I am looking into computer engineering and have been accepted to Pitt, UMD, Northeastern, PSU, Purdue, and Virginia Tech. It seems like Purdue, PSU, and VT are out since they did not offer much money. So it comes down to Pitt, UMD, and Northeastern with Pitt and UMD as the two favorites but if anybody has any thoughts on NEU, please share. I am in honors college for Pitt and it is cheapest of the three.
I know UMD has a better computer engineering program, but Pitt still has a great program. That is something I have been unsure of. How much does this actually matter? They are both top 50, but UMD has the edge by about 20 spots. Thats a wide margin, but Pitt is still top 50.
I have lived in suburban areas all my life, actually lived near PSU for 5 years, and so the suburban feel of UMD would be familiar. PItt’s city atmosphere does not give me the intimidating feel some cities may. I have heard freshman dorms are pretty bad at UMD and when I went to Pitt they were quite nice, especially if I get Honors housing. Pitt is mostly concrete though (although beautiful) and UMD is green and overall a beautiful campus. I HATE the cold so UMD has the edge there, but that can’t be the deciding factor for my school.
I am also looking at going to an Ivy League school for grad school. Could have maybe went to one for undergrad, but I decided I would just try to go to one for grad. UMD is closer as well.
I am so unsure of my decision and I only have a couple weeks remaining before I need to decide. If anybody can share their thoughts on the two schools (and maybe NEU) I would greatly appreciate it.
It seems like you’re leaning UMD from your own description, and the diff in rankings could conceivably make a difference in grad school placement.
I have been very back and forth with my top choice. Both schools have their merits. And of course, each has their own disadvantages The problem for me with UMD is the dorms. I have seen and heard the dorms called cells as they have gray brick walls and are very cramped. Pitt has nice spacious dorms to begin with, and if I received honors housing, as it is not guaranteed, it would be even more of an advantage. However, Pitt has a less renowned program, albeit very good. Pitt is also smaller and has more personal involvement between faculty and students, and I feel that interaction is important. I have heard UMD is very large and so it is up to you to learn the material and the classes are large. As far as campus atmosphere goes (aside from dorms), I feel UMD is a better fit. As far as academically (aside from the ranking) I feel Pitt is a better fit. But does attending UMD provide better opportunities for me in the future?
I wouldn’t make a decision on the condition of the dorm itself so much as the community in the dorm halls since this will shape your experience 100x more…so think about how you feel about that from your visit. As for grad school potential, UMD might help you with grad school admissions since they probably have more well-known faculty which you would work with/get recs from but I would not think that there would be a significant difference in your potential coming from each school if you take advantage of your opportunities (I’m not too familiar w/ engineering grad school admissions so take what I say with a grain of salt).
Pitt Honors is one of the top honors programs in the country. Pitt Honors >>> regular UMD, and for CS you won’t lack in courses to take, research to do, and internships to go to.
Pitt is cheaper as well. I received quite a bit more money from them. I have just been so preoccupied with how much the name of the school matters when it comes to future opportunities. I am planning on doing co ops and the like no matter where I go. But I have sort of felt like I could have done better and should be going to a top school based on my track record. It’s not that I haven’t gotten into them, I didn’t apply to ivies or MIT or those schools at the time but maybe I should have. I also did not apply soon enough to get into UMD honors or did not apply to PSU honors. I feel as though I missed my best opportunities and now I have to settle for less and it is going to cost me.
But you didn’t get into Pitt. You got into PITT HONORS. NOT the same thing at all. Most students in Pitt Honors rank in the top 1% on standardized test scores, for example. I don’t know if you visited on admitted honors student day, but if not, go - you’ll see that this group is a very high-level group.
The last accepted students day is this saturday and I can’t go then. I am revisiting the school on monday, but won’t make it to an accepted student’s day
Can’t you switch whatever it is you have on Saturday,considering its your next 4years?
I will be at Northeastern’s accepted student’s day friday and won’t be home until saturday. It is quite the trip to go to Pitt from there.
Didn’t know about Pitt’s until after I signed up for Northeastern’s
Isn’t Pitt a favorite more than NEU?
Since it’s your last opportunity for Pitt, cancel NEU, go to Pitt, visit, and
email NEU to say you’d need to move your visit back a week. They have
literally hundreds of students on these admitted student days, it won’t make
a difference whether you come this Saturday or the following one - or even
if you come during the week, taking two days off from school.
There is not a day for the honors college left. The only day for admitted students remaining is a normal one and an engineering one. I am doing engineering, but I did get a pretty good look of the engineering department with a private tour the last time I was there. Is it worth it to do it if I’m not going for the honors day, but rather a regular admitted students day. I could go to a regular tour instead a different day. I got a lot of personal attention at both the original tour and engineering tour when I was there already. What more would a regular accepted students day have to offer that would make it worth it?
I looked and the accepted students day agenda was basically already covered for me when through my private tour. They answered questions and talked about things specific to my major and interests. It was a while ago, but I already got all that. The only thing I would be missing would be a panel where pitt grads talk about their degrees. It would take a lot of rescheduling to change at this point but I’m actually not missing much. I am going to revisit the school on a normal tour to just get a fresh feel of it.
@TimS3434 Honors isn’t everything so don’t focus so much on that. Especially since you’re going to be a CS major, you’re going to be overwhelmed with coursework and maintaining that GPA already. Also, don’t dwell so much on prestige. From your posts, I gather that you have a budget which is a smart idea. No one else is paying those loans for tuition except yourself; it doesn’t matter what school turns the most heads at the barbecue or how many people “nod in approval” when they see your bumper sticker. All the schools you are deciding between are phenomenal schools for CS.
How affordable is UMD compared to Pitt? Is it doable for you and your family? If so, I think you should go there. Otherwise, go with Pitt Honors.
Okay then, if you already had a private tour of Pitt, it makes sense that you’d go visit NEU!
Can you list, in actual dollar amounts, the cost for each college if you calculate (tuition, fees, room, board) - (scholarships, grants)?
So i haven’t posted in a while because I went out and visited NEU, Pitt, and UMD and wanted to get them all in to express my opinions afterwards. So I think I like UMD the best. I loved the campus there and the engineering program was phenomenonal. I did like Pitt and felt I would do well and be comfortable there, but I feel UMD is my best opportunity. It is about 10,000 a year more expensive, but i feel it is manageable and it will pay off in the long run as it is a truly great university for engineering and success. Are there any thoughts yet on that? I feel Maryland is where I am going, but I would still appreciate any thoughts
Have you talked to your parents about this? Are THEY okay with the extra 10K or will it be a struggle to pay that?
They are a little worried about it. But at the same time, they do see the benefits to UMD. They see it has a great program. And the other thing is that I will take 2 semesters of co ops. Thats 1 year I dont have to pay tuition. I also have aid and scholarships that would pay off room and board during that time. Finally, they have tons of scholarships opportunities after freshman year for engineers. Over 500 they said. This can help pay for it as well as the fact that while I am not paying for anything, I am gaining quite a bit of money through co oping that I could use to pay for my debts.
You need to find out the details about the co-ops. At most universities, students don’t earn academic credit during their co-ops. They end up spending four years in classes on campus, just with breaks along the way for the co-op experiences.