Last time, I made a post of UMass Boston and Wentworth, asking which one of the two is better for computer science. Now, I am doing the same for BU and Northeastern, two schools are closer to my studio apartment than UMass Boston (I live in Cambridge, which is an intellectual hub full of talented college students as well as young professionals). Now I am not going to compare about which is better between BU/NEU or UMass Boston as BU and Northeastern are many times more prestigious than UMass Boston in every way. Cost does not matter. I could handle to pay for even the most prestigious universities, such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, etc, as my end goal is to get an MS or even a PhD at one of these universities. I immigrated to America from Vietnam at 7 years old in 2010 via family sponsorships, and I have been obsessed with technology, so I would want the best school possible. Because of a backlash from previous schools (I was brutally discriminated and bullied in secondary school), it prevented me from being able to complete much of my education, and the only way to start college early and quitting high school is by taking the GED (I took the GED test during the pandemic in 2020, and ended up enrolling in UMass Boston since the spring semester of 2021 (January 2021), and despite having a massive cold during the spring semester, I managed to do well, raking in a 3.7 GPA in that semester). That is why I ended up at UMass Boston, as my parents bought a big 300 sq m house in a predominantly white neighbourhood somewhere between Boston and Worcester, but closer to Worcester (like Bolton, Upton, Harvard, etc), even though my ambitions are to have a smooth secondary school experience and end up at MIT/BU/Northeastern at 17 in 2020. I feel kind of like Elon Musk, because as a boy in elementary school, I was harshly discriminated and bullied (even by my Vietnamese friends as well as cousins), especially given that many Vietnamese Americans are anti-communists (some of my friends call me as ‘thàng cong san’ just because I sorta look Chinese/North Vietnamese). Now, with quite decent GPA (I am predicting somewhere around a 3.6 by the end of Fall 2021 semester and 3.75 by the end of Spring 2022 Semester), I am planning on transferring to either BU or Northeastern, as MIT is a very hard school to get into, and notoriously hard for transfers, especially Harvard, where they are kind of like the North Korea for transfers, where the borders are effectively closed. If accepted to both, which is the better university to choose over the two for computer science, and why? Explain it to me below.
@PengPhils knows a lot about CS and Northeastern. My son is a sophomore at Northeastern, not in CS, and has found the students to be very nice and friendly.
If you’re near Worcester, why not apply to WPI? Easier commute and great school.
As to BU vs. NEU, apply to both and worry about which is better only if you actually get into both.
I’m still trying to figure out why you don’t just get your CS degree where you are currently enrolled. Why transfer?
I moved to Boston since 2017, during the 9th grade year. I lived with my cousin, who is born in 1995, studying at Boston University as a CS major. He is my best cousin.
Reason for transferring is because the CS program in these two schools are stronger than at UMass Boston.
Who told you that a CS program at one school is stronger than another. I will let others comment on this as well…but generally CS programs are good no matter where you get your degree. Job potential is there regardless of where you get your degree.
You might see a difference in where recruiters come to the schools…but since they are all in Boston, I’m not sure that would be a reality.
In your first post you mentioned getting a MS or PhD. If that is your end goal, the best path is to lean in to a college you are happy at, continue to get good grades, stand out to your professors and ask for research opportunities. Your chance to jump to the most prestigious schools for graduate work may be based on the quality of your letter of recommendation more than the prestige of your undergraduate program. If the program does not sufficiently challenge you, request to take graduate classes.