<p>Rutgers New Brunswick campus is quite reputable and surprisingly its reputation seems to be better the farther away from NJ you get! Being in California, I’d actually rank UCSD higher than UCLA for CS. We visited all three UC campuses and decided that UCSD was the superior program based on information we got during each school’s admitted students presentations and after meeting with the professors. One thing that really bothered us about the UC programs was an overemphasis on theory and not enough practical application at the undergrad level. This is problematic of most large research universities. Michigan, UT and UIUC are all good schools, just as good as all the others. In CS it is more often what you know rather than what school you went to when it comes to getting a job. In job interviews for CS grads, they often forego the typical “getting to know you” conversations and hit you with technical problems to solve. One of my friends graduated from San Diego State and was hired at qualcomm over candidates from “superior” schools just because he blew them away on the problem solving portion of the interview.</p>
<p>My recommendation is to choose the school with the most comprehensive hands on practical application program with a teaching methodology focused on undergrads. Look deep into each program and determine which school will prepare you best for an actual job. Some of these schools will not do that. As much as I like the UCs, and I’ve even taught there before, they truly lack practical application and individual attention at the undergrad level.</p>