<p>…and we consistently forget to mention that the musical theatre program is excellent, the design program is excellent (both at the top of their fields just like the CS program). Not sure about rankings, but IS and HCI both have very unique, interesting curricula that teach people quite a lot, as well. I’ve been really impressed by the IS/HCI students at CMU.</p>
<p>The most important thing to keep in mind with the whole prestige argument is that many people who can comment on “prestige” are not necessarily qualified to comment on what you would get out of a college, famous or no.</p>
<p>In many respects, you really only need to care about the prestige and offerings in the area(s) you’re interested in. Is a layperson without a comprehensive knowledge of where cutting-edge research is being done and the undergraduate experience at different universities going to have a solid handle on what schools are best for you? Is someone who’s involved in an entirely different field and therefore judges schools by their merits in a different field going to have a solid handle on what schools are best for you?</p>
<p>I don’t mean to say that prestige isn’t important or that name recognition or the “brand” of a university isn’t important, but it’s more reasonable to look at how knowledgeable and informed people in the field you want to get in view a school. It’s not really relevant to me if my grandparents in Asia haven’t heard of CMU if most of the employers or grad schools I talk to know the rigor of the program I’m in.</p>
<p>Outside of Asian dinner shindigs where your parents can brag about you, name recognition won’t be nearly as important as the opportunities you get at a particular university. Apply to CMU. Go or don’t go. Wherever you go, push yourself to do as much as you can given the (ideally) expansive resources that the university can offer you in your area of interest. It’s not about the college. It’s what you do there. Find an environment that is conducive to making you great.</p>
<p>/soapbox</p>