I got into GT and CMU for computer science and am struggling to decide between them. I would love to hear insights about the pros and cons of both schools so it’s easier to decide. Thank you!
Congratulations on two excellent choices. You may get better feedback if you mentioned some more information about what kind of a campus/atmosphere you are looking for, affordability, and just more about yourself in general. In terms of prestige, CMU may have a slight edge due its long-standing history as a (or possibly “the”) top CS program in the country.
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CMU has more higher end prestige. Ga Tech has ACC sports and better weather. And likely costs less too although you may have gotten need aid at CMU.
Both will lead you to fantastic outcomes.
CMU cost is almost double compared to GT cost. Is it worth the cost considering opportunities and job offers received for a CMU graduate compared to a GT graduate?
Can your family afford CMU? Only you can decide if it’s worth it.
I don’t see a salary on CMUs dashboard but they show $90-150k. And then skips to $200k plus.
Ga Tech is hard to determine too.
Call each career office
I’d call and ask. Then you can decide.
I did find a blurb on the Tech website that shows a median $115k for CS, so half below and half above. I find #s all over the place for CMU. But it seems heavy out west which will drive up salaries.
So in addition to asking each for salary data you should get location data too.
What is your goal after getting CS degree? What is your desired professional outcome? Are you in GA/in-state for GaTech? What kind of study abroad or research opportunities you want to pursue? Are your extracurriculars available in these two schools in the form of teams, clubs, etc. Both schools have urban campuses, but still are very different, did you visit both?
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This is a very important question. Grad school? Research? Start ups? Silicon Valley opportunities? There is so much more than simply “which schools produce higher salaries post grad” and there are so many variables that can affect that.
These are both excellent schools. DK where you are located and if proximity to your home/ease of travel to/from school is at all a factor, but congrats on great choices!!
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GT is a top 10 program for CS. Some subspecialties are in top 5. The differences in ranking within the top 20, let alone the top 10 is negligible. IMO, that isn’t worth twice the cost unless there is a very compelling reason why you want to be at CMU and can afford it.
GT is not going to hold you back in any way shape or form.
I second doing a deep dive into the career outcomes/first destination surveys. You will see great overlap between the two schools in companies and salaries.
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There is no wrong answer here. Both are outstanding for CS. Both can be a grind. Dorms and food at GT are mediocre at best and that might be generous. CMU is probably slightly better.
I wouldn’t necessarily use career outcomes as the deciding factor. Lots of variables in the numbers. Both are tippy-top CS schools.
If you need to take loans or parents need to delay retirement to afford CMU I would attend GT. If you’re in-state for GT with Zell it’s a no-brainer. Good luck.
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I’m not a fan of rankings but this one at least attempts to use some metrics. Specialties can vary the rankings but overall CMU and GT are top tier.
It is hard to get CS jobs now for recent graduates from all colleges. As a result, salaries can be not as high. I would pick GATECH in this environment, unless your family has a lot of money.
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Is your family wealthy enough to pay the difference with no financial discomfort? If yes, go to CMU.
Will you require loans (or your parents having to empty out their retirement savings) to attend CMU? Then go to GT.
Congratulations on two great choices. I work in tech (and my team hires CS grads all the time).
There is no meaningful difference in reputation or prestige between these two schools in the tech industry. The main difference I think is that CMU’s curriculum is more theory focused and GT’s is more industry focused. This difference may or may not matter to you—it depends on your preference.
If the nearly 2x cost is going to be a factor, then you’ll be perfectly fine picking GT over CMU.
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I think that in terms of the overall reputation of these programs for computer science they are both excellent. You can do very well with a degree in CS from either of these excellent universities.
Which is a better fit for you is really something that you need to decide.
In terms of the cost difference, I do not think that any difference in the quality of education or outcomes between two excellent schools could possibly justify this. I know many families for which the difference in cost would matter, and a few families for which the difference in cost would not matter at all. For those families in which the cost does not matter, just picking the best fit would be appropriate, but might not be easy.
Have you visited both schools?
Have you looked at the graduation requirements for both schools? You should consider both general education requirements and major-specific requirements.
You will find a large number of very strong students and demanding courses and will need to work very hard at either of these schools. At least based on my experience (both as a student and as a TA) you will want to start any programming / software homework early because annoying little bugs can sometimes take quite a while to find.
Congratulations on being accepted to these two excellent universities.
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Consider the course rigor of these two universities:
These are each the first course you would take if you came in with a 5 in the AP CS A exam. The CMU course is significantly faster paced, and it also uses a lower level language and therefore also covers more low-level material (e.g. memory management)