Transferring to a better CS undergrad program for MS in machine learning

I’m an undergrad senior at Emory University who recently decided to pursue computer science. I was pre-med for my first three years and made the change after junior year.

I want to get an MS in machine learning, and I was wondering if I should transfer to a better college for CS such as Georgia Tech and essentially restart undergrad or just stay at Emory and finish getting a degree with only an extra year (so I would graduate as a 5th-year). Emory’s CS department is all right, but would it be a lot more beneficial to study at a school known for CS?

Also, is it recommended to get an MS immediately after bachelor’s?

What are you majoring in now?

If it’s CS or CS related, finish your degree at Emory, take some post grad classes and apply for MS ML programs or job opportunities.

Actually even if not CS related do the same. It would be too time intensive to do undergrad again. Take a few CS classes and get started working and then apply to MS ML programs.

I’m majoring in CS.

OK, so you’d recommend having some work experience before applying for MS ML? And in terms of post grad classes, I was going to learn material not covered in school through online resources. Should that be sufficient?

Your undergrad college doesn’t need to be “known” for a certain field for you to get an MS later. Emory has a perfectly fine computer science department, and you’re right in town for Georgia Tech. You can do research with professors at GT, or you can take classes there through ARCHE.

Whether you have work experience or not is really a personal decision. I know people who have gone both ways and done just fine. Personally, I’d recommend work experience - it helps you narrow your interests and choose exactly what you want to get your MS in.

No, because some programs are going to require you to have certain prerequisites. Even if they don’t, having them as actual credit-bearing classes will make you a more competitive candidate than only testifying to knowing the stuff through online resources. Try to take all the CS classes you can before you graduate, but that’s even more reason for you to take 1-2 years after college to work and take a few classes as a non-degree student.

@woolyrhino: Are you a resident of Georgia ? If so, Georgia Tech tuition is about $12,500 per year versus $50,000 per year tuition at Emory University. So this is a close call from a financial viewpoint if you are a full pay student at Emory.

So, in order to be more helpful, we need to know your net cost of attendance for one academic year at Emory versus net cost for 2 or 3 years at Georgia Tech (as 2 years of credits earned at Emory University should transfer & count toward a Georgia Tech degree).

At first I thought that shouldn’t make a difference, but actually, yeah, it might.
Georgia Tech’s total cost of attendance is $31,080 a year for Georgia resident upperclassmen. For two years, that would be $62,160, and for three years, the total cost would be $93,240.
Emory is flippin’ expensive, with the total cost of attendance at $69,502. There’s a good chance that OP is not paying that, however, since Emory’s financial aid is pretty good. But let’s assume that they’re a full pay student.
If it’s going to take you two more years to finish a CS major at Emory because you switched late, that means it’ll cost you around $139,004 if you’re full pay and living on campus for two more years. That’s way more than even three more years at Georgia Tech - you’d be saving nearly $50K by transferring to Georgia Tech. Heck, you could spend four more years at GT and still spend less than you would in two more years at Emory.
Even if you’re not a GA resident, Georgia Tech’s total cost of attendance is $51,676. Two and a half years at Georgia Tech as a full pay nonresident student is still cheaper than two more years at Emory.
But of course, whether or not you’re full pay at Emory makes a huge difference. If your family isn’t actually paying or borrowing the full cost of attendance, then it may make more financial sense to stay put. Georgia Tech is famously stingy, even for Georgia resident students.
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I think what it boils down to is that you could get a good MS in machine learning/computer science from either school; you don’t have to transfer to improve your chances. However, it may make good financial sense for you to transfer to Georgia Tech if you’re a GA resident OR if you are full pay at Emory and can finish up at GT in 2.5 years. You’d have to talk to an advisor and see what credits they’d take and what you’d have to retake to figure that out.

CS is a very employable degree. There’s no benefit to transfer to another school for the sake of “prestige.” Plus, you’re going to lose a lot of credits in the transfer, and that’s going to be very expensive. You need to have a VERY good reason transfer schools, like major health issues, or something like that. If I were you, I would just stay put and finish your degree. Emory is a great school.

Having a masters degree is beneficial, but most computer professionals have great careers without one. And the ones that do have a masters degree, have great careers too. It’s optional. In fact, a lot of people get a job after college and the company they work for, more often than not, will pay for the masters degree. They just go to the university nearby.