I plan on studying computer science, and my future plans include maybe getting a masters or just working/researching in a company (depending on what specific focus I pursue). I have gone back and forth on this decision countless times, and I realize that I ultimately find USC a “happier” place, but I still have my doubts about what I’m giving up if I do choose USC. I have visited both schools, and I like both. I’d love to hear others’ input/perspective or additions to my pro/cons list
Money is not the deciding factor, but of course I don’t want to take on loans + be unhappy. Ultimately, I think both schools are worth it.
(Disclaimer: I know rankings/reputation is not everything, but there is still some sense in them when there is a pretty noticeable disparity.) Here are my thoughts:
PROS of USC: costs about $36k/yr
a great school, lovely weather/location overall, McCarthy housing
Viterbi fellow/scholar = research stipend, still lots of opportunity (and Viterbi overall is still small/focused)
Viterbi students are collaborative in nature
CONS of USC:
such a big school, the range of people here (in terms of academic motivation) is huge even within Viterbi
USC is not nearly as reputable/strong in CS
obviously not as much name recognition but that’s not an issue (except when CMU name recognition seems to really go beyond)
PROS of CMU: costs about $63k/yr (no FA)
the School of Computer Science - focus and depth on CS, great resources for everyone, small size but large presence on campus
lots of opportunity/recognition for everyone who puts in effort; favored greatly by employers
overall very collaborative, in general more hard-working/nerdy/serious students
CONS of CMU:
stress culture (yes, I realize not everyone is like stressed/depressed, but overall it still makes a big difference).
minor things: Pittsburgh weather
costs a heck ton more, but it seems like grads are able to quickly earn/return their loans and it is worth it
USC Viterbi is a nice, supportive school within the bigger U. There were only like 200 freshmen engineering students so you can get to know them. Our S lived getting his EE at USC and we loved the nice merit aid discount. According to him, ALL the engineering kids he met were highly motivated and qualified. The other engineering students said the same, including the CS majors.
S was able to choose among two internships the summer after soph year–one with local electric company and one to do research with a professor in HI. He acccepted the latter one because it allowed him to take off the month of July to go on a student trip of Taiwan with his sister and cousin. During his JR and SR year, he did research and prepared research for publication for an engineering prof. After JR year, he worked for NASA in the summer. By Feb of SR year, he had 3 full-time career job offers.
We have friends whose kids also also attended Viterbi. Their S was a dual degree finance/Chem E bachelor’s with an MBA. He had internships every year from freshman summer and has had his pick of jobs. He was sent on a trip (he didn’t pay for) to NY to interview with various firms there. Intimately, he’s decided to work for a consulting firm and not practice Chem E (tho he interned at Exxon in TX one summer). Their D graduated in 3 years in CS. She worked at Cisco as intern and was hired there full time after graduation. She’s since switched to another company.
@highoncaffeine What has your exposure to CS been? Be careful picking a school because it’s really strong in your major in case you end up switching your major. I have a friend that went to study cinema at a university with a well respected film program, but after a year realized she wasn’t happy. The major she wanted wasn’t offered so she had to switch schools. She’s much happier being an engineer at USC now.
It seems like your main concern is reputation and job prospects. I think both CMU and USC are great. CMU may be more highly respected for more time, but no one would turn their nose up at USC. USC has made very large strides in tech in the last decade. The connections you can develop at USC are invaluable. A ton of great companies (Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Raytheon, etc.) come to USC for Career Fairs and to do specific tech talks and recruiting events.
Some thing to keep in mind is that neither places entitles you to job opportunities. Both places will position you well for career prospects, but you must be a good student and be a competitive candidate. One of the last people my team hired doesn’t even have a B.S. in CS but his experience made him very attractive to us. Being a standout candidate isn’t about the reputation of your program so much as what have you done to demonstrate your knowledge and that you can deliver value to the company, whether that means programming, research, etc.
@highoncaffeine dunno if you made the decision yet, but in case you’re still debating, one of my kids attends Viterbi as an ME major, but they have a lot of CS friends. (I think it may be the biggest, or at least bigger majors in Viterbi?). A few things based on your well-considered post:
36x4=144 vs. 63x4=252 - are you sure your family/you can eat 100k on top of the 150 you’ll drop on either school?
You mention MS. SC has a “progressive” degree that allows you to get MS in 5 years (or, if you do summer courses even a bit less) I think (but am not 100% positive; you should confirm) they told my kid that the aid could possibly be extended to that program.
Also, Viterbi allows you change your major within engineering, and aside from CA, maybe Annenberg, you would likely not have a lot of trouble transferring to other USC UG schools if you have a change of heart at some point. (not sure how CMU works for that.)
There is no question that CMU’s CS reputation is “more special” than USC’s. At the same time, USC is putting a lot of resources into Viterbi and its rep is obviously on an upswing, esp for CS in the world of animation/gaming/UX etc.
All things being equal, CMU is perhaps a safer/higher % bet, but I’m not sure it’s a 100k safer bet. That’s a lot of loans, or money out of the bank/401k.
Good news is, both are very good choices and it sounds like you have the attitude to get the most out of either school.
I think that these are both very good universities and I would save the $100,000. Anything related to engineering, and especially in computer science, prestige doesn’t matter at all (thus the tshirts and jeans!). What you can do matters. Either school can teach you what you want and need for CS.
Seems like a pretty easy decision to me: be a Fellow at a top 25 university vs. being a nobody at a similar top 25 university and save $100K in the process.
