University of Maryland vs Brown Computer Science

College Search & Selection
1

I’m trying to decide between UMD Computer Science vs Brown Computer Science.
Brown’s CS department is relatively small (66 students graduating this year) whereas UMD has over 1700 students in its CS program.

Brown would have more individualized attention from both professors and recruiters, whereas UMD would likely have more opportunities do to its large size.

At Brown alumni from big name companies come back to Brown and recruit from their small CS department. UMD CS ranks higher on a number of lists than Brown.

Which school would be best to attend? Where would I get the better job and experience from?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
(Undergraduate by the way)

2

This is a really tough choice. In US News Rankings (although how reliable are they LOL) Brown and UMD are close, with UMD just a space or two higher than Brown. Brown is an Ivy but UMD is KNOWN for its CS program. Have you visited either school? Besides the size aspect/class consideration, do you know what the campuses and the overall experience will be like at a glance? Definitely visit both.

Here is a Quora link for Why Brown CS (http://www.quora.com/How-good-is-Brown-Universitys-Computer-Science-department) Also search CC in the top search bar “Brown computer science” to get an idea of people in the same situation as you trying to decide between Brown and X school.

Locations are generally the same. Providence is the capital of RI and Baltimore is the capital of MD. There’s not a huge discrepancy between environment and opportunities there. However, UMD does have that green quad/rolling campus scene too. MOST IMPORTANTLY – which school is more affordable?

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Thanks - I toured Brown this weekend and loved it, and am touring UMD next week. I’m extremely lucky to be able to afford either college, on the condition that I pay my parents back.

Any idea which would look better to an employer?

4

Good luck touring UMD; make sure to keep an open mind as you go in. You are extremely lucky. Congratulations! Honestly, either school would probably be on an equal level to an employer.

5

Brown would probably look more impressive.

I live in the SF/Silicon Valley area, and at least out here, UMD is not any more known for CS than other state flagships are. Most CS hiring managers don’t pay much attention to a school’s CS program rankings.

6

Everybody in Silicon Valley knows that Sergey Brin, one of the cofounder of Google graduated from UMD CS. What do you mean by it’s not well known?

7

Almost none of the rankings are focused on things that matter for undergrads, that’s why UMD and it’s much larger graduate program ranks higher than brown. Not trying to knock UMD, sure it’s excellent, but Brown undergrad CS is top 3 in the country. That and neuroscience (which often work together on AI stuff) are the shining stars of Brown.

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Those are both excellent for CS but to me Brown is a nobrainer. It is the graduate rankings you are looking at, so that is based on PhD reputation and influence of research and papers and it is impressive that Brown grad school is so high given the size. Brown CS is a jewel of a program. You will have enormous access to research with your profs. Al the professors work with undergraduates. My daughter held research positions in various depts, cog sci, physics, CS --often paid-- beginning with freshman year, although that may not be so common. She had two summer research grants too. One of the profs she has a class with only 3 students and 1 grad student and they used to hang out in the profs office all the time and she did a senior semester of research with her. He wrote one of her recommendation letters and he is a big name. Another prof was one of those 30 under 30 lists of tech innovators under 35 among many other accolades She worked with this prof a total of 1-1/2 years on an e-cash scheme and audited her grad class to learn the math needed during her Jr year independent research. They eventually published. That was another letter of rec for grad school. The kind of Believe me there is no easier access at UMD to professors and research. There many be more activity but if you can’t join it it doesn’t help you. Plus you can only do one or two at a time. More isn’t always better. UMD was one of the phD programs she was accepted to her Sr year. A;so you can apply for REU’s at larger colleges if you want to get off campus, likely a good idea. Or there are always really great internships.

Also you are going to be one of the masses at UMD in your classes at first, and all your other classes and requirements. Your CS classes will be only about 1/2 of your requirements, I think. What about the experience in all the other classes? You can’t beat Brown for the personal experience, smaller class size, overall atmosphere.

The big worrying thing is paying your parents back. Are you full pay at these schools? Paying back 250k is not reasonable. It means you really con’t afford it. What are the comparative costs?

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I agree with BrownParent: Brown vs. UMD is a no brainer in terms of prestige & connections (go to Brown)… BUT I think cost needs to be a factor in your decision. What are your parents paying for each school & what is their realistic expectation of you paying them back? Are we talking them making you sign a promissory note or “they want me to pay them back but they’re laid back parents and my education will probably convert to a gift later”? Even when we have the best of intentions, unless our parents are truly hardcore, usually these kinds of things convert from loans into gifts. (I love you mom; thanks for helping me buy furniture in 2008! #recession)

Either way: if you’re full pay, I’d have to go with the cheaper option, especially if they really expect you to pay them back. In that case, you’ll get an education that is just as quality as Brown, and a better value in terms of cost. If you have to pay your parents back, it’s less to pay. Even if you don’t have to pay them back–look! You were practical and saved them money!

That said: Brown & UMD have very different environments/feels/student bodies. And Providence is very different from College Park! I think of UMD as a more traditional college experience: large school (huge), diverse student body, lots of opportunities & a broad selection of social groups & activities… also UMD is known for an active Greek set & sports culture. Brown… is very different. It’s smaller, obviously, and seems way more crunchy granola than UMD (and if you like crunchy granola, that might make it a perfect fit). It also has a diverse student body, but in a different way–less volume, and being elite you’re looking at the tip-top-best of people who applied (UMD is less elite; which isn’t a bad thing, but certainly makes for a different student body makeup). UMD will have a larger cross-section of students if that’s your thing (and fewer rich kids). There’s lots to do at Brown, but instead of a broad selection of ALL THE THINGS, you have a niche selection of things that, if they apply to you, are awesome. My impression of Brown is that it is quieter, nerdier and artsier than UMD (not that UMD doesn’t have quiet, nerdy, artsy sub-groups… but that’s not the overall school vibe). The friends of mine who went to Brown I could never see enjoying UMD; Brown was just perfect for their personalities (brainy, creative, quiet, do not give a sh*t about sports or Greek life). And Providence is a typical, small New England city–classic architecture, public transportation, a great mall (ha!), short train ride to Boston. College Park is in the suburbs, so you’ll need a car. D.C. & Baltimore are close enough, but your life would really be IN College Park, which is a college town. It’s a city college experience vs. a suburban college experience. (FWIW: my mom went to UMD and I think I would have enjoyed it, though I ended up at BU. Brown wouldn’t be my kind of school because I know I prefer a bigger school, more urban environment: know yourself!)

So it’s down to what you want + how much it will cost. You’d be looking at a solid education + career choices either way.

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Thank you all for this help, I greatly appreciate it. Some more info: UMD costs 46,000, whereas Brown will cost 60,000. My parents are very reasonable, and I expect the amount they have me pay back will depend on what salary I can get/cost of living. I do imagine a good amount of it will turn into a gift.

11

So you’re OOS, ability to pay doesn’t seem like a concern (no/little debt, right?) In your situation, I’d pick Brown. That’s me, though.

12

I thought he went to Moscow State Cybernetics College.

13

That is per year cost or total? If per year, your parents have it and don’t have to borrow it right? It is not coming out of retirement right?

Brown is a fantastic experience. I do not find it particularly ‘crunchy’ in my visits and meeting with dd’s friends. Really it is not that different than the student body at Yale, for instance.

Although UMD has a really good cryptography research group she was interested in she ultimately did not go there for grad school. So I can only comment on the Brown experience and I know she has told me at the large U she did grad work at and TA’s at that the profs really weren’t as interested in working with undergrads and as much as the dept might try they didn’t have the tight knit feel of the Brown dept. As a Brown Sr involved in research, she was invited to the grad student teas, where they mix socially and give informal talks about the research they are doing and promote cross pollination of ideas and work.

14

I’d go with Brown, especially since your parents’ conditions are very reasonable. The learning environment and resources will be incomparable. COngratulations!