CMU SCS vs Cornell vs Columbia Fu SEAS

2331clk
Sun, 03 Apr 2011 10:30:29 +0000

My comments are from the perspective of having a son 5 years out of CMU who went through there with apparently similar interests as yours.

First, CMU SCS is virtually ivy level as far as selectivity, ie mid to lower teens. My feel is SEAS, though strong because it’s Columbia, isnt an engineering/tech powerhouse like Cornell/CMU. NYC is the deal breaker—an irresistable plus for some, minus for others. Cornell has the obvious benefits (like name recognition) you already know. The location imo isn’t appealing.

My son majored in CS, plus IS (information systems—>business-like degree) and stayed a 5th year for masters in IS (MISM). Turned out to be a formidable combination in spite of the dotcom bubble bursting around him in his early CMU years. He remarked that in internship interviews there was virtually nothing an interviewer could ask him that he hadn’t covered somewhere in some course. Had pick of top NYC investment banks where he’s worked since graduation, doing remarkably well. If your son is CS/business inclined CMU is ideal. You can go in any direction. Silicon Valley knows it well. At this point I’d drop the selectivity issue and visit if you can. btw Pittsburgh is surprisingly nice city with enough to keep a college kid busy. And NYC is especially nice when you’re still young and have the money to really enjoy it.