<p>Hey!
I've been accepted to both Umass Amherst and Rutgers New Brunswick as a transfer student. I'm most interested in the Computer Science field in both universities. Which of the two schools have a better CS department? What are the job placement prospects after completing undergrad. in both universities? Tuiton and Fees are not an issue. Also which of the two are better location wise?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>My son was choosing between the two schools and while not as a CS major, he was considering a CS minor. Both schools seem to have pretty good departments. And from what I have seen from rankings, the two are comparable, i.e. have seen Rutgers rated higher in some and UMass in others. However I just scratched the surface on job placement. As far as the location, Amherst is smaller and a nicer town than New Brunswick. Rutgers is an hours or so from Philly and NYC whereas UMass is about two hours from Boston. Rutgers campus is more spread out.</p>
<p>Have you visited the schools?</p>
<p>Thanks for the response @geo1113 . I actually haven’t visited any of the two campuses, but I will be visiting UMass Amherst soon. I’m more lenient towards UMass Amherst as of now. Since both schools have good departments for CS, the next thing I’m looking at is location and from what I’m hearing Amherst is a better location. Do you by any chance know anything about the campus life? Which school did your son end up choosing?</p>
<p>My son is at UMass. We live in MA. He didn’t think the extra distance and cost made sense especially since he was undecided going in, As for campus life, he isn’t the best source since he tends to be on the quiet side and then add to that he had a girlfriend at home. But my older son has friends there and they seem to like it. Other people I have known who went enjoyed themselves (and not just partying).</p>
<p>Rutgers is a very urban, spread-out school, with a lot of commuter students. We have family in the New Brunswick area and they say that its reputation has gone downhill from what it used to be. On the other hand, UMass is on the upswing in terms of reputation. It is also in a MUCH nicer (and safer) area, and you have the added value of the 5-college consortium to take advantage of. Because of the smaller town atmosphere, and all the activities/events going on at all of the 5 schools in the consortium, I think there is much more a sense of community at UMass. I would also venture to guess that employers would more highly regard UMass. If you want to take advantage of city opportunities while you are in school (jobs, internships, cultural), then Rutgers definitely has easier access to a bigger city. Good luck making your decision!</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses. Also, where would the best on campus housing option be for a transfer student coming in as a sophomore?</p>
<p>Most transfer students live in the Sylvan Residential complex. If you want to be near the CS department, Northeast may be better. Note that each of the main residential areas on campus (Southwest, Northeast, Central, Orchard Hill, Sylvan and North) have different ‘stereotypes’. There’s a good post somewhere on Reddit describing each area.</p>
I was recently admitted to both UMass Amherst and Rutgers New Brunswick for computer science. I’m having a hard time deciding between the two. Give me pros and cons of both. Cost is nearly same for both