I’m overjoyed to receive acceptance from these two amazing universities. But, I’m caught in a dilemma about which one to choose. It’s hard to give up the best CS school in the country, yet it is also difficult to turn away from an Ivy. I’ve heard comments on Yale’s small CS faculty and the fact that its CS is not ranked at the top of the list, but after attending Yale’s Admitted Student Zoom today, I also learned that Yale has incredible research/internship opportunities and intimate CS community where peers are always collaborating with each other (very opposite from CMU where it’s more competitive). However, since I’m from California, I think I would love to remain on the west coast when looking for jobs in the future, and from what I’ve heard, tech companies love CMU (for a solid reason because their CS students are the bestest best for its course rigor whereas, at Yale, cs courses tend to be easier and students happier lol) and would favor #1 CS schools over others. So one of my questions is, are Yale CS students not as competitive when it comes to finding jobs in big tech companies? Or is that not true?
I’d love to hear anyone’s input on this, and if you happen to be a Yale or CMU student/graduate, it would be great if you could give me some advice :)) Thank y’all.
Cmu
Read what you wrote.
You are not comparing Ivy to Delaware.
You are comparing Ivy to a top 3 which is Ivy like. Ivy is simply an athletic league.
Congrats.
Congrats on great options.
If you’re 100% all-in for CS, CMU is probably the better option.
If you’re a renaissance person who also loves CS, Yale is probably the better option.
While “Ivy” as an exclusive category isn’t terribly meaningful (which is to say, Stanford and UChicago grads, for example, aren’t at any disadvantage for not having an Ivy League degree), CMU doesn’t have the same level of across-the-board prestige. It’s a very good school generally, but only ascends to the super-elite level in certain majors - CS, musical theater, and perhaps some other STEM and fine arts fields. (Edited to add, business is up there too.)
As for CS hiring, it tends to be very much skills-based these days. So, you might enjoy college more with “easier” classes, but if you want to stand out when an employer gives you a skills test, rigor is important, whether that’s externally or internally driven. I’m sure the rigor is available at Yale if you want it, though.
Very, very different experiences. Do you see college as CS-immersion with some GE’s for variety, or do you see it as intellectual exploration with a CS emphasis? Do you want to be part of your school’s “crown jewel” program, or do you want to be somewhere where other majors are equally valued and many of your friends have completely different interests? Both preferences are valid - you just need to be self-aware about what you would find more fulfilling.
The way you present yourself, I tend to think that you’re more of a CMU person who just hates to pass up the chance to say he went to Yale. If that’s the case, go to CMU. But if I’m wrong and you’re really a Yale person who is considering giving up his dream school in pursuit of a slight hiring edge, go to Yale. If you don’t end up with the career opportunities you’re hoping for, it won’t be because you chose either of these schools over the other.
CMU is the more prestigious name in the tech industry, so “turning away an Ivy” doesn’t really matter when it’s Yale CS.
At most tech companies these days, the first screening is a technical assessment. So the name of your school doesn’t matter by itself because hiring managers won’t see your resume until you’ve passed the technical screen. CMU students do well because they tend to be stronger applicants, not because of their school name per se.
Tech companies do have target schools - and CMU is indeed a favorite and draws many more employers to campus than Yale. But Yale students who get through the technical assessment will do fine as well.
You’re more likely to land up on the west coast from CMU than Yale because CMU grads tend to go to Silicon Valley tech firms and Yale grads tend to gravitate towards Wall Street.
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Now, having said all that - what really matters is what kind of student you see yourself as and what you want in a college experience. If being among the best CS kids in the country is what drives you, and others bragging about how little sleep they’re getting doesn’t bother you then CMU is your home. OTOH, if you want a more rounded education and a more enjoyable and “full” college experience, Yale is where you should go.
If you think of yourself as really being “into” programming and enjoy the feeling of being much more advanced in CS than your high school class - be aware that when you land at CMU you might suddenly find yourself to be average. Of course, I don’t know you or your HS profile so this may not apply - but I’ve seen this happen and it can be demoralizing. OTOH, your advanced CS knowledge could make you king of the hill at Yale.
Bottom line: choose based on fit. I know people say this about most schools but I think CMU is one of those where fit really matters.
Fit is very important for CMU. It’s not for everyone. If it’s a fit then go. There are only a few other schools that compare for CS and robotics.
If you’re interested in being well rounded then Yale might be a better fit.
Paging @mathmom
+1 for CMU, although I agree - FIT is important in the decision!
My son had the choice between Harvard and CMU. It was indeed a difficult choice which he wrestled with till the very last minute. He went to accepted students weekends at both places and discovered that Harvard did have a small intense community that liked the same things he liked (sci fi films, board games, hanging together playing video games). I am sure he could have been happy there, but I don’t think he would actually have taken advantage of the things that make Harvard Harvard.
I can tell you that CMU did not feel like a cut throat competitive place at all. People know how to have fun. My son went back to see old friends at Carnival for a few years. When the financial crisis hit and his summer internship was withdrawn after his sophomore year, friends were able to steer him to another company which still had openings. Another friend who was already at Google put in a word for him at Google for a summer internship which led to a job offer there. His computer nearly always has a window open with a chat open to all CS grads. The alumni network is really strong.
You can be well-rounded at CMU, but you don’t have to be. You’ve got great choices either way.
but Harvard CS program is superb (and very under-repped). So H vs CMU is a very hard choice, in fact, I may have picked H (not 100% sure). Y vs C is an easier choice IMO.
What you are saying about CMU and Yale doesn’t sound like it comes from firsthand knowledge of either schools, the CS major, or hiring in the industry.
It doesn’t resonate at all with my firsthand experience of one of the schools or hiring in the tech industry.
Are you speaking firsthand?
I am concerned that a lot of the advice you are giving will be counterproductive to this student’s decision making, but if you have been a student/parent at either school, have a CS degree, or hire CS majors, I will defer to your experience, though it happens to be
very different than mine.
I tagged the wrong person! I apologize. I meant to tag @aquapt His comments are what I meant to comment on.
I’m not sure Harvard’s program was so superb then. He applied the year they announced the creation of the engineering school and I am sure that factored into his being accepted they were looking for an influx of strong engineering types.
I don’t think when my son applied (to Google) technical assessment came first, my impression was that people already at the company could nominate people they knew who then had to pass some sort of assessment. (He may also have been on the Google radar because he did quite well in one of their sponsored programming contests.)
No worries. Thanks for clarifying.
Nevertheless, for the record: I have a CS degree, been hiring CS grads for over 2 decades and have a family member who’s a CMU grad. 
I thought you were giving solid advice, so I am not surprised at your qualifications, lol!
Okay. If you’re so concerned that an accurate perspective is missing, why aren’t you describing yours?
I have some firsthand experience, but more secondhand experience (direct, though, not just random hearsay). Happy to consider where I might need to amend my perspective, but since you seem to agree with people who appear to be saying substantially the same thing I said, I’m confused as to where the disagreement lies, beyond the fact that any attempt to draw a distinction is bound to be an oversimplification.
Agree that you and DadofJerseyGirl said essentially the same thing.
I write this as a parent of a recent Yale grad who applied as a CS major but pivoted to Math and is now working in ML.
Below is the way my family felt about the two schools.
But not at the level of CMU. Nobody in the field would think so.
In any case, Harvard is not on the list. It’s CMU versus Yale.
I will third @aquapt
Also, if you like math, especially pure math, Yale would be the better choice.
My best lead developer wasn’t even a CS major - ORIE from Princeton …
It’s so much more about the person rather than school … clearly OP is a very bright kid, so he’ll succeed no matter where he goes …
When it comes down to a choice like this I think you should be strongly biased towards the school that will provide the most CS opportunities. Unless there has been a big change over the last few years, CMU should be the best option for the “seriously into CS “ crowd.
Math-wise, CMU is very hard-core about the Putnam competition and recruits strong competitors. The strength there in math is not to be discounted, but the vibe is different from what you’d find at Yale.
True again, although CMU doesn’t come close to MIT in that competition! Yale had a team place fifth in this past December’s Putnam. This was the first time in decades that Yale had a team place that high. They also had a decent # of students place in the top 500, mostly due to the presence of one prof who fostered participation.