I’m a high school senior who is waiting for my decisions to come back. I’m likely going to study computer science or something similar. My top choices are either Georgia tech or UNC chapel hill and while I believe I have a good chance of getting in, these schools are likely to be more expensive than my financial safeties Univ of Maryland( which has a great computer science program) and Ohio state. Will the difference in prestige of these universities hurt my chances of getting into a top grad program or does it not matter too much?
They are all good for CS and should not hold you back if you apply to PhD programs in CS.
The University of Maryland has a stronger student profile as measured by standardized test scores in comparison to UNC-CH. Since student profile can be associated with academic rigor, and academic rigor can be associated with reputation, I’m not sure why you would regard Maryland as having a subpar reputation when compared to UNC.
I know Maryland has a better computer science program. I guess I just assumed UNC was more prestigious based on ranking and acceptance rate.
However Georgia Tech is one of the top computer science schools so I was really wondering in comparison to GTech.
Georgia Tech is definitely a well regarded school, but that’s largely a function of their excellent engineering programs (a field in which UMD is also strong, but slightly less so). Beyond engineering, I would not regard one school as being stronger than the other.
With STEM programs prestige doesn’t nearly matter as much as resources available. With STEM you should be looking for small class sizes and job placement. It will help substantially since the professors will have more time for you. There is little difference between the top 25 computer science schools. (Mainly location, price, funding, and size) A CS degree from Purdue will hold the same value as one from Georgia Tech. One might get more applause at the dinner table but employers know that both schools are great and return qualified students.
With liberal arts prestige is everything; in STEM it is a small factor.
Prestige isn’t even everything in the social sciences and humanities (which is what I assume you mean when you say “liberal arts”; btw, STEM majors are also liberal arts majors).
But prestige doesn’t matter for admission to graduate programs - access to a rigorous curriculum and good research opportunities are what’s important, and you’ll get that at any of the four schools you mentioned. And prestige doesn’t matter that much for employment, either - but again, no worries at the four schools you chose. As you pointed out, UMD is well known for CS.
I don’t see a significant difference among these schools in either prestige or computer science program quality, with respect to your prospects for grad school or future employment. Yes, there are going to be differences when you get down to specific professors, courses, or sub-fields. Overall, there is no consistent difference big enough to outweigh big differences in cost or the amount of effort you put into your work.
Internship opportunity is one area where one of these schools might have significant advantages over another, depending on what you want to do. The Baltimore-Washington corridor has good internship opportunities in federal agencies and all the associated contract activity they generate. For CS, UMCP is a good choice especially if your net price is low.
Are these your only options? If your family income is less than ~$150K, and if you have the chops to get into GaTech or UNC-CH (out of state), then you might get an even lower net cost at a private school such as JHU, UPenn, or Duke.
Thanks for all the responses!
Everyone seems to be in consensus that the differences are minuscule between these schools, which is definitely a relief. I’m starting to lean toward Maryland (IS tuition, great opportunities) and hopefully if I work hard at any school I can succeed. I guess I was just caught up in everyone talking about rankings and maybe just a bit nervous.
As for applying to a private school such as JHU and Duke I honestly don’t think I qualify for those. Plus I personally like the feel of a bigger state school.