I’m sort of split between if NYU’s costs are worth it for the quality of education and resources I am getting for CS, as I really like the NYC location and the fact that it is close to the jobs, but reputation-wise is weak (unless I am conflating with CAS’s quality).
You sort of hit the nail on the head - if you like the city and you are willing to spend, then NYU. If you want the better schooling and a great job at I’m assuming a lesser cost, then RPI. If you read on the chatboard, there’s a lot of good and not so good at RPI - so it’s definitely a place you have to find the right fit. Is SBU a possibility? Great degree and save $$.
Also, i believe the tandon school is not in manhattan with the rest of NYU but in Brooklyn.
good luck.
You could split the difference and apply to Northeastern. It has the CS rigor and the urban location and job opportunities. (Not that RPI CS grads have trouble getting jobs, but NEU seems like best of both worlds for what you want.)
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@aquapt, where did you hear that RPI CS grads have trouble getting jobs? My son is a CS RPI grad and had multiple offers as did many of his CS friends. Curious as to where you’re getting your information.
I think RPI offers the better CS education of the two. The campus is not the most attractive or vibrant in spirit, but at least there is a campus. As noted, Tandon is not even part of the NYU Manhattan building cluster, which in my opinion can’t be defined as a campus anyway. What’s more, many if not all of RPI’s more troublesome factors are directly linked to the current administration, which will finally be gone in 2022, much to the relief of the campus community.
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@aquapt did not say RPI grads have trouble getting jobs. He said they did not have trouble getting jobs. Go back and re-read.
He was making a new suggestion combining strong academics and costs, which OP thought might be lacking at the NYU program and I suppose then the superior education but poor location of RPI.
He said ‘not’ that RPI grads have trouble finding jobs. He’s simply saying Northeastern has respectable education so the value concern will be gone and an urban like location close to jobs. But he did note that RPI grads have no issue finding jobs. I think the word ‘not’ through everyone off. But re-read. What he wrote makes perfect sense.
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Ah, you’re right. I misread. Thanks for the correction.
How about Stevens Institute of Technology? It’s right across the river from Manhattan. You can have both a nice small campus and the city life. Many of their co-op positions are in NYC. They have great job placement and offer merit.
IIRC from reading both here and on Reddit, I was told that they’re around Stony Brook’s level and that the only pro to them is really the campus life and that they’re closer to NYC. Given that I would pay in-state tuition for Stony Brook, I’ll just wait until I get decisions for either (inclusive)
I have to second others here that if the desire is strong CS + urban location, Northeastern and Stevens are great suggestions.
Between only the two listed, I would probably take NYU given the complex issues RPI has had of late. RPI’s engineering strength is also not the same as their CS strength. Their CS program is good, don’t get me wrong, but it is not the advantage that it would be if it was in the engineering world, where RPI really does have a strong name/rep, even in a field where that doesn’t matter all that much.
That said, I’m a city lover so my personal bias may be showing through there 
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Unless you are eligible for a financial aid, Stony Brook will be cheaper than Stevens. S20 got a likely letter from Stevens but even with the merit he got, Stevens would have been significantly more than instate tuition.
Look into the honors cs program in Stony Brook. I would take that over RPI. But if city life is important and you can afford it, then look into Stevens.
No not worth it if you mean by “worth” teaching skills you won’t learn elsewhere or having a reputation that will get you a job quicker or at the choice of more companies.
CS is a demonstrable skill, as opposed to what employers are looking for when they hire English or History majors. At an interview they are going to be able to tell in 30-45 minutes (for an on-campus screening interview) or in a few hours with a plant visit if you pass the 1st interview whether you have CS knowledge.
Just about any school can offer the appropriate classes for CS. What is going to matter is how hard you work to learn the material and whether you take the initiative to find internships/coop positions (and do well at them).
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NYU’s CS program not affiliated with Tandon is part of Courant, from what I can tell. And Courant’s reputation could be better than RPI’s for CS. If you can get in there, that’s where I recommend. Or find out the transfer possibilities between Tandon and Courant. Even before the current administration, the students I knew who went to RPI did not enjoy their experience, now this was late 80’s, early 90s so things could have changed. I went to high school in upstate NY and RPI was a popular choice, they mentioned weed out even for a private college and lack of non-stem options if you want to change major.