Wow, 5k for Columbia… It’s a fantastic opportunity.
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Oh yes. This would be very smart to do.
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You can intern from Columbia and have CS-related summer jobs (if your first summer job doesn’t pay well, Columbia subsidizes living expenses).
Columbia is the behemoth in the NYC area and NYC has tons of opportunities :
I wouldn’t worry about professional experience or professional outcomes from Columbia.
The real differences are
- do you want to go through college quickly or do you want to savor your 4 years as a college student?
- are you interested in all the courses Columbia has to offer as well as its other opportunities or do you want intense all-CS, all the time?
- do you want to saddle your parents with those loans, thinking you’ll pay them back in a few years after graduation, or would you rather not deal with loans?
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I really think this makes my decision a lot easier. I feel like Columbia is the way to go!
The Core classes Columbia offers would allow me to find other passions and explore interests. I really want to be able to take my time with college and not have to rush too much. My parents were very hesitant with loans, so the chance to not have to take out any loans is super appealing.
Thank you so much for your help and thank you to everyone who gave me their advice. I will update everyone when I make the decision.
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I agree, there are arguments in favor of both; but I think I would lean toward Columbia too.
I think there’s a tendency (at least among some on CC) to view particular colleges as conferring superior opportunities just by virtue of attending. It’s important to keep in mind that the substrate through which those opportunities reach the individual is time. You have to be there, fully engaged and grabbing the opportunities as they arise; they don’t just magically accrue to some abstract account when you pay the tuition. I would see the financial freedom at Columbia, not just as freedom from post-college debt-repayment, but also as the freedom to engage fully for 4 full years, relatively-unburdened. That’s not a chance that comes along often, or for many, ever! (And clearly you have earned it - huge congrats for that!)
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Thank you so much! You have been very helpful and supportive!
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You have mentioned this a couple of times, but note there can be significant tradeoffs in graduating early from CS.
The first is that graduating in 3 years means you have fewer opportunities for internships, and internships really matter in CS. The second is that if you graduate in December, you could be off-cycle for companies that bring in a set of new hires during the summer, limiting your job prospects.
I actually saw this play out with a family I know in Texas. A bit of backstory is that the real college competition in Texas is to be in the top 5% of the high school class so that a student is guaranteed admission into the University of Texas. Because this high school weighted APs higher, it was common for the highest GPA students to have 20+ APs from high school.
This was a really strong student who was selected as a UT-Austin Turing Scholar. But he made the mistake of graduating in 2 1/2 years, and that too after having his summer Amazon internship canceled. So while most of his Turing cohort ended up at FAANGs or startups, he ended up at a defense contractor, which he still regrets.
ETA: I see that @Mwfan1921 made a similar comment.
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Oh wow! Thank you for this information!
I agree with this. Our youngest S just finished his 3rd year at UIUC in CS. He met all the requirements to graduate in 3 years, but he will not. He will return next year to get MCS and graduated in May 2026. Two reasons for this path - 1) he interned last summer, but not in the industry he was seeking. This summer he will be interning at a firm in the industry of his interest. The interview for this was last August 2024. If the firm hires him after the internship, the offer will be for the next August 2026. 2) he can complete the MCS in 1 year so 4 years for undergrad and graduate degrees made sense. We advised him to use the 4 full years for education. (Note: S applied for the MCS program last summer just in case he didn’t get the desired internship or the job market may be challenging, etc.)
I also agree GATech and Columbia are excellent options. Congratulations. If you were my S, I would advise you to seriously consider Columbia. I think you’ll get an excellent education and will have many opportunities for internships and future employment. Good luck!
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Thank you so much!!! This was good to hear.
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