WashU Computer Science

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
1

<p>I am a Senior trying to decide on a college next year. I am definitely going to major in computer science. Washington University looks really cool, but I can't seem to find much information on their computer science program. They have really high rankings, but the CS department seems to rank lower than most and I was wondering why this is. How is the CS academic program, the job outlook, the graduate school placement, the research opportunities compared to the school's other departments of higher rank and compared to other CS colleges with higher ranks.</p>

<p>Additionally, I heard from someone that WashU is highly competitive in the academics and makes a very fierce environment. I didn't think this was true, but wanted some others' opinions on this topic. Thanks.</p>

2

<p>I’ll leave it to marcdvl or Johnson181 to tell you about the CS department, since they both know a lot more about it than I do.</p>

<p>However, I can assure you that whoever told you Wash U is competitive could not be more wrong.</p>

3

<p>

As RaVNzCRoFT said, this isn’t even remotely true. It’s really laid back here, and fellow classmates aren’t cutthroat - if you ask for help, you’ll get it. (Mind you, if you ask for help 100 times without doing any effort yourself, people will indeed get frustrated with you).</p>

<p>I’m in the engineering school, but not a CS person so I’m actually going to leave it to marcdvl (who is a CS major). What I can say though is the CS kids I know absolutely love it, and that the engineering school as a whole is fantastic.</p>

<p>The only downside that I’m aware of is that a lot of the CS professors are on sabbatical.</p>

4

<p>Good to hear that it’s not competitive, but here’s my issue, I live in mid-Michigan so obviously UofM has its bias around here. What would be the advantage of CS at WashU over UofM as far as research or job outlook or study abroad opportunities. Don’t get me wrong, I am definitely interested in the school (I want to run on the cross team), I’m just trying to decide if it is worth it over the local State-schools.</p>

5

<p>I’m a CS major and I absolutely love the department. I had some excellent opportunities both within the school and for this summer. I think the CS department is pretty unique compared to other majors because it has more of a community feel - I feel like we all get to know each other, and you might not get that as much at larger schools. Whether WashU is better suited for you than U of M I can’t really say, but if you have any other more specific questions about the program I’d be happy to answer them.</p>

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<p>My son has the same decision to make as the OP. He is from Indiana and is being recruited to play a sport at Wash U. He also has been accepted into Engineering for CS at Michigan. the CS program at MIchigan is top notch and undergrads are in demand for internships and jobs upon graduation. the two schools appear to be polar opposites. Michigan is very pre-professional in the engineering school. Very little room in the schedule for liberal arts courses. At Wash U, it is encouraged to seek a well rounded education and easy to double major if you want the challenge.</p>

<p>My questions would be the same as the OP:</p>

<p>Are internships available or difficult to find for CS majors?
Does Wash U have graduation job statistics for CS majors? In the business school- they do- and they are very good.</p>

<p>Theses two questions are really the most important given the economic conditions today.</p>

<p>thanks for any insight.</p>

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<p>I don’t know of any job placement statistics for anything other than the b-school, so I can only speak from personal experience, but most people I’ve talked to have have done pretty well with getting internships. I’m just a sophomore, so I won’t have as many examples as upperclassmen, but I’m working at Google this summer. I’ve had a really positive experience with the engineering career counselors, too. Also, you’re right in that your son will probably have a lot more room to explore other subjects at WashU. I’m doubling majoring in CS and History, and I have other friends who are doing things like Art, Political Science, etc. The CS dept has multiple degree options depending on how flexible you want your schedule to be, which is nice.</p>

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<p>Ari - congrats on google! </p>

<p>I too only have anecdotes. But I can name a handful of people that have great internships already lined up for next summer - at Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc. Also of note - a lot of them are repeat internships (meaning it’s their second summer there… the company clearly liked their work enough to bring them back).</p>

9

<p>The CS department severely lacks faculty. Furthermore, class sizes have doubled over the past five years. This leads to classes being offered infrequently, or 100 person graduate classes. (Not to mention the 200+ person 1st semester CS class). </p>

<p>This is my only major flaw with the department. The academics are strong and the classes are hard, but at this point I’d have to question Wash U as a place for CS students. Of course, undergrad is mostly about enjoying the school as a whole, not about a program as many people come in undecided, you take many courses outside your department, etc. But if you’re deadset on CS, I’d have to be honest and recommend another school. There are about 5x as many CS students (undergrad, MS, PHD) versus ESE with a faculty size roughly similar. </p>

<p>There are courses I would love to take that other schools offer, but Wash U never will. If you’re okay knowing your options are somewhat limited, class sizes are much bigger than other departments, etc then Wash U is fine. </p>

<p>Just my gripe with the department / Engineering Dean at the moment.</p>

<p>With that said I love Wash U, and the flexibility. I always knew I wanted to do CS, but had I known I actually wanted a career in it I probably would have looked at other places like Carnegie Mellon, UIUC, etc. </p>

<p>Again, this is probably a temporary problem but it likely won’t change for another 4-5 years. </p>

<p>For what it’s worth I’m a 4th year BS/MS in CS, triple majored in CS/Econ/Math, and also doing a MS in EE at Wash U.</p>

<p>Edit: If you guys have more specific questions PM them to me…only checking here once a week or so during break.</p>

10

<p>For what it’s worth, I’m a MechE and I’ve had plenty of good professors but I have not yet had one that I thought was truly outstanding. On the other hand, a sophomore friend of mine is majoring in CS and he’s already had two CS professors that he’s really enjoyed a lot (Cytron and Pless).</p>

11

<p>How are the research opportunities for an undergrad in CS? I am interested in things like game development, artificial intelligence, computer language recognition. Would WashU have the opportunities to go into fields like this?</p>

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<p>RaVN: That is true. About 4-5 of the CSE faculty are truely outstandinging, where as I’ve only had 2-3 from all the other courses I’ve taken.</p>

<p>Midrange: Those areas are all available at Wash U to do research in, but most are senior and graduate level classes. You probably wouldn’t be able to do research in anything at that level until junior year, or anything meaningful until senior year.</p>

13

<p>Most research positions will require that you’ve taken at least a class called 241, which you should take in the fall of sophomore year. Some want you to take 332 as well, which you’ll take that spring. So you could start research in your sophomore year if you’re motivated.</p>

<p>WashU offers classes in all those areas. Some are graduate level classes, but you’re pretty much open to taking any graduate class that you meet the prereqs for starting in the spring of sophomore year. Artificial Intelligence is a graduate level class, but I’ll be taking it in spring of my sophomore year. There’s also a video game course sequence. You’re pretty much open to taking anything you’d like in the department after you’ve completed the core (CSE 131, 132, 240, 241, 332), so as long as you stay on track, you can start these kinds of classes as a sophomore or junior.</p>

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<p>I really wouldn’t recommend AI in your sophomore year unless you already are proficient in Python and have some previous knowledge of AI. The labs can be pretty rough, but if that’s what you want, go for it. Technichally 500 level classes are only available to people with junior standing or above, although I doubt they’ll drop you (or you may have AP credits). (i.e. you need to have completed 60 credits). Whoever said spring of sophomore year is mistaken. </p>

<p>Also I’d recommend a 400 level applied class before taking a 500 level applied class. For what it’s worth 452A (graphics) has been the most rewarding undergrad class I’ve taken because it prepares you for graduate level classes - it’s a lot of work but this really makes you proficient in C++ (and thus capable of doing any language) as opposed to 332 which is essentially 131 but with C++.</p>

<p>As for op, best bet is to do an REU in the summer (Research Experience for Undergraduates) where you can do some cool stuff in a 10 week program. People do it after their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year…although again I’d wait for finishing at least 2 years. The better your background, the more you can do.</p>

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<p>Also, just wanted to add that just because you’ve met the prereqs for a class, doesn’t mean you’ve met the “prereqs”. By this I mean most graduate level classes have at maximum 241 as a prereq, yet some are genuinely hard courses.</p>

<p>It’s also true that some courses are listed at graduate level, yet could be a 300 level (and in fact are undergraduate courses at other colleges). i.e. Formal Languages and Automota is not an overly difficult course in terms of topics. </p>

<p>Similarly, most theory courses 54X are doable by undergraduates because there isn’t a lot in terms of theory after 241 (i.e. there’s only a couple of 300 or 400 level theory classes).</p>

<p>Contrasting, there are dozens of S/A classes between 332 and 500 level, and you are expected to have taken some of them before graduate courses).</p>

<p>It’s also true that some 400 level courses are harder than some 500 level courses.</p>