I want to major in computer science/engineering and have gotten into Harvard. However, is Harvard even worth it for engineering majors? I also got into the University of Washington which is ranked 14 for undergrad comp engineering by us news. As far as I know, Harvard isn’t in the top 20 for undergrad comp sci/engineering. I’m 90% sure about my comp sci/engineering major choice and am 100% sure that if I don’t go into comp sci/engineering, I am going into a different engineering field.
The college life is not a deciding factor for me, because I think that both Harvard and UW are great in that. I am paying a couple thousand less at UW, but not that much less to make it a major deciding factor. What are your suggestions on where I should go?
Edits: I do eventually want to go onto grad school for engineering. So, will going to one over the other help me with that? Also, I have direct admission into UW’s highly competitive computer engineering program, so I won’t have to worry about going through the competitive admission process. Going to UW will only take me three years because a lot of the community college credits I have taken during high school will transfer towards my degree. These credits won’t transfer at Harvard.
But its H A R V A R D!!! Who cares where CS is ranked? When you’re 50 years old will it matter? There’s a crimson seat waiting for you in Cambridge, take it!
If for some reason you find the computer science classes at Harvard “underwhelming” you can always take classes at MIT. There really is no comparison between Harvard and University of Washington. They are very much in a different league. What matters as much as the fine distinction between courses are the students. In any case browse through the Harvard Computer Science course offerings.
I have found out that you can take engineering classes at MIT. However, it is much nicer to be able to take classes on your own schools campus. I understand that the campuses are not far from each other, but they’re actually not that close. I just feel like it would be hectic to go from Harvard to MIT everyday. Does anyone have opinions on this?
The MIT website says it’s a 30-40 minute walk from H to MIT. Maybe like 10-20 minutes on a bike then I guess? That’s still a long time in my opinion when I could take classes on campus.
From the far end of one campus to another, it’s a 40 minute walk at 3 miles/hour. From the close ends, it’s a 20 minute walk at 3 miles/hour. That’s the slowest method. There’s a public transit system called the T that will get you there in 9 minutes.
If you want an engineering background but are interested in working in consulting or on Wall Street, Harvard is your choice. Most engineers from Ivy schools, I’ve heard, don’t actually work as engineers. http://www.seas.harvard.edu/audiences/prospective-undergraduates/life-after-harvard says that only 17% of the grad of the School of Engineering and Applied Science report taking jobs in engineering.
On the other hand you mentioned grad school for engineering which makes it sound like you actually want to work as an engineer. In that case, contrary to the opinion of a few boosters on this forum (and in this thread), the Harvard name is not going to buy you anything careerwise. The people that hire and promote engineers didn’t go to Ivy schools and think they are doing just fine, so they don’t have the same groundless Ivy worship you see by some here.
Here is some interesting information for Computer Science. After MIT (117) Harvard (66) by far produces the most undergraduates in Computer Science who go on to top ranked CS PHD programs and become professors at top 50 CS universities (using US New top CS grad programs.) That means that Harvard teaches computer science exceptionally well and gives the students the resources and foundation to be innovators in the field. UW does not signify on this list. Also Harvard currently has 51 PhDs that are profs at top 50 CS Us and UW does well at 63–that list is massively dominated by MIT, CMU, Berkeley and Stanford (251, 181, 146, 121.) The point isn’t about becoming a professor, but gives some insight to the quality of student preparation there is for innovators in the field (which PhDs are.) So you will undoubtedly be well prepared for grad school. This will become even more so after they begin using a massive donation Steve Ballmer made to Harvard to expand the CS dept.
I guess that you are underestimating the qualify of the undergrad experience at Harvard. I’m not talking about student life only, but about opportunities and resources. I say this from perspective of a parent of a Brown CS student who had high quality interactions and research with professors from the very first year, was given two research grants, studied abroad for no extra money. There are just a lot of extras and free things, including entertainment, lecture series–she got to see Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama speak before they were even running for president. Plus the peer quality is unbelievable and you learn a lot from the people around you. I think you have more potential for personal growth going across the country and experiencing another area and people different from you, and the higher quality of the rest of the undergrad experience. Sure you don’t want to go to Harvard so you can take classes at MIT, that sounds like a bad time share salesman, But I can see in your upper division there may be something particular that interests you and you could do a tue/thur schedule to work it in. Harvard just doesn’t have anything they are not good at.
Now this isn’t to say that you won’t do great at UW and that the department has a fantastic reputation. So with the direct admit you are in a great position and will be in good demand.
I believe I read that some residence halls at Harvard are a mile from the center of campus. With this perspective, the distance to MIT may not seem like much of an impediment if you would like to take a course or two there. Good luck.
I can’t believe he’s worried about MIT. Last night I wept thinking about a kid who turned down Amherst for another LAC. Please don’t do this to me again.
@scholarme No, I won’t be visiting. I had another commitment over Visitas so can’t go to that this weekend. For me and a parent to fly to Boston from Seattle it would be $700 + lodging and that’s kind of expensive for me. Also, I don’t qualify financially for Harvard to pay for my plane ticket to see the school.
You don’t need to visit, I’ve spent time at both places, so you have my permission to rely on my observations. Granted, the main library at UW is nicer and there are many colonial buildings at Harvard, but you will not regret going there. I’ve also been to MIT and it’s closer to Harvard than UW is to the Safeway market next to University Village in Seattle. There, problem solved.