Georgia Tech (Computer Engineering) vs Rice (Computer Science) vs Duke (Electrical and Computer Engineering + Computer Science)

College Search & Selection
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Hi All! Male deciding between Georgia Tech (Computer Engineering, OOS), Rice (Computer Science) and Duke (Electrical and Computer Engineering + Computer Science)

I’m incredibly grateful for having an opportunity to study at all three of these schools. I’m incredibly torn over which one to choose, though. I’m not 100% set on Computer Science/Engineering as a major, but I would most likely still stay within a STEM field should I choose to change. I’m also a US citizen living abroad so distance from home doesn’t matter.

Georgia Tech Pros
• Has the most rigorous CS/STEM programs out of all three schools.
• Cost (22k less than Rice, 25k less than Duke) and excellent return on investment (median 80k-90k starting salary). Cost differences aren’t a huge factor for me at this stage, but saving money definitely wouldn’t hurt.
• Seems to have the best on-campus recruitment, as well as incredible internship/co-op programs.
• STEM-oriented research/club opportunities are incredible.

Georgia Tech Cons
• Large classes, maybe less availability to reach out to professors and access resources due to a lot of competition (I’m worried I might feel a little suffocated, so it’s by far the main concern I have. I’ve never visited campus, so some additional perspective on this would be appreciated!)
• Notorious stress culture (lots of “weed out” classes) and higher course requirements (this would also be a pro as I’ve heard employers respect Tech grads because of this).
• Since it’s an engineering-focused school, the student body would be much more homogeneous.
• Gender ratio.

Rice Pros
• While it doesn’t have the same levels of specialization as GTech, I think it does an outstanding job at combining STEM with all other subjects – more flexible but still has a nice engineering focus.
• Absolutely love the idea behind the Residential College system and the diversity it brings
• Low student-faculty ratio, great professors, great and accessible research opportunities, focused on undergraduate teaching instead of only research.
• Houston – unlikely I’d run out of things to do (Atlanta would fit this as well).

Rice Cons
• Reputation outside of Texas – not as well-known nationally or globally as GA Tech or Duke from what I’ve heard.
• Houston climate – coming from an area of the world more similar in climate to NC or Northern Georgia (I’d get used to it though, so it’s a minor drawback).
• More uncertain about how much FAANG and other tech companies actually actively target Rice because of its smaller size.
• Cost (again, not huge issue, but is it worth the financial investment over GTech?)

Duke Pros
• Extremely well-regarded school in both STEM and the liberal arts with a massive alumni network and more undergraduate focus with low student-faculty ratio (8:1).
• Flexibility – don’t need to immediately declare a major, 82% of students double major, encouraged to explore all my interests.
• Everyone in the community I’ve met online so far (from the students to prof. Astrachan in the CS department) are super friendly (can say this about all three schools, but Duke particularly stands out) – guessing this translates to a super tight-knit alumni network.
• In the rare case I’d end up discovering that CS/STEM isn’t for me, there would be no issue changing to an equally-reputable liberal arts program without much hassle.

Duke Cons
• Seems to be the least engineering-centric out of all three schools. The CS department has lagged behind demand for the major, so class sizes are large. There are reports of it not being seen as challenging/thorough enough apparently. They are addressing this, however, and people have said that I can work around that by double majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science.
• Alumni network specifically for STEM - since the Pratt engineering school is extremely small, are there necessarily as many connections and networking opportunities in SV and other tech-oriented parts of the country?
• Not 100% sure about living in Durham: it seems nice, but does it lack the amenities/opportunities bigger cities such as Atlanta or Houston provide
• Cost (is it worth the 25k extra over Tech?)

Thank you so much in advance for all suggestions! I won’t be able to visit any of the campuses, and they’ve all impressed me in some way or another so far.

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Some awesome choices, congrats!
How “discretionary” is $100k for your family?

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They’ve told me to just think about what’s best for me and that they’ll find a way to make it work…but I’d feel extremely guilty putting them under additional burdens while passing on a STEM program that saves me $100k over 4 years while being just as good (if not better).

What would the answer be if finances weren’t an issue?

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GT would be my answer even if the costs were the same. My understanding is that you can switch your major once at GT without any issues so you aren’t locked into CE.

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Rice or Duke would be my answer if finances were NOT an issue. But that $100k would have to be totally discretionary, i.e. if you parents simply traded in their plans for Model S for Model Y … and not any more strain :slight_smile:

(and this isn’t purely on academics, but based on the overall college experience)

Because GT is such a fantastic lower cost school.

2 Likes
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We looked at all 3 this year for our S. iF you think you are 100% stem focused and the stress/hard work is fine, GT 100%. Our S isn’t 100% sold on any major, and having that 1 major change was a problem. How would you know which major to switch to when they don’t have a common first year hands on experience?

Rice is fabulous and you could easily switch majors. For us, it just lacked the first year experience our S wanted and the religious diversity we wanted. If you don’t need this, Rice would be a great pick!

Duke does have a smaller program, but that’s one of the things our S liked, and the ease of switching majors, and the programs like engineers for international development. Plus, there are certificate programs for entrepreneurship and many other areas. If you want a city school though, this would not be your pick. If you want school spirit though and like rooting for your school, Duke has the aspects of a big school combined with closer relationships with professors.

You will get jobs from all these schools. Look at the outcomes section on their websites and recruiters.

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From a financial standpoint, if you’re having to shell-out double or triple the money to go to Duke or Rice, then it’s definitely not worth the money, especially when GA Tech is an affordable option for you. There wouldn’t be any additional benefit to going to these private schools.

Here’s a nickel’s worth of unsolicited advice :slight_smile: Personally, I’m a big believer in going to a state university, especially if you’re interested in a degree as ridiculously employable as computers. Here’s why. If a layoff/business failure happen (not uncommon), you have no recourse if you go OOS or to a private school (very common). At a state university, you can always fallback to student loans and finish your degree.