<p>Hi all,
So I just got accepted into the master's program at Brown (still awaiting my result for Northwestern, but if I get accepted, I'm going to have a very hard time choosing between the two).</p>
<p>Both CS programs are equally ranked in the US news report, so I can't really judge much from there. </p>
<p>I don't know how much weight attending an ivy league school is in the computer industry, but it's bound to be at least somewhat impressive right? I haven't visited the Brown campus, but I've been to Providence several times and I like the city.</p>
<p>Same can be said for Chicago though. Another factor is that my boyfriend for 2 years is in a PhD program in Chicago, so I would like to be close for him, but I'm not going to choose a school entirely based on a guy. </p>
<p>You say that the programs are equally ranked – and I’ll take that at face value.</p>
<p>I think the question you’re asking is whether with comparable programs it’s always better to have an Ivy League school on your resume. It’s really an impossible question. We were actually faced with this undergraduate when my D had to choose between Cornell and NU.</p>
<p>While I can’t tell you that there isn’t an Ivy League “Aura”. In talking to friends – some believed this was the case, some didn’t think it made a difference, and some (outside the east coast) felt strongly that NU was the better school. One thing that we felt was clear – the difference, if any, isn’t what it was 30 years ago.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, my D chose NU because she felt it was a better overall fit.</p>
<p>If you’ve determined that the programs are academically equivalent – then both schools have an excellent reputation. Go where you feel the most comfortable.</p>
<p>I am not in the industry and even I heard that the best graduate schools for comp sci are Stanford, CMU, Berkeley…etc, not Brown. I don’t think the label means much at the graduate level.</p>
<p>The people who know about Ivies will know you didn’t go there for undergrad and they know the difference.</p>
<p>Let’s put it this way, people wouldn’t pick Brown med school over Northwestern med school or Yale business school over Northwestern Kellogg.</p>
<p>I think NU would provide a little better college experience as the general NU students are very socially involved, very active, adventurous… and they seem to be always abreast to the current trends… That’s just my personal observation though. </p>
<p>Academically, there’s really nothing that would separate between the two. But comsci at Brown is one of the most oversubscribed there and NU’s strengths lie on journalism, maths, economics, politics and business. </p>
<p>Personally, I’d go for Northwestern. But this was a very tough one to make.</p>