Princeton and Harvard in terms of CS

[idsl1996]

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1760105-princeton-and-harvard-in-terms-of-cs.html

I honestly didn’t want to duplicate, but mine was kinda ignored in “College Search & Selection.” I would really appreciate if you could add your two cents in the topic I created above.

[gibby]

IMHO, this is an easy slam-dunk question. Given Steve Ballmer’s recent donation of $60 million to the Harvard CS Department to increase it’s staff by 50%, there is no question in my mind that Harvard should be your first choice.

FWIW: Notice that Ballmer did NOT include Princeton in his assessment of top CS programs. He didn’t for a specific reason; while Princeton is a wonderful college, Princeton’s CS department is not currently among the top CS programs in the country. By the time you graduate, Harvard’s CS department will be though: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/11/13/ballmer-computer-science-gift/

“Right now I think everybody would agree that MIT, Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon are the top places [for computer science],” Ballmer said, adding that some would also include the University of California at Berkeley. “I want Harvard on that list.”

The gift comes during a period of rapid growth for computer science at Harvard. Now the fifth largest undergraduate concentration, computer science has tripled its number of concentrators in the past five years, and Computer Science 50: “Introduction to Computer Science I” stands as the largest class offered at the College this semester with 780 undergraduates.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t make a donation to Harvard’s CS department in the next few years topping Ballmer’s donation.

[BldrDad]

Every CS ranking I’ve seen has had Princeton ranked near the top - I don’t think there is any question that it is one of the top schools.

As to why Ballmer chose Harvard for his donation - he’s a Harvard alum, so it comes as no surprise that he decided to donate to his alma mater. I’m sure the donation was much appreciated - the number of computer science concentrators more than tripled between 2008 and 2013, as this trend is expected to continue.

[idsl1996]

@gibby, oh I never heard of that though. Thanks for sharing the article. That is a big edge for Harvard. Another thing that I like about Harvard is its location. I believe I can make the most out of it in terms of my career. However, I am worried about the academic aspect. Will I get the equally good theoretical knowledge though? I am obsessed with theory however impractical it may be. I care a lot about the depth of the program. So far, I am sure Princeton will give me a very deep theoretical CS. Can’t say the same of Harvard.

@BldrDad‌, the fact that the Princeton CS program is ranked very highly is the reason Princeton remained my top choice and why I applied there early. It also happens to be the school that I did most research on. I liked the program very much. And it seems that professors at Princeton are more accessible than those at Harvard, according to my friends who went to both schools. It is just the location of Princeton makes me doubt I would be exposed to that many opportunities like I would be at Harvard (in terms of internships, etc).