I know this question has been asked several times, but which one is generally better for cs? I know Carleton tends to be slightly higher ranked but both have similar student bodies (if this is incorrect please let me know). Which one would be more academically rigorous? Which one would have better employment prospects?
i can’t really provide any information regarding carleton (other than the fact it’s a wonderful school), but i can give some information about grinnell since I’m currently a student here.
grinnell graduates go on to do extremely well when it comes to computer science, and a lot of people choose to come here because of the program (robert noyce says hello). students regularly receive internships from amazon, goldman sachs, google, etc., and a lot of people end up working for those companies + microsoft, facebook, and some others after graduation. graduate school attendance isn’t too shabby either, with alumni continuing their studies at universities such as cmu, michigan, usc, and washu. all of my friends majoring in cs (and trust me, i have a ton) love the department. it’s one of the most popular majors here (if not THE most popular major here) along with biology/biochem, economics, and political science.
here are the outcomes of the past four graduating classes: www.grinnell.edu/after-grinnell/graduate-outcomes/computer-science
regarding rigor, it’s difficult to say. in terms of pace, carleton would be a little bit faster because of the trimester system, whereas grinnell would be a little bit slower because of the semester system. because of the trimester system at carleton, you’re taking more classes during the year than at grinnell, but because of grinnell’s open curriculum, you’re allowed to explore any area of study you’re genuinely curious about without being tied down to having to meet certain requirements.
you can’t go wrong with choosing either. i recommend applying to both if you think you’d be happy at both since neither college has an application fee. (: hope this helped!
Thank you so much for your reply, I’m definitely interested in Grinnell!
Anyone have any insight about the CS program at Carleton?
You can compare the CS courses offered and their frequency:
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As an opinion, these schools offer two of the finer computer science programs in the country; academically, you couldn’t go wrong with either.
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Carleton is AMAZING for CS and the students get great internships and jobs after graduation. And if you decide CS isn’t for you, Carleton is great for many other things as well. I don’t know anything about Grinnell’s CS department, but I can vouch for Carleton. Daughter graduated this year and headed to medical school. She’s in the top 10% of her medical school class. Carleton prepared her very well. Many of her friends were CS majors and are gainfully employed.
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