What would you say is the relative strength of the Computer Engineering/Science departments at Johns Hopkins? I know the BME is stellar, but what of the other engineering concentrations? I’m choosing between Northeastern and Hopkins, and wonder if co-op experience may be more valuable than a Hopkins degree in a program that isn’t often cited as a strength of the school. Thanks for your input!
I think the opportunity to do research at Hopkins as an undergrad (there are lots of opportunities if you seek them out) will put you in a very good space as you move forward. The two schools are very different in the community of students they attract typically so ask yourself which you would feel more comfortable in. I would also take a look at the companies that recruit at each school.
Good idea! I’m visiting Hopkins today, so I’ll make sure to ask about the career services!
I cannot say whether or not the co-op experience will be more valuable, but it will give you valuable real world experience.
On the other hand, any degree from JHU says a lot about your intelligence, work ethic & training.
In short, I understand your dilemma.
@Publisher Right! Most people would just assume I should pick Hopkins right away, but there are several factors at play here. It’s a tough decision!
I think it’s important to note that in the engineering/CS industry name does not overpower as it does for people generally. I don’t think anyone hiring for engineering or software is going to make any different judgment on your intelligence or work ethic based on a Northeastern degree compared to JHU, particularly given the respective engineering reputations of both.
I agree with @momoftwins2017 that the environments between the two are very different and focusing on that would be worthwhile in this decision. Good luck!
I can tell you Google and Facebook recruit JHU pretty well. If you decide to change careers or go into something more selective (management consulting or Investment Banking), JHU would serve you better. I don’t think it’s a tough choice.
(recent CS alumn)
I don’t know anything about Northeastern, but I do know that Hopkins is a very good choice for Computer Science / Engineering. While Hopkins is certainly not well known for its CS program (at least it’s not the “defining program” at Hopkins the way CS is for schools like Berkeley, Stanford, and CMU), the Hopkins CS program is quite strong for a few reasons.
- Hopkins CS has a strong research program. Hopkins is particularly strong in Machine Learning / AI, Natural Language Processing, Computational Biology, and Computer Vision / Robotics (among others). Hopkins students have a lot of opportunities to learn from and work with professors in these areas both in their coursework or as part of independent research.
- The undergraduate CS department is relatively small. The undergraduate department is going through some growing pains, but there are still not a whole lot of CS undergrads relative to other big name CS schools. This means that competition for classes is relatively light (you should eventually be able to get into just about any class you want to) and you have more contact with the professor.
- Upper level classes are well integrated with the graduate program. Most of the 3xx and 4xx classes (junior and senior level) are cross listed in the graduate department. This means that you’re taking the same classes as masters and (first and second year) PhD students as an undergrad. This not only prepares you for graduate level work (if that’s where you want to go) but also gives you access to a whole set of students you wouldn’t necessarily interact with. Note that while you will take classes with grad students, undergrads are usually graded on a more generous curve than the grad students.
- The department is growing. The CS department is adding more professors and courses and increasing its presence in recruiting circles.
- Hopkins career center is growing. The career center is one of Hopkins’ weaker attributes but it is definitely on the rise. Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook attend Hopkins career fairs and Hopkins students regularly land jobs at large companies like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon and Apple, as well as tech consulting companies, startups, and government contractors.