I dont know the CS course structure at Berkeley so cannot comment on comparison. At UChicago for CS Major, we have to do a minimum of 14 courses - out of these, 3 are mandatory theory courses (in the remaining 11 you can avoid taking theory courses). The theory courses that we have (discrete math, algorithms, math logic etc) may be mandatory at other undergrad CS programs as well (I mean, a CS undergrad without discrete math or algorithms is unsual).
I am still in the intro series but from what I heard, theory classes need lot of work (like most other UofC classes) but they are not pure math classes. IMO you maybe over thinking about math complexity in cs courses. If you want to avoid algorithms and comparable math complexity - you may have to go for IS or a CS minor instead of a CS major (at UofC: Econ or Business Econ major with CS or ML as an elective or minor is very popular as well).
I am not sure if they are doing trial classes this year - last year it was part of admitted student programming. I think you can also approach professors and request access - most classes are still online, they maybe able to give you a onetime access.
3.0 is typically the threshold set in resume filters, it’s possible that a 3.8 who doesn’t do well in the interview gets the role over a 3.2 who does, but I doubt that happens a lot. In fact I know that a 3.0 is all you need from a place like CMU because of its reputation in CS.
Grad school is different for sure, but we’re talking getting internships and roles out of undergrad.
I wouldn’t disregard grad school, especially given the significant numbers from top undergraduate programs who end up applying. Many incoming first years really don’t have the experience or knowledge base to make that decision and end up exploring and figuring out that path during their college years. That applies to top technical institutes as well as liberal arts programs. And of course many choose both work and grad school for their eventual plans.
so basically:
Its not necessary that only cs grads go into cs related jobs
ECE, MechE and people from other engineering disciplines also go into cs
in reality the whole of engineering/stats and ml is competing for cs job
and if you get a CS degree is it better than a non-CS degree. NO. In fact employers will want a different perspective than just another CS grad. This is where stuff you do outside the curriculum matters. stop thinking about degrees and start thinking about skills
Like tbh Berkeley CS is theoretical also. Its not as math heavy but its still technical. CMU IS is the best based on your career interests. Also youre not guaranteed CS at Berkeley L and S. Also CMU has a wide range of minors and additional majors that Berkeley doesnt
Do CMU SCS undergrads ever compete with one another for a coveted interview slot, or are they all welcomed in as long as they have a minimum of 3.0?
No they don’t and really don’t compete with many others. There are a lot more CS/engineering roles than applicants, at least in CA, there’s a shortage of STEM grads out here.
“I wouldn’t disregard grad school”
The OP has stated, “wants to do tech-heavy degree or program, start a company, then possibly VC”. For all of those CMU and Berkeley are better than the other colleges OP is considering, including your beloved UChicago, even though a great school, does not have the credibility that CMU and UCB have with VCs, even outside of silicon valley.
There may be a shortage of people able to do computing and engineering jobs, but there is not a shortage of STEM graduates. It is just that many of the STEM graduates are in majors like biology that do not prepare them for computing and engineering jobs.
If the goal is to join a startup company while in college or right afterwards, the clear winner is UC Berkeley due to being in Silicon Valley.
If the goal is to start a company a few years later, none will provide an appreciable advantage over the other. At that point it will be what you have done.
I know a lot of successful entrepreneurs, including a couple who ended up on the Forbes 400, and those two went to Harvard and IIT. A close follower in terms of wealth is the person who went to the University of Rhode Island, who had a large number of successful startups over 15 years. His unknown college didn’t stop him from raising money from the biggest VCs in Boston and Silicon Valley.
The Blue Chips is an undergraduate finance club. It is a very good club, with great placement among alumni, but it’s not a venture capital club, and none of those companies are VC firms.
There are two common paths to becoming a VC. The first is to become a successful entrepreneur and switch over. The second is to attend an M7 business school and join as an entry-level associate.
The OP should choose the school based on “fit” rather than location of school. Berkeley is more competitive cuz you have 4x the undergrad population as CMU or Uchicago and most people on Quora who have graduated from Berkeley think that its a large school and individual importance is not there unless youre in the honors program or regents scholar. If the OP wants a more collaborative environment id say go CMU or UChicago but preferably CMU cuz the silicon valley network of CMU is stronger than UChicago.
OP is considering two liberal arts programs and a joint program combining social sciences with pub pol and IS. Although all can provide plenty of computer’y experience and skills, none suggests a simple direct-to-SV computer science or engineering path. Furthermore, OP has expressed a couple of academic interests, including the possibility of double majoring.
Each program presents positives and negatives for consideration, and there is more to a choice of school than a specific career outcome. While this is not at all an unusual situation for a young person faced with three or four excellent choices, it’s not exactly a slam-dunk decision process either. No one program clearly dominates when you consider all the factors that OP has mentioned.
A CS degree wont make you a better SWE than a person with a non-CS degree. This is because CS is more of an academic discipline. Its more math than programming. Someone who does IS has an equally good chance because he is doing more practical stuff than CS like databases and app development. In CS youre doing stuff like analyzing complexity of algorithms. If you dont like proofs and math, CS is not good for you. CS IS NOT PROGRAMMING. If you want to start an “innovative startup” its the research and extracurricular stuff you do, not the stuff you learn from your degree cuz tbh like thousands of people learn CS and not everyone is an entrepreneur
CMU IS is ranked no.1 SO CMU IS IS ALSO PRESTIGIOUS
Choose a school based on flexibility. In CMU you can do minors like SWE and robotics. These are not available in either Berkeley or GT
For your first goal, you need depth in your knowledge and preparation. And more importantly, you need ideas. Ideas won’t be created in a vaccum. You need to find a “crowd” who are similarly inclined and who will bounce ideas off each other. Berkeley CS will serve that purpose the best among the schools you’re considering.
For your second goal, you need some breadth in your knowledge (both technical and financial). You won’t have the connections, industry experiences, or investment track record when you graduate. You need to establish them. You best bet among your choices is probably CMU IS. While you’re there, do a second major or minor (or at least take some courses in finance/investments) at Tepper. Do some tech consulting work after you graduate. Gain some industry experiences and establish some necessary relationships. Work your way toward your goal.
Decide which goal is more important to you and then make your selection. Don’t look back and second-guess yourself.
None of the programs are liberal arts, they’re STEM, recall the fourth choice for the OP was Georgia Tech. The CMU IS program, I’m guessing,is because OP didn’t get into CMU CS (not as prestigious as CMU CS, disadvantaged future career if choosing IS, according to OP).
The OP asked about adding a CS major to CMU IS. Berkeley, CMU, GT, CS are very STEM focused, math, cs, other science and some engineering. There are general ed requirements and a writing requirement, but they can be taken anytime and not the really focus of the degree like they would be at UChicago or a LAC.
If you want to say UChicago is the best college in the world, go for it. However do not misrepresent other colleges when doing it. There’s nothing liberal arts about CMU CS or Berkeley CS, they’re hardcore cs and math. You can even take a couple of those GE requirements elsewhere and transfer them in. I’ve been at UC, CMU and Berkeley campuses, and the technology vibe you get at CMU and Berkeley is totally different then at UC.
ccbit1 is all over the place when it comes to advice on picking a school. Sometimes it’s amount of research available, other times it’s prestige and networking, other times it’s fit.