Money is not a factor in this debate. I am aware CS is a field that where you go to undergrad does not matter that much, but I am wondering what will give me the best education + an easier path to grad school.
2 Likes
If they are equally affordable I’d go to the college which has an environment where you feel you can best grow and thrive.
4 Likes
I have worked with many CS graduates from U.Mass Amherst. The best of them are really excellent.
I once was involved in a software project with a team at the University of Wisconsin. I was very impressed by the quality and reasonableness of everyone that I met on a few visits there. I have kept in touch with at least one person who was a student back when I visited (but who is now a relatively senior manager in high tech).
I have known only a few people from UMD, and they were also very good.
I do not know much about the other two (which is probably just coincidence).
It is hard to go wrong from this list. Congratulations on being accepted to many very good universities.
“Where you would be comfortable” is an important consideration.
3 Likes
Only actually been accepted to WPI and UMass Amherst! Just trying to rank my targets so I can have clarity when decisions start coming back.
1 Like
Have you been admitted to the Honors College at UMass, UMD, or UW Madison?
Do you like the hands-on, practical, intense environment at WPI?
Do you strive from personal attention and class discussion in your non CS classes?
Do you like sports?
Are you into spectator sports?
Do you want to live near a big city or in a college town?
2 Likes
Congrats on your acceptances thus far. IMO there is no reason to rank your options until you have all of your acceptances and (if appropriate) financial awards in hand. In the meantime cosider what things may be important to you for your college experience (ex. Greek Life, big time sports, location, size of school to name but a few).
3 Likes
Will come back to this when I know more - hopefully with some reach acceptances as well!
1 Like
D22, a prospective CS major, applied to all of these except UMD. She liked WPI and Brandeis better than Madison and UMass, but she wanted a small to medium sized school.
Have you visited any of these colleges?
WPI has a very different system and very short quarters. Would you like those?
What do you want from college other than a CS major?
What kind of grad school?
Are there any particular subareas of CS of interest? Check the upper level course offerings and faculty research areas for each school.
1 Like
Honors college at umass - and to be completely honest with you, as this college process has become a lot more real rather than just filling out applications and seeing congrats on the common app, I now have no idea what I want in a school. I went into this thinking I wanted a smaller school where I can take cs classes but as a ba so I have enough humanities electives. After getting deferred from my ed, I panicked and kind of threw school fit out the window and shotgunned a bunch of schools. Now, I could see myself at a larger school, but definitely not rural. amherst isn’t really rural though, more charmed. college towns seem nice, with nearby access to a big city though. sports are always a plus, but not really a differentiating factor. i also forgot to mention I could play soccer at wpi. again, just very confused.
2 Likes
i stayed at amherst college for a weekend for a prospect Id camp for soccer, so i know what Amherst looks like and vaguely UMass amherst. I don’t know if i like or dislike how different wpi is. I like math and i like cs and data science, so a college where i can maximize the amount of those kinds of classes i take is good. i don’t particularly want to spend lots of time in bio chem or physics labs. location is also probably going to a bigger factor than i thought - in terms of that brandeis, wpi, and UMass amherst are all closeish to home.
1 Like
ml/data mining is definitely a big interest of mine, and as for grad school, idk a prestigious one.
Meaning PhD program or some other kind of grad school?
Masters
Many people with BS in CS never go for Master. Often there is no reason to do it. Some do certifications (like Cyber Security). I know people who work for Google and Microsoft without Master’s. Some of them are from UMD.
Was just accepted into ga tech for a conditional transfer! Maintain a 3.3 anywhere for my first year, and they’ll take me for summer 2024.
4 Likes
I might get a BA in CS, or double major with something like math, not sure yet.
1 Like
As you seem to be aware based on an earlier post, a data science major naturally combines mathematics (especially statistics) and computer science. If you might consider this major, note that data scientists, even as undergraduates, typically express an interest in an applied domain as well (e.g., a social or natural science).
1 Like
The honors college dorms at UMass are very nice (as are some of the other dorms, too), and the food is #1 in the nation. In addition to the resources of the large flagship state U, one has the option of taking classes at any of the other schools in the 5 college consortium. If you’re in-state, or got the max OOS merit scholarship, UMass Amherst is likely to also be your cheapest option.
This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.