<p>I'm trying to make a final decision for college by the May 1 deadline. I've narrowed it down to Georgia Tech and the University of Maryland for computer science. I'm from out of state at both schools. I don't qualify for any financial aid, but I did get a $12,000 scholarship from Maryland. Money is an important consideration, but my family will be able to pay for either one. </p>
<p>Maryland is much closer to home. Maryland is a 3-hour train ride/drive away, but I would have to take a plane home from Atlanta. </p>
<p>I also feel that Georgia Tech is academically stronger and would provide more opportunities for research and internships.</p>
<p>I've visited both schools, and liked both of their campuses. </p>
<p>I got into the scholar's program at Maryland, but I did not get into the Honors Program at Georgia Tech. </p>
<p>Which one do you think would be better for me?</p>
<p>I've posted the same question in another forum, so I apologize if you've already seen this.</p>
<p>Well, your at the UMD forum so your definitely going to hear some biased opinions towards UMD…</p>
<p>I am sophomore in computer science and I have to say internship opportunities/research are pretty strong here. I was a little discouraged freshman year when I couldn’t get ANY internships/research jobs, but sophomore year I somehow became a whole lot more attractive to companies and have gotten 4 internship/research offers!!! (probably 5 if I followed up with one, but I already had 4). </p>
<p>I know Georgia Tech is ahead of UMD in US news for computer science, but that’s based off grad school, so I think the bridge between them is pretty small if not non-existent.</p>
<p>But yeah, UMD is a good place for computer science!</p>
<p>I’m a sophomore in CS too, so maybe I can help answer this question. The intro classes do tend to be very large, about 100-150 kids. However, this is probability the same for most schools, so I don’t think it should be a very big factor. The professors do tend to be available and they’re all pretty nice in my opinion. In terms of internships, its basically what you put into it. If you get good grades, maybe learn a little bit extra outside of class, and apply to lots of jobs, then your chances will be good. However, if you’re just one of those people who just does whatever it takes to get by, then don’t expect any job offers. I got an internship in California this summer, so I think UMD has a pretty recognizable program. Another thing you might want to consider is the difficulty of classes. In my opinion, UMD isn’t hard at all. Simply put, if you try, you will do well. I have friends at GT and they all say its really hard, but then again I don’t have first-hand experience, so I can’t really comment on that.</p>
<p>While lecture classes are huge for the first few classes, there are discussion sections alongside those where you take quizzes, do class assignments, etc. and those are usually about 20-25 students. </p>
<p>EDIT: If that wasn’t clear, the intro classes have both a lecture component and a discussion component. Lectures are large, discussions are small.</p>
<p>Regarding internships, I tried reasonably hard and couldn’t get anything freshman year, but I got a lot sophomore year. I live in-state so I can drive their, but two of them offered me some type of rooming.</p>