@yikesyikesyikes I have been unable to get specific information on the SAT/ACT scores of UMD CS majors, since I could not find the specific departmental data. As for prestige, that does not have nearly the effect that people think it does, and it can often harm hiring prospects as well. Many colleges with lower prestige have much higher placement rates than high prestige colleges.
That being said, CMU CS probably has one of the best placement rates for its graduates, while it seems that UMD CS has much lower placement rates than expected, based on the quality of the program. So, based on career prospects, I will change my answer, and say, regardless of ranking, CMU is the better choice.
Who at CMU cs has demonstrated a higher level of “success or achievement” in computer science than the founder of Google? And the number of scientists out of umd is remarkable as well.
“Rank” in this case is referring to military or organizational hierarchy. I will bet my life savings that usnwr or “cc posters” rankings was not the definitional intent.
“Reputation” in the cs major is debatable.
Since there are so many people pointing out the excellence of umd cs it’s not as straightforward. If you add in all the other majors and the quality of students top to bottom.
I agree that cmu is superior or has more prestige.
But we are discussing a very specific skill set and employment environment. Start up tech and corporate tech look to competency and skill - over brand, when baseline excellence is assumed. Baseline excellence is assumed here with both programs.
“Other favorable attributes”. For me that would be Pittsburgh over college park. It would be the museums and theatre. But on-campus social life and sports might be a favorable attribute.
Saving thousands of dollars is universally a favorable attribute. But I don’t think that is prestigious.
My point is that these qualities are subjective and many, many times vastly overstated.
That being said. In this case, I would recommend CMU.
Not because of one’s perception of an unprovable fact. Prestige.
More that CMU is clearly an awesome university and the op likes it better.
It’s purely based on employment data for CS majors. UMD is not among the top 40. So in terms of the outcomes, CMU SCS beats UMD CS on average, which obviously doesn’t mean UMD doesn’t have superstars in its CS department.
@privatebanker Ha, yes, it is a little bit of a word game. I just don’t have a problem in anyone saying school X is prestigious, or more prestigious based on contributions to the field, stats, or rankings. I know that all the ranking lists can be (or are) flawed, but if you look at all of them collectively (beauty contests, production of published research, and graduate salary for instance) certain schools are always at the top, and CMU is one of them.
Don’t forget that Google was co-founded by Sergey Brin (BS UMD) AND Larry Page (BS University of Michigan) while in the PhD program at (wait for it) Stanford. Actually, the patent for their pagerank algorithm is still assigned to Stanford (and Google has exclusive license rights on the patent from Stanford University). Glad they didn’t stay at their respective colleges.
While reputation in the cs major may be debatable, I don’t think that many would say CMU does not have a strong reputation. Many things are subjective, but many more are not. Compared side-by-side I still think CMU has the better CS program, and I think it’s a prestigious school. No dis to UMD.
@Rivet2000 The whole point of some of my railing against the prestig-o meters that come out on cc is exactly what you stated.
One kid from u mich and another from umd did well enough in their public uni classes - to not only get into a Stanford PhD (how is that even possible since we know the tippy top grad schools and sophisticated employers all know what’s what) and start a cs company that changed the world.
And what is head scratching is they had no access to “the life of the mind” or the having uniquely elite experience of being surrounded in a sea of excellence that is required for witty banter and to debate the origins of the universe.
Someone yesterday pointed out the reason choose Princeton over Duke for biology was a Nobel laureate at Princeton. Except when I looked him up he had gone to ND. How is that possible?
If your brilliant or hard working and bright, you will have all you can handle to grow and excell at any number of USA institutions. It’s more like 150 than the 10 we all fawn over. Where economic rationalities go to the side in the pursuit of amorphous and fleeting visions of grandeur.
If you can afford it. Go anywhere. If it’s close and you have a favorite because it’s a very famous and wealthy school. Go there. If it’s doable and there’s a major you love and campus that speaks to you. Go there.
But the automatic x over y posts without that due diligence is negligent. It’s also inaccurate.
I could also throw in Tim Cook from auburn. Super ceo Jack Welch from ge from UMass Amherst. Warren buffet from Nebraska. Or Steve Jobs and mike dell from nowhere. Or there are more CEOs of the fortune 100 from Texas tech Michigan and Michigan state than Harvard Princeton Yale and Stanford.
It’s not that the so called too shcools aren’t famous, wealthy from and endowment perspective or world class. It’s the constant devaluation of wise and wonderful alternatives based on a false and self perpetuated elitism.
Great students will always be great students. Great schools strive to remain great schools. If asked if I think MIT is prestigious, I’d say yes (most, I think would). 100 years from now that might not be the case. I’m just not as sensitive about the use of words like prestige and elite, but I understand why some are. BTW, few would associate google with UMD, as it was developed in a Stanford dorm room and later moved to a house in Palo Alto
If it were MIT in the discussion I may agree. Unless the question was versus Caltech or gtech with a scholarship. Or ut honors and a scholarship. Or wake Forrest and a Stamps. Or uva and Jefferson. Etc etc.
It’s case by case. Binary and reflexive prestig-o meter posts aren’t mature and experienced responses. They are emotional and somewhat superficial.
This case was CMU and UMD. I have no probs saying CMU has a better CS program than UMD, or that CMU is prestigious. I’m not devaluing UMD, I am recognizing CMU.
I’ve been working in Software Engineering since before the term “Software Engineering” even existed. CS is a dynamic field. I’ve seen many methodologies come and go. It is always evolving. The name on the degree will quickly lose significance and be replaced by what you actually accomplish in the real world.
Again, your success depends on You, not a piece of paper. Go where you feel right.
Happy to join you in the old timers club. Sounds like we’ve been in sw for about the same time. Having access to great faculty, research and facilities can only help. If not we’d recommend everyone go to a code camp and call it good.
@Rivet2000 I said CMU earlier and repeatedly. lol.
CMU is in fact prestigious. A UMD cs degree is also prestigious.
My prestig-o meter one uses to create the sedimentary-like tiers and the microscopic “prestigiosity” indicators of the most respected American universities is unfortunately broken.
