirnoment) <a href=“Custom Domain by Bitly”>Custom Domain by Bitly; so yeah, i don’t get it if its so popular, why isn’t it attracting many student</p>
<p>
masmomm, why would you say this? ( btw im an international student)</p>
<p>“If you are from out of state, don’t even think about UMass. The only reason to go to any state’s flagship university–no matter how good it is–is if you are a resident of the state in which it is located.” </p>
<p>is because if you are paying upwards of $40K a year, you’re better off spending it at a prestigious private university with an international reputation.</p>
<p>Not everyone can spend an extra $92,000 over four years for BU over UMass, nor does everyone necessarily value the extra prestige (if any), private-ness, or international reputation.</p>
<p>In terms of international prestige, BU is #54 and UMass is #64 in Times Higher Education World University Rankings ( [Top</a> 400 - The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011-2012](<a href=“http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/top-400.html]Top”>http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/top-400.html) ), so even an extremely prestige conscious person looking at international prestige may not find BU’s premium to be worth it, if s/he will be paying list price. And there are 14 public universities (not all of which are even flagships in their state) in the US that are ranked higher than BU in that international prestige ranking.</p>
<p>However, an international student may want to consider the reputation and prestige of the school in the country or countries where s/he will be working, as the importance or lack thereof, and the relative prestige and reputation ranks of different schools, may vary from country to country.</p>
<p>Regarding the popularity of CS – a given school may have a larger enrollment in other majors for various reasons. CS is generally not that popular a major in the US compared to other majors like biology, business, and psychology.</p>