<p>I am having trouble figuring out which college is best. My heart says Luther, but it is common knowledge that Iowa State has the better program. How much does credibility matter? Do schools like ISU have huge classes of kids as opposed to the smaller classes at Luther? These schools are just examples, more generalized opinions are more than welcome. </p>
<p>If you go to <a href=“https://my.luther.edu”>https://my.luther.edu</a> and look at the schedule of classes, you will find that the actual offerings of advanced (300- and 400-level) CS courses (other than independent study, internship, and senior project courses) is very limited (typically only 2 to 4 each semester, and not that many unique ones, even though there are more listed in the catalog). If you are going to study CS in college, it would not be a good idea to go to a college where the CS offerings are so limited.</p>
<p>Iowa State’s schedule of classes is here: <a href=“http://classes.iastate.edu/”>http://classes.iastate.edu/</a> . It appears that most CS classes have a sometimes-large faculty lecture, supplemented by TA discussions of up to 30 students each.</p>
<p>There are some small colleges with cross registration agreements with other colleges where that can fill in the gaps in the offerings. But Luther does not appear to have such an arrangement.</p>
<p>I know both of these places fairly well. Luther is one of the best liberal arts colleges in the state, and is located in an adorable small town. ISU is a fairly typical large public U, located in a nice (but not adorable) smaller city. If you can afford Luther, and you would like the LAC and small-town experience, it is perfectly OK to choose it over ISU. But before you do that, see if you can find out what becomes of the Comp Sci graduates. Is is difficult for them to find work? Do many of them transfer out by junior year so that they can attend places (like ISU) that have more offerings in upper-division courses?</p>
<p>You also should consider alternate majors that each place offers, should you decide not to stay in Comp Sci. It probably will be easier to change from one major to another at Luther, but there may not be as many options in subjects that you are interested in as at ISU.</p>
<p>I did visit Luther yesterday. I went to a session with the Computer Science Department Head. According to him, many of the students either transfer to get their Masters at a larger university or get a job. They said, because it is a small program, that the major doesn’t take very long to finish, making it possible to double major pretty easily. I would be interested in this as well. He had said something about pairing majors together, such as biology and CS or chemistry and CS, because CS can be applied to many different areas of study. Is this true or was he just BSing?</p>
<p>It may be easy to double major CS and something else at Luther because there are not that many CS courses offered, so you would need to find something else to take after you have used up the CS offerings there.</p>
<p>I see. There are plenty of things that I am interested in, so I may be able to do that. Thanks for your quick responses. </p>
<p>No he’s correct. The LAC structure makes it pretty easy to major&minor, or double major, and you’re encouraged to take classes in a variety of subjects regardless.
Since students only take 4 courses per semester, including 1-2 in ged eds, 2-4 upper-level classes per semester should be sufficient. It doesn’t imply a lot of choice but it covers what’s needed. A college like Luther would offer 600-700 classes each semester which is plenty when you can only take 4 per semester. 
The key question is fit: do you want more interactive classes with more personal contact, or do you want a larger Greek presence and more emphasis on athletics, for instance? Would the religious component (although it’s open to other faiths, Luther is a Christian college) matter to you? Is music important to you (as it is a big deal at Luther).
You’ll find generally more academically focused students at Luther, but a greater variety of students at Iowa State so if you choose Luther you have to be sure it’s a good fit.</p>
<p>I know a ton of CS majors that end up with either a Minor or Double Major in Mathematics. You already will have to take anywhere from 3-5 semesters of classes equal or above Calculus anyway.</p>
<p>I know that Luther doesn’t have quite as much of a math requirement in Computer Science. In fact, their department isn’t part of the Mathematics department like many college’s CS departments are. That said, I’m guessing math is pretty important for this major, unfortunately for me. </p>
<p>If you don’t like and/or are afraid of math or science, then do not go to Iowa State. You will take Calc 1 and 2 and another math course. You will also need 13 hours in natural sciences, which requires a 2 course sequence in either chem, bio, or physics…the same courses required for engineering and pre-med majors.</p>
<p>It is a very tough course of study at Iowa State, many start CS at Iowa State but lots transfer to another major.</p>
<p>The intro calc and natural science courses are weed-out courses at Iowa State. My son had AP Calc AB in high school and still found Calc 1 at Iowa State a big challenge that required tons of work.</p>
<p>Iowa State makes it easy to change from one major to another; just as easy as an LAC. It is easy to double major at Iowa State, lots of students do it. My son is a double major in urban planning and economics and will be able to finish in 4 years. Has had lots of faculty contact, some large classes, some small classes.</p>
<p>Another major to look at is MIS within the College of Business at Iowa State. Good program with great placement and entry level salaries, a very flexible major. Much less math than CS and less technical.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The problem is, there are only about 5 unique junior/senior level CS courses that are regularly offered (other than independent study, senior project, or internship courses), based on looking at Luther’s schedule for the past 4 semesters and this coming fall. The catalog lists 2 additional senior level CS courses that have not been offered in the past 4 semesters. There appear to be only 4 instructors listed in the schedule (of which 3 are listed as faculty at <a href=“https://www.luther.edu/computer-science/faculty/”>https://www.luther.edu/computer-science/faculty/</a> ).</p>
<p>I have looked into MIS and Informatics and find it to be pretty interesting as well. I just like any of that technology stuff. </p>
It is true and it is an amazing opportunity to stand out from the crowd and be ready for a variety of options. If your heart tells you “Luther,” I would listen. It’s a place like no other. If you work hard, your professors will notice and there will be things available to you like internships that may not be as readily available at places where you are another face in a sea of students.
Wow I’m surprised that you commented on this old post. Thanks a lot! If anyone is wondering, I ended up choosing Luther. It was the first school that I visited and it was the only one that gave me a feeling of personal satisfaction among those that I visited. I just couldn’t get over its serene beauty and laid back student body. The faculty/staff also seem to be very supportive and I really like the philosophy behind liberal arts educations.
I’ll be studying Computer Science with possible double major in management or psychology. I’m also considering a minor in MIS. Thanks for your responses everyone!
Also I already landed an internship for the summer at a local industrial electronics vendor in town. I’ll be working in their IT department.