CS in the College of Arts & Sciences

Colleges and Universities A-Z New York University
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Son was accepted to CAS as a CS major. He did not apply to Tandon in Brooklyn as I didn’t think he’d make the cut.
Frankly, I’m shocked he even got accepted to CAS and with 18K merit along with it. Submitting the application was almost an afterthought and done at the deadline of regular decision.

Here’s the stats for those of you who want to go.
NYS resident medium sized suburban high school.
GPA - 3.65 UW (High school doesn’t do weighted)
SAT - 680 M 670 CR
ACT - 27 (But with a 31 in Science)
Plenty of EC’s and worked for a year during school.

He wants an NYC school and he really likes NYU. Also accepted to Fordham, Manhattan, St. John’s, Pace and Binghamton all for Computer Science.

So hows the CS department in the College of Arts & Sciences? They only offer a BA but can do a combined Math & CS degree, etc. Is it a disadvantage not being in Tandon? What kind of internships and job offers come to students in this program?

It would be a huge financial commitment and only worth it if the NYU recognition also extends to CS students with a BA instead of a BS degree. Also after attending accepted student event there last week, I got the sense that successful NYU students are really self motivated and independent. I have some doubts that my son fits that profile. So if he just spends 4 years going through the program and doesn’t push his boundaries, is the NYU experience really worth it?

Binghamton is more than 50% less per year and I’m quite sure that program would bring great internships and job offers. Of course it’s a very different experience.

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@millsdude Congrats on your son’s acceptance! Getting into NYU is a huge accomplishment, and as a fellow potential CS+math major in CAS, I would like to clear up any doubts you have about NYU’s CAS CS program.

First off, NYU CAS CS is actually better than NYU Tandon CS. In the 2014 USNWR for CS, NYU CAS CS was ranked 29th, while Tandon CS was ranked 70th. Unlike most schools, NYU’s CAS CS is actually much better than its engineering school’s CS. Most of this is due to the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. If you do not know, NYU Courant is one of the most prestigious institutions in the world for math and applied math (NYU ranks #1 for Applied Math). Courant is a srtong name everywhere, and going to NYU will give your son great access to internships and jobs in Wall Street, where CS and math majors are now highly valued. NYU Courant has such a strong name, and both Wall Street and Silicon Valley recruit there.

In addition, having the opportunity, to double major in math is very helping, because, in the end, computer science is basically applied math. Up-and-coming fields like artificial intelligence and machine learning can require a deep understanding of mathematics at the most advanced and theoretical level. Having a possibility to study math also opens up other career paths for your son, like being a quant on Wall Street. All this, combined with the huge brand name of Courant will open the door of opportunity to your son in the years to come.

However, on the flip side, finances should play a huge part in your decision. Let me tell you that CS is the most level of all playing fields when it comes to job opportunities. Your son will not land a job/internship due to the name of his school, but rather due to his knowledge and abilities. Now granted, a great school NYU provides extra things like a great education and a great network to open the door a little bit, but in the end it will be up to him. If your son is motivated, he can still land a great job at one of the top tech companies after going to somewhere like Binghamton, and if NYU is much more expensive, then it’s up to you and your son to decide if that extra expense is worth the increase in the quality of the education he will receive.

Once again, congrats to your son, he seems like a bright young man, and I’m sure that he will succeed wherever he chooses to go.

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@memes4life Thanks for the reply. You are also a very bright young man and will succeed whatever choice you make. I saw some of your messages on other threads. My son was also accepted to UMD, but no merit so we’re passing on it, although a great choice for CS.

What you say about CS being a level playing field is absolutely true. I’m in the industry for 30 years as a programmer in finance and have worked for many investment banks and fintech companies. Where you went to school does carry some weight but even more important is your abilities. To be successful in this field requires continued learning, keeping up with latest advances in programming languages, frameworks and principles. For the most part what I do isn’t even Computer Science but more about Software Engineering. Working in finance for a long time, I’ve seen the rise of quants. Some schools have even quantified that into it’s own major of Financial Engineering. But certainly the roots of it all lie in Applied Math.

I came from a NY state school with an Applied Math degree and have worked along undergrads from wide range of schools, Ivies, top-level privates, mid-level schools, big state schools, etc. However, there is a bit of selectivity in the industry for students coming from the top tier programs – Ivies, MIT, CMU, Stanford, UCB, etc. Graduates from these schools are going to be directly recruited by the top Silicon Valley and financial firms. But the opportunities in field are plentiful and well paying and will be like that for a long time. So school choice does impact that very early part of your career and can help to keep you in that very top tier in the industry, But the pay differential is often not that great. The startup industry in Silicon Valley is a bit different, so coming out of Stanford or UCB and using that network to create a startup and get venture capital is a very typical pathway and can be very lucrative.

Regarding NYU, I have a colleague I used to work with who finished a PhD in CS from Courant and spent a few years on the faculty as a researcher and TA. I reached out to him for his views. He echoed your sentiments on the Math department in Courant. I was unaware of their strength. His opinion of CS at NYU is ambivalent as he felt that undergrads were typically ignored and left with adjuncts and TAs. Tenured CS professors were focused on their research with graduate students. It’s a tough argument regarding adjuncts, some can be great and really care about their students. Other times the professors just there for the paycheck. He is originally from Italy and his views on the American education system are a bit negative so I also look at his opinions through that lens.

Anyway, a lot to consider and I wish you the best of luck with your decision.

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@memes4life for someone who got accepted in 2yr Liberal Studies Core Program with first year at NYU London and option to declare major by end of sophomore year, how easy it will be to transfer to CS in CAS or Applied Math in CAS? I get the “good grades” with right kind of electives, but on a practical front how feasible is this? Are these majors over-subscribed, so despite good grades, one may be out of luck due to demand/supply situation? We are trying to make hard decision since my daughter plans to attend NYU with firm goals to transfer to CS or Applied Math. We have a decent in-state option with UW Seattle in Pre-Science major (at 1/3rd the cost), where she can graduate in Math/Applied Math or related CS major (eg: Data or Information Science), even if she can’t make it to CS due to huge demand. Thoughts/Comments?