<p>So, I got accepted into both NC State's and (to my surprise) UNC-Chapel Hill's Computer Science Programs. Pretty happy too because these are the only colleges I applied for, but now I'm not sure which to go to. </p>
<p>I've heard good things about UNC- CH's CompSci for graduate school (which I'm not even sure if I'm going to) but NC State seems to be usually considered the better school for Engineering/sciency things. What I would ideally like to do is be a graphics programmer for a game development company or something similar, so which university would be considered the better choice? </p>
<p>I'm almost leaning towards NC State, mainly because I have friends who are going to NC State but I don't know anyone who is going to Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>NutriHigh – You won’t go wrong either way. State has an undergraduate concentration in game development. Carolina is known for its pioneering work in virtual reality. Take a look online at the courses available, and be sure to visit each school’s computer science department if you haven’t already.</p>
<p>If you’re not absolutely positive that you want to major in computer science, you might prefer Carolina, as State pretty much locks you into a program from your first semester. However, if you’re sure that’s what you want to do, the program at State looks attractive. Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>While NCSU accepts you directly into your major as a freshman (considered a good thing by many because you’re not competing w/ other students for space in the major as a soph or jr), your are not “locked” into a program. At NCSU, just like every other university, students change their majors all the time.</p>
<p>Okay just to address something you said in your post: “NC State seems to be considered the better school for Engineering/sciency things”</p>
<p>That might be a perception because UNC does not have an engineering program/school, but outside of engineering UNC is stronger than NC State in the main sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) and in Computer Science.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t choose State because they have a better Computer Science program (which they don’t), but I would choose State if they offered a substantially cheaper cost of attendance and a better social scene for you. Downtown Raleigh is great and you might have a better time socially which can help keep you sane in a tough major. Unless there is something specific about NC State’s program, I’d go with UNC. Both schools have great CS programs but you will have a lot more flexibility and ease in finding another top program at UNC if you change your mind about your major.</p>
<p>UNC-CH RANKINGS</p>
<p>• #36 Physics (NCSU RANKED 52)
• #2 Best Medical Schools: Primary Care
• #20 Best Medical Schools: Research
• #10 AIDS
• #2 Family medicine
• #13 Geriatrics
• #22 Internal medicine
• #20 Pediatrics
• #6 Rural medicine
• #13 Women’s Health
• #4 Nursing
• #4 Clinical Nurse Specialist: Community / Public Health
• #4 Clinical Nurse Specialist: Psychiatric / Mental Health
• #12 Nurse Practitioner: Adult
• #11 Nurse Practitioner: Family
• #10 Nurse Practitioner: Pediatric
• #6 Nursing Service Administration
• #24 Biological Sciences (NCSU RANKED 82)
• #13 Chemistry (NCSU RANKED 60)
• #1 Analytical
• #8 Inorganic
• #18 Organic
• #20 Computer Science (NCSU RANKED 47)</p>
<p>Nutrihigh, you should visit both schools to see which one feels the most comfortable to you.
My S liked the atmosphere of NCSU/Raleigh more than that of UNC/Chapel Hill. He had good friends fr. h.s. at both universities. Rankings and name recognition don’t guarantee happiness. Do some visits, talk to people at the school and go with your gut.</p>
<p>Note that both UNC and NCSU are considered attractive by out of state employers sending visiting recruiters to college career centers, and are local to the “Research Triangle Park” employers.</p>
<p>However, neither seems to have a career survey in an obvious accessible place on its web site (UNC has what may be the desired information behind a student/alumni login wall, and NCSU appears to have results from some divisions, but not others.).</p>
<p>Hmm… so I guess Chapel Hill is stronger in Computer Science. I guess I’ll visit them both before I decide; I went to an engineering camp at NC State and have seen their Computer Science department, but not UNC’s.</p>
<p>Is there a possibility that you may change to another major? If so, and an engineering major is a strong possibility, NCSU would give more options in that area. But UNC may be better for some other subjects.</p>
<p>I’m with PackMom – and I’m a UNC graduate and parent. Visit both, see which atmosphere you like better. Rankings only give part of the picture. Both programs are very good, so you’ll have a marketable degree whichever school you choose. Spend time on both campuses, eating in the cafeterias, talking to students, etc. They are both large research universities, have mostly in-state students, and both are vibrant, friendly places. Look for which one feels more right to you.</p>
<p>Plus, look at the different computer science curricula. Virtual reality applications for science and medicine? I’d lean toward Carolina. Game development? I’d lean toward State. Virtual reality games? I don’t know. :)</p>
<p>Also, think about what you would do if you decided not to major in computer science. It is more difficult to switch majors (which often involves switching schools) at State. However, if engineering (including computer hardware engineering) might be attractive to you, State is the place to go. If a medical program might be attractive, go to UNC.</p>
<p>If I had a child interested in computer science, I would give him/her the above advice – and I would be confident that a computer science degree from one school would be just as valuable as a degree from the other school.</p>
<p>Look at both, but as computer science programs go, NC State’s is the better program, by orders of magnitude. UNC has a terrific marketing machine that spins everything they do into the world’s first or best…most of it is pure bunk! And their tiny little computer science program has ridden on the coattails of this perception for years, but the reality is that it is all but irrelevant in the technology space. NC State, in large part because of its computer science program, is the top producer of new grad talent to IBM and Cisco…and there is a reason…they produce quality graduates! Go to the College of Engineering’s Career Fair over at the McKimmon Center on Feb 2nd, and take an informal poll of the 200+ companies there and ask them if given the choice, which computer science grad they would hire…they will tell you the State grad. They are better equipped to make a real impact and move up as leaders. I know both programs very well - if you are serious about a technology degree, NC State is your place, hands down.</p>
<p>Pakbackr – I also know a lot about both programs, and I know plenty of people in area tech companies. N.C. State produces more computer science graduates, so it is naturally represented more heavily in area tech companies, but those companies are happy to hire from both schools. Granted, if I were representing a company at a job fair at the McKimmon Center on N.C. State’s campus, I’d probably answer an “informal poll” in favor of State, just if I were at a job fair on UNC’s campus, I’d probably answer in favor of Carolina. Keeps the organizers happy. :)</p>
<p>Both schools have good programs, but they are different enough that anyone considering computer science should visit both. State specializes in technical degrees. It would be a better school for someone who wants to keep computer engineering, or any other engineering, open as an option to computer science. Carolina has a larger variety of non-technical degrees. That would be better for someone who’s wanting to double major in computer science and something potentially complementary like linguistics. There will always be people who try to set one university against another, either through rankings or rankings envy, but the truth is that they are both very good institutions.</p>