<p>Any info you can give regarding the Univ of Maryland computer science program would be appreciated. I'm trying to decide between these two school and was told point blank by the Johns Hopkins faculty at the open house that their computer science majors are highly sought after, and will get good paying jobs. The Univ of Maryland tour did not offer an opportunity to hear from the computer science faculty so I haven't been able to judge apples to apples. Also, I liked the 'college spirit' atmosphere at Maryland whereas the tour guide at JH said lacrosse is about it. I would appreciate any info on either program. Also, I am in the College Park Scholars Media, Self and Society program which sounded kind of cool, anyone have any info on that? Thanks very much.</p>
<p>I have been on a couple of visits to CP now, including presentations by CS faculty and direct conversations with faculty. They talk extensively about how well their graduates do with employment, as one would expect for a highly rated program that seems to be oriented toward practical problems and research, and not just abstractions.</p>
<p>I haven’t really thought about JHU as a direct, frontline competitor in CS. Perhaps I’m mistaken.</p>
<p>University of Maryland has a more highly ranked computer science department. U.S. News ranks UMD’s undergrad comp sci program as #13 in the nation, whereas Hopkins is rated #28. In terms of other fields you may be interested in (if comp sci turns out to not be your cup of tea), Maryland also ranks very strongly in almost all engineering/science fields.</p>
<p>Overall, Johns Hopkins is regarded as a more prestigious school - for example, if you are interested in the humanities, such as English or History, you may consider Hopkins over Maryland. However, in terms of CS, MD has a better reputation than Hopkins, hands down. It also closely resembles Hopkins’ reputation for other similar fields (ex. engineering), though I haven’t gone to look up the numbers. Therefore, it terms of landing a job in CS, UMD will afford you equal and and quite possibly better opportunities than Hopkins. Considering that UMD should also be quite a penny cheaper (unless you received significant fin aid from Hopkins) and you prefer the atmosphere anyway, I think that makes a strong case in favor of UMD for you (seems like Hopkins lost out 3 for 3!). I would also like to add that although Baltimore is a great city, you will find that DC is much larger and more accessible for students at UMD than Baltimore is for Johns Hopkins students (public transport is better). </p>
<p>Scholars is alright. I wouldn’t expect too much out of it, though it is an easy way to get involved (ex. you can easily join a scholars board) as a freshman and meet people through class, but I would say the academic value of the program is mediocre. But if you milk it right, again it can be a good way to get involved early and to start building your resume/network of friends :).</p>
<p>One thing against MD is that the comp sci program is HARD and A LOT of work. Many people don’t make it through, and these are people that love computers/have some programming experience already. So think about what other fields you are interested in in case comp sci doesn’t work out. Is MD strong in those fields, too? Is it still worth it, even if comp sci turns out to not be what you want?</p>
<p>-Edit: hmm, those might be grad school rankings I gave you.</p>
<p>But honestly I still believe undergrad comp sci is more highly regarded at MD, just from living in the area and hearing things and whatnot.</p>
<p>Could you please explain the “dropping out…” of CS majors b/c of difficulty? How prevalent is this? I would like to know because I am interested in computers (not a whole lot of experience…) and my math downright sucks (ill be graduating w/ no exp. in calc.!).</p>
<p>comp sci is not only about computer/programming. There is a fair amount of math in there. The reason why people love computer and hate comp sci is because of the math courses (requires, calc, differential equations, some comp sci classes are math based like discrete math or proof courses.)</p>
<p>In general, it’s very easy to get into comp sci program (easier than engineering and other limited enrollment programs) but it’s very hard to graduate with a cmop sci degree.</p>
<p>i used to go to UMD for computer science (way back in 98 however) … </p>
<p>Unless you live eat and breathe computers, it isn’t for you.
You might think, hey, I’ve programmed a website using html and asp, I installed and used a database, etc.</p>
<p>So let me explain something, at Maryland you will be learning not how to install a database (just pop the cd in and learn some sql), you will be learning how to develop the database software itself so someone else can just pop in the cd and install it!</p>
<p>– Analogies –
-Do you want to be the roughneck that extracts the oil from the ground (no university, some training required to be the “IT” guy)
-So do you want to be the mechanic who changes the oil? (regular university compsci program)
-Do you want to be the chemical engineer that invented the formula for the oil (Univ of Maryland education)</p>
<p>My advice? FIGURE OUT which one of those 3 you want to be BEFORE going to college.</p>
<p>I work in the area on Co-op from another school… and what I’ve heard is this:</p>
<p>While UMD has a higher rating for CS, and in the area is regarded more highly than JHU, once you leave the DC-Baltimore metro, JHU carries a bit more weight. (Perhaps because it’s all-around reputation is better, I’m not sure.)</p>
<p>I’ve heard this “Anti-UMD” sentiment carries over to other programs too, for example Law School. It was in fact the reason one of my friends chose a different school over UMD (along with cost. From what he heard, UMD’s Law School is pretty good, but doesn’t carry the reputation of a cheaper in-state school despite being ranked higher.)</p>
<p>Whether all this is true, or not, I don’t know. But it is what I’ve been told on multiple occassions.</p>