Question for you smart CS people

[cvmom]

If money were no object, and assuming you/your kid was accepted, which CompSci undergrad program would you choose? Assume you have a strong foundation already, no need for standard undergrad classes, and are looking for the most rigorous program with best potential for good internships for undergrads. Some options: Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, MIT, Princeton, UIUC, Stanford, Harvard.

[afx114]

Stanford, for the networking alone. Everyone I work with in Silicon Valley went to Stanford.

[Anonymous]

yeah, I would say it depends on where in the country they want to eventually work. For West Coast/Silicon Valley Stanford or Berkley just because of the local recruiting.

Otherwise from an educational standpoint it doesn’t really matter. This is just undergrad after all and those are all elite universities.

For general recruiting, Fortune 500 companies and Government would recruit all of those schools, probably Ivy would be worst choice.

[Coronita]

If money really is no object, and your kid’s credentials allowed them to attend the school(s), AND if the kid has the ability to complete the degree with reasonable performance (I.E. not flunk out), then I would say send your kid to the most elite university that opens the most doors for him/her, BOTH in engineering AND outside of engineering, provided he/she wants to go there.

The reason is because I’ve seen many cases in which people who thought they wanted to be engineers ended up realizing halfway through their degree they absolutely hate it and want to do something else, and when that happened, who well they turned out depended on how well the school offered Plan B.

Also, it depends on how hard your kid wants to work. If he just wants an easier time and enjoy life too, and stay in engineering, you might want to think twice about sending him/her to Berkeley’s EE/CS program unless he’s just brilliant. I’ve personally think it’s much better to coast through college at a “lesser school” with mostly A’s and enjoy life than to struggle through something like Berkeley with a C-. You’re probably more employable in the former case too…

[paramount]

Notre Dame

[flyer]

Here you go cvmom:

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-computer-science-engineering-schools-in-america-2015-7

Our daughter received her MD from Harvard, and one of our sons an MBA from same. CS son graduated from Berkeley, and all are doing well.

However, as I’ve said on this forum before, with regard to “after graduation” realities–given equal educational opportunities–connections still seem to trump the degree, so networking is key.

Also, here are the acceptance rates at some of the schools mentioned:

School name (state) Fall 2014 acceptance rate U.S. News rank and category
Stanford University (CA) 5.1% 4 (tie), National Universities
Harvard University (MA) 6% 2, National Universities
Yale University (CT) 6.3% 3, National Universities
Columbia University (NY) 7% 4 (tie), National Universities
Alice Lloyd College (KY) 7.1% 30 (tie), Regional Colleges (South)
Princeton University (NJ) 7.4% 1, National Universities
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 7.9% 7, National Universities
United States Naval Academy (MD) 7.9% 9 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges
College of the Ozarks (MO) 8.3% 4, Regional Colleges (Midwest)
Brown University (RI) 8.7% 14, National Universities

[paramount]

UCSD

[svelte]

cvmom,

If you’re looking for what college opens the most doors, I would say that depends on where the graduate wants to start a career. Schools have different reputations in various companies/areas of the country.

If the graduate will have a career in SoCal, then it is my opinion that Harvard and Stanford would be the most prestigious to the largest number of employers.

I’m not as connected with school reputations in other areas of the country.

For internships specifically, companies tend to draw from schools where they have established relationships, so it may be worth having the student decide where they want to intern and finding out where that employer typically gets interns.

And as flyer points out, networking is probably just as important as school.

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=flu]If money really is no object, and your kid’s credentials allowed them to attend the school(s), AND if the kid has the ability to complete the degree with reasonable performance (I.E. not flunk out), then I would say send your kid to the most elite university that opens the most doors for him/her, BOTH in engineering AND outside of engineering, provided he/she wants to go there.

The reason is because I’ve seen many cases in which people who thought they wanted to be engineers ended up realizing halfway through their degree they absolutely hate it and want to do something else, and when that happened, who well they turned out depended on how well the school offered Plan B.

Also, it depends on how hard your kid wants to work. If he just wants an easier time and enjoy life too, and stay in engineering, you might want to think twice about sending him/her to Berkeley’s EE/CS program unless he’s just brilliant. I’ve personally think it’s much better to coast through college at a “lesser school” with mostly A’s and enjoy life than to struggle through something like Berkeley with a C-. You’re probably more employable in the former case too…[/quote]

I CONCUR.

[bobby]

does the “CV” in your name stand for curriculum vitae?
(sorry can’t resist)
🙂

[Coronita]

The problem with a lot of large employers is that they have a minimum GPA requirement for new grads, no matter how good you might be. So in a lot of cases getting a c- at say Berkeley is a lot more damaging than say getting a bunch of a and b at UCSD. Also, think about grad school. Doing crappy at Berkeley may preclude your kid at getting into a top tier graduate or MBA program, especially if he/she doesn’t spend much time out in industry before going to grad/b school.

All else being equal, it’s better to be the big fish in the small pond versus the small fish in a big pond, IMHO.

Kinda like how it works in industry. You don’t want to keep getting promoted to the point you are in a role where you are incompetent.

[flyer]

Agree education is not a one-size-fits all. That’s where facing the realities of your kids strengths and weaknesses comes in, so you can better advise them concerning their real world options.

Imo, whether they attend college or not, if your kids can find a career they enjoy–in a place they can enjoy living their lives–that’s what really matters.

[cvmom]

You guys are so helpful. This board is a goldmine of info and I appreciate it so much. Thanks so much to each of you!

ps. I would give more info about the situation if I could, but since the person in question is not me, I just don’t feel comfortable posting any more details. In any case, I will say that your input has been VERY helpful, and leave it at that.

[an]

[quote=flu]The problem with a lot of large employers is that they have a minimum GPA requirement for new grads, no matter how good you might be. So in a lot of cases getting a c- at say Berkeley is a lot more damaging than say getting a bunch of a and b at UCSD. Also, think about grad school. Doing crappy at Berkeley may preclude your kid at getting into a top tier graduate or MBA program, especially if he/she doesn’t spend much time out in industry before going to grad/b school.

All else being equal, it’s better to be the big fish in the small pond versus the small fish in a big pond, IMHO.

Kinda like how it works in industry. You don’t want to keep getting promoted to the point you are in a role where you are incompetent.[/quote]I totally agree about the big fish in small pond vs small fish in big pond. There have been a study done exactly on this topic and data showed that you’re more likely to be successful, make more money, publish papers, going to higher education when you’re the big fish in a small pond vs small fish in a big pond. You’re also more happy as well.

I personally wouldn’t fret too much about going to the absolute best college. Life is long and I feel like luck plays a huge part in financial success. If you’re meant to be successful, you will be regardless of which college you go to. If you’re not, you can be going to Stanford, got burnt out and become a bum after dropping out or even worse, commit suicide because you feel like a total failure. This comes back to big fish in small pond and small fish in big pond theory. When you’re the big fish in a small pond, you also have a lot more chances to build up your confidence and self esteem, which help greatly in the real world.

[scaredyclassic]

My middle kid just got accepted to Humboldt state! I say go! Not only could he be a strong fish in a small pond, if he can avoid drugs, which I think he will, he could be stone cold sober in premed classes with hungover stoners and slide into med school easily!

[Author]

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