Universities with good computer science programs that I can get in to?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am currently a rising senior living in maryland and will be applying for college this fall. Although I've heard of some of the obvious schools that are good for computer science such as the ivies, cmu, and stanford, I was hoping someone could enlighten me on other schools that still have great programs, but aren't as selective and would be better matches for me. My qualifications are decent I guess, but not exceptional enough to be considered for some of those top schools.
Here's a little bit more about me to help give you an idea: </p>

<p>-Cumulative GPA: 3.67, but a 4.0 junior year
-SAT: 2140, took it once, plan to take it again this fall
-APs: 5's in Comp Sci A and Calc BC, and 4's in English Lang, US History, and US Govt and Politics; I will also be taking 5 more this year: Chem, Physics Mech, Physics E&M, Calc BC, and English lit
-AP Scholar with distinction
-Member of: National Honor Society, French Honor Society, and Math Honor Society
-Very involved in music: regional youth orchestra, high school wind ensemble and marching band (section leader), percussion ensembles, and some awards for performances, etc.
-Member of school STEM club, won a couple 1st place medals at regional/state competitions
-Tutor elementary school kids through a school club
-Salvation Army Club
-Internship working with computers at a biotechnology company
-Internship working with government internet security </p>

<p>Again, just looking for some schools with a good computer science program that I have a a decent chance of getting into. Any help is much appreciated, thanks!</p>

2

<p>You’re very lucky to live in Maryland - U Maryland at CP has a really great CS program. And it’s affordable, too.</p>

3

<p>yeah i’ll definitely be applying there and considering that but i was just trying to find more schools, especially in case i don’t get in</p>

4

<p>University of Illinois has a good CS program.</p>

5

<p>Wisconsin Madison
U Washington-Seattle</p>

6

<p>I’m convinced that for 99% of CS majors it does not matter where you go. Exception might be if there is some particular company you want to work for, make sure you go to a school where they recruit.</p>

<p>If you have the technical skills, you can work anywhere. if you have the grades, you can go to grad school anywhere.</p>

<p>I know a Drake grad that ultimately received PhD from WI. An Olivet Nazarene grad that got a PhD from Northwestern. A Truman State grad that received PhD from Iowa State.
Iowa grad that works for Google. Northwestern grad that works for HP. Michigan Tech grad that is the CTO for a large software firm.</p>

<p>Save your money, go to Maryland unless you can go elsewhere cheaper.</p>

7

<p>Most large tech firms are pretty picky about the schools they recruit. And you do not need a PhD for most.</p>

8

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<p>For one’s first job out of school, or internships while in school, it is advantageous to be either at a school local to the company, or a school with a high enough reputation in the field to attract out of area recruiters. If not, then the student needs to be more aggressive at finding companies to apply to, rather than having the luxury of seeing them visit the school’s career center.</p>

9

<p>How much will your parents pay? </p>

<p>The OOS publics mentioned above will expect you to be full pay or near full pay.</p>

<p>*Save your money, go to Maryland unless you can go elsewhere cheaper. *</p>

<p>I agree that it’s not worth $40k-50k to go to UIUC, UMich, or UWisc. .</p>

10

<p>That would depend on how much you have to spend. Cost was not mentioned. I’d say UW and UM are worth something over UMd in overall experience. Both are top college towns versus semi-seedy non college town.</p>

11

<p>how much aid/merit are available for places like UW and UM
i apologize for not mentioning it, but cost is also an issue that i need to consider</p>

12

<p>Not so much except for certain URM students. Mostly loans otherwise. UW is about $15,000 less than UM. But still around $35,000 all in.</p>

13

<p>You won’t likely get much or any merit from UWisc or UMich.
Many OOS publics won’t work…some of the mid-tiers may give you merit.</p>

<p>Since cost is an issue , you need to determine how much your parents will pay and how much your EFC is for privates.</p>

14

<p>is it worth it to go to one of those schools and pay more money or stay in maryland where its very cheap</p>

15

<p>In my house, there is no way we would pay the extra $15000 for the the WI or UDub experience…the ROI simply is not here no matter how it gets paid (loans or parent cash).</p>

16

<p>Obviously you have never been a student in Madison. Guess it would depend what the alternative might be. Penn State–probably not. Rutgers–probably worth it.</p>

17

<p>I have been a student at some pretty good college towns…Iowa City, Ann Arbor, and Tempe. None of those is worth an extra $15,000 a year; neither is Madison.</p>

18

<p>Many NJ, NY, CA and Illinois residents might disagree. They are all full pay OOS students at UW with decent publics in their home states.</p>