<p>I have been reading advise how most applicants should be looking to a broader range of colleges and universities rather than staying tightly focused on the top 30. I am aware of the reputation of Berkeley, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Cal Tech when it comes to Computer Science. If I were to look outside of the obvious most popular schools for CS what should I be looking for? I saw one paper from UC Irvine that ranked CS programs by mid-career income. Yet wouldn't that be skewed by location of the University? For example San Jose State U is ranked #11. Maybe it really does have a top 20 CS program. On the other hand it could just be that graduates tend to live in Silicon Valley which pays a premium for its sw developers. And this would move any CS program up the UCI ladder. Other rankings like US News and World Report seem mysterious. Any thoughts on how to choose a top CS program would be appreciated. </p>
<p>Part of what brings this question up is I have some older friends with very strong academic backgrounds who were rejected at Berkeley, UCLA, MIT etc. So while I will apply to these I want to have a good set of options.</p>
<p>From what I understand, succeeding in CS would require more of a personal ability and keen excitement for the subject rather than any training any top school can hope to provide. That said, Harvey Mudd probably should be on that top list too, as its science offerings, including CS, are top notch. You can really go anywhere with a strong undergraduate CS program (ever heard of Swarthmore?) and succeed after graduating. Of course you won’t find recruiters on campus at these small schools but they offer excellent preparation for CS and with determination, landing a good job should work out.</p>
<p>Also to address your main question – what makes a great CS program? This really depends on the person. Some schools have a theoretical bent in teaching CS (UChicago), while schools like Carnegie Mellon are very “practical”. Some, like Brown, are in the middle. What do YOU want? Go through course offerings, syllabi etc etc at schools you are interested in. Research the programs, ask for advice from students who have taken CS classes at those schools, and you would very well be on your way in figuring out what school’s CS program would be perfect for you.</p>
<p>PS The schools I mentioned are as selective as any. You could look at other liberal arts colleges too. Lafayette has a really strong computer science program, for instance. Also, look into UIUC and the University of Washington. So many UWash grads go on to work at Microsoft!</p>