JHU [$54k] vs PSU Schreyers [$5k] vs Georgia Tech [$54k] (CS)

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Hello! I’ve reached peak procrastination on this subject, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Net price per year at each college, after applying scholarships and financial aid grants.

  • JHU: $54k
  • Georgia Tech: $54k
  • Schreyers ~$5k

Maximum parent contribution per year.

  • $50k

Major/honors programs

  • JHU: Applied Math + Stats (they’re flexible, so I’d also look at CS, MechE, CompE, Writing Seminars, and other sciences/humanities)
  • Georgia Tech: Computer Science
  • Schreyers: Data Science in the College of Engineering

If you applied to regular fall term start, specify if you were admitted to start at a different campus, in study abroad, in an online/distance or extension program, or other than in the fall term.

  • Georgia Tech: First Year Study Abroad in France (optional, but I would like to go)

Desired major and post graduation goals (including if pre-med, pre-law, etc.).

  • I’m very much I want to have my cake and eat it too.
    • I want to go to grad school and keep studying both STEM + the humanities (in undergrad at least)
    • But I also want to make money (lol) and feel like I’ll be financially secure after graduating.
  • Which is really unhelpful in terms of advice-giving, but I think I want to know- between delaying either of them to pursue the other first, which one would be easier to attain afterwards? And where would that work out best?

International or domestic student (and state of residency if domestic).

  • PA domestic

Student preferences beyond the above (including weather, class sizes, campus culture, college demographics, fraternities/sororities, distance from home, etc.).

  • Weather: sunny & warm would be nice because my mood takes a hit during cold/dark winters, but not a huge factor
  • Class sizes: Smallish, I’m used to 10-25 kids in a class, and I really prefer the smaller ones for discussion, getting close to my classmates, and getting to know my teachers
  • Culture: non-toxic competition, ideally people who like to help each other learn & support each other’s ambitions
    • social + intellectually engaged
  • Demographics: Preferably diverse
  • Greek life: I’m open-minded? Used to be very against but speaking with people in them at Gatech + JHU makes it seem not so bad
  • Career-readiness opportunities- good career center, accessible internships/ coops/undergrad research/clubs
  • Educational support- easily reached professors/TAs/advisors (just feeling like I’m not going to drown alone and I can access help if I need it)
    • Good advising in general
  • Rigorous/well regarded STEM curriculum but still w/ strong/interesting humanities (not just fluff classes)
  • Easy to explore different fields

Preliminary assessment of each college based on the above.

  • JHU:
    • Pros
      • Beautiful campus, smallish, quiet, I liked all the kids I met @ Blue Jay Day
      • Offers a lot of support- Life Design Lab, small classes, advising
      • Faculty mentorship (!!)
      • Lots of undergrad research opportunities in humanities & sciences
      • Flexible, could explore majors a lot
      • Small humanities classes + Writing Seminars major
        • opportunities to study translation!?
      • Everyone is locked in (would help me not fall into a slump/get distracted)
      • Don’t have to apply to clubs
      • Could take flute lessons @ Peabody & join ensembles (would audition for HSO)
      • Good grad school placement
      • Access to Baltimore- would go to aquarium & symphony orchestra
      • I think I could be happy here (intellectually if not in relaxation)
    • Cons
      • Money, tuition is very high & I might not get as much grant aid next year
      • Worried about getting a job after graduating
      • Competitive to get opportunities bc everyone is so locked in
      • Very theoretically based engineering classes (lighter on the projects side) (or so I’ve heard)
      • Smaller departments if non pre-med (although is somewhat a pro bc more individual attention)
      • Not as good for CS/AMS/engineering
      • No Hopkins-sponsored study abroad in the country I want to go to
      • Only takes my science APs
      • Difficult classes, worried I won’t be able to get as involved in ECs/other projects
  • Georgia Tech:
    • Pros
      • Warm, pretty campus (prefer JHU’s though)
      • Great CS program
      • FYSA (should help me get to know people)
      • Great career fairs + I heard career advising is good? (not super sure though)
      • Big on coops + internships
      • Access to Atlanta- aquarium, orchestra
      • Takes 38-46 credit hours of APs (I have to take a placement test for Physics)
      • Great job placement/starting salaries compared to the other 2
      • Gatech-specific study abroad to the place I want to go
      • Clubs also presumably non-application
    • Cons
      • tech school (obviously) so humanities presence is way smaller
      • really big, worried I’ll get lost in the crush of the CS kids
        • especially because I’m really mediocre at CS at the moment
        • huge classes → less support
      • very competitive
      • worried about finding friends in my department
      • CS is a closed major, I can’t really explore
        • worried i’ll hate it → get burnt out → tank my grades → waste money & find no job
      • 60/40 gender ratio (idk how big of an impact it’ll actually have but I still worry)
      • I’m not super interested in business/startup culture, which seems big here
      • This sounds stupid but the campus is really big and I mildly dislike walking (my stride length is very short) and I don’t want to take 20 minutes to walk to class
  • Schreyers:
    • Pros
      • Seems like a very small, tight-knit, ambitious group in a huge school
      • LOTS of perks
        • Priority registration
        • Schreyers in-house career counseling/advising
        • Guaranteed housing for all 4 years
        • Name carries a lot of weight w/ profs around campus (or so I hear from a friend)
          • Hopefully that makes it easier to do research/find internships/take upper level classes?
      • Would get 68 credits max from AP/dual enrollment
        • would save lots of money
      • Good vibes (met a friend at admitted students day)
      • Easy(er) classes give me more breathing room for other things
      • Great music program + can audition for wind ensembles
    • Cons
      • Huge school is still huge
        • Class sizes
        • It just feels crowded? Especially in the HUB
        • I still dislike walking
      • Unsure about how good advising is (heard it leans bad but idk with Schreyers advising)
      • Programs not as good as the other two
      • Not a big fan of party culture
      • Practically the valley of the plague, every time I go I get sick immediately afterward
        • SUPER windy → makes my already-teary tear ducts go crazy
        • weather in general is poor up there
        • exacerbates my allergies really badly
      • Middle of nowhere (no aquarium, no orchestra)
      • Worried about getting a job/grad school placement after graduation
      • Worried about lacking academic support
      • A sillier reason but so many kids from my high school go, it kind of feels like a defeat/extension of HS
        • I am susceptible to the clutches of “prestige” and worry about feeling very bad giving up both Georgia Tech and Hopkins

As I wrote this the clock ticked to the next day and I suddenly felt the looming deadline. Any advice before then is extremely appreciated! (And sorry for the excessive ramble)

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You had me sold at max contribution of $50K and only one option meets that - and don’t forget annual inflation. But in reality, Ga Tech costs less than you say. Their COA is $54,286 but tuition, room and board are $49,720. The $54K includes things like books, personal, and transportation. Off campus housing is hard to get and pricey - and being in the city, you’ll have ample opportunity to spend $$..

If you go to Ga Tech or JHU, how can you afford Greek life?

My concern with PSU is your major. Is this what you want? It is not CS.

Career readiness is up to you - look at Ga Tech - you think it’s top notch - right - and that’s it’s rank. Yet 24.5% of the most recent class they have info for in CS could not find a job. And that was with the school (not CS) showing a knowledge rate of about 35% - so they’re not even getting info from all. That worries me as those who don’t report are less likely to have something - that’s my hypothesis.

So you have one school that works - and that’s Penn State - but the major isn’t what you want - but why not double with math since you noted it at JHU. Or see if you can transfer into CS. I’d go to Penn State anyway in your case because I don’t believe in going somewhere you can’t afford - and you can go overseas at Penn State. Schreyer isn’t the reason I’d go but if you take advantage of what it offers (if its offerings interest you), it’s a great bonus.

We don’t know the knowledge rate at PSU - but the salaries certainly hold up well, even vs. Ga Tech. We don’t know the rate of kids not finding jobs and the DS major seems to be small.

But as an example - you mentioned MechE at JHU so not sure if you can get in at PSU. Ga Tech, in 2025, says whenever their snapshot was, that 71.2% of people who wanted a job got one. The Median salary was $82.5K - so half above and below. PSU says their average is $80,842. Mean to median but close enough. Is that $1700 worth $45K x 4 years?

The one thing with engineering anywhere is the academics are very regimented due to ABET and other requirements - so check a school’s flow chart. You’ll have some Humanities, etc. opportunities but your chance to explore may be limited or you may need to spend extra time to do all the explroing you want.

One last thing- you think PSU has bad advising. Most kids I’ve seen don’t even want to see their advisor, even if mandatory. My son’s program was like that. My daughter was in an Honors program and had multiple advisors and liked it. But I would tell you - you don’t pick a school because of good or not good advising. It’s not that hard to follow a flow chart. It’s great if it’s good and you only commented on PSU - but that would be the last reason or frankly no reason - top pick or dismiss a school. But given Schreyer, it will likely be solid - and if you make the effort in the engineering school, the same. Often these things are based on your effort - but honestly, it’s not the reason to pick a school.

I don’t love the major at PSU - unless it’s what you want - but I do think in this case that it’s the right choice - because I always start with affordability - and that’s where you need to be. And you’ll find the other schools will have inflation and with greek life, etc. even more expense with money you don’t have.

Good luck.

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Congratulations on these acceptances!

I will leave the affordability issue aside, only you and your parents can decide what’s best, what’s affordable and how far to push things. Have you spoken with your parents about the options? I would advise you not to make a choice that includes taking loans beyond the $27K total undergrad federal student loans (not sure if you would have to take loans for JHU and Tech.)

I would say imposter syndrome here…. Tech doesn’t admit any OOS student to CS who is ‘mediocre’.

CS is a closed major meaning no one can transfer/change to that major, not that you can’t take classes in other areas.

Will you be able to graduate in less than four years at Tech?

Why do you think you might get less grant aid next year at JHU? JHU meets full need, so unless your family’s financial situation has changed/changes in the future, I would expect them to continue to meet your need.

My questions for you:

Are you OK studying DS at Shreyers?

Your PSU concerns seem relatively more negative/harder to overcome than concerns at JHU and Tech. It is big, far bigger than Tech, which is one of your cons of Tech…

IMO there are too many “I heard” statements in your lists of pros/cons, not much time left for research though. I would encourage you to map out all four years of classes at each school to see which appeals more. Pay attention to how often and which semester a given class is offered.

All in all I could see you choosing any of these options. Your outcomes will be most related to your grades and the effort you put into finding internships/co-ops/jobs…none of these schools will do that networking for you.

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PA resident. Our HS sends many to PSU. Son graduated from GT. Know nothing about JH.

GT isn’t that large. It’s in Midtown but campus and enrollment is half of Happy Valley. They can be generous with AP/DE credits. Son and a couple of his classmates graduated in 3 years. One stayed a fourth and did a Masters in CS. GT wouldn’t admit you if they thought you’d fail. Having startups in the area is a plus. You can choose to take advantage or not.

Living off campus can be more expensive. I would assume same for JHU. GT dorms are mediocre and campus food is subpar. The saying is you don’t go to GT for the accommodations. That said, it’s in a large city with many options.

I would find it tough to pass up Schreyer and the cost of PSU. Lots of perks and recruiters know about Schreyer students. I’m sure you could study abroad as well.

The only thing I would reconsider is the major. I’m not a fan of data science degrees. There’s no standard curriculum and can vary between schools. Stick to known degrees like CS, math, etc. Some of the best data scientists I know were Physics majors. Also, there are so many students from all over the world I wouldn’t worry that it would be HS 2.0. Good luck.

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For Penn State CS, the criteria to declare or change into the major are listed here:

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I am GT alumni with DD who graduated from GT and another premed. If premed or prelaw, go to Shreyers and save your money. No grade deflation and no necessary stress. Result would be the same. CS is not the best major in current economy. CS+ premed? Are you kidding? PA will give you flexibility for everything and will save money for medical school or law school. Think about 45k per year for the future. That is huge!

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Wow, I read the OP and thought “obviously they want JHU” but then no one else in the thread was saying this at all. If your parents really can contribute 50K per year, then I think any of the three would be doable. You do not sound to me to like GT or PSU (especially if the latter makes you physically get sick every time you go??).

JHU is for sure a high-prestige degree to have on your resume, but it is a very specific kind of place to be; did you love it when you visited?

I get from your post that we should cut GT from consideration, and then decide if the money saved (which is huge) is worth it to pick PSU. I think likely in Honors (Schreyers?) you will get extra perks and advising which will make it a “smaller” school experience. I don’t think you have to spend a dime on Greek life if it doesn’t appeal to you; plenty of kids don’t.

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The term “data science” is relatively new to me. However, my understanding is that this involves a combination of mathematics and computer science. In my opinion this is a very good combination. It is in fact pretty close to what I did in university, although that was a long time ago and my degree just says “mathematics”. Regardless there are a lot of career options for someone who is strong in a combination of mathematics and computer science.

I think that you are comparing three very good options, one of which is significantly more affordable than the other two.

“Prestige” does not matter in computer science (this helps to explain the t-shirts and blue jeans). What you can do does matter. Understanding mathematics and data structures and algorithms matters. Writing code that works matters. Which school you graduate from does not matter much at all.

I personally would be inclined to go with the less expensive Penn State, and save some money for a master’s degree. I would also try to take at least one course in AI or machine learning somewhere along the way at some point. Then there are options to get a master’s in any one of a variety of related subjects such as computer science, mathematics or statistics, operations research, AI, or machine learning. It is very common for people getting a master’s degree to switch schools when doing it, very common for strong students to “switch up” in terms of ranking of schools, and I think that even the top ranked schools will be accepting graduate students from a very wide range of undergraduate universities. Thus I would personally be more inclined to get an affordable four year bachelor’s degree, then optionally maybe work for a year or two or three, and then decide whether I wanted to go for a one year master’s degree.

I would not worry about the weather at any of these schools.

At least when I was getting my master’s degree, the course work was almost all in my major or very closely related fields. This was a subfield of applied math (specifically operations research). I took one single elective, which was econometrics but which still uses a lot of math. Everything else was either a math course or a “how to use computers in solving these math problems” or was “how to apply these mathematical techniques to real world problems”. It is normal for a graduate degree to be heavily focused on whatever you are majoring in. However, you have plenty of time to think about this.

I think that you will find a lot of very smart students, some competitive students, and some cooperative students at any of these three very good universities. I think that you will also find quite a bit of diversity. Some of the diversity might be in dimensions that you have not thought about particularly when it comes to international students (which will exist at any of these schools).

I would not count on classes being particularly easy at any of these three schools. Certainly wherever you go, you should show up on day 1 expecting to need to put in a strong effort to stay ahead in tough classes. If you are taking any computer science classes, there will be some bugs in your programs which are difficult to debug. If you take any math classes, then there are likely to be some tough problem sets. This will be tougher than high school, although it sounds like you are ready for it.

I also think that you will find very good internship options at all of these three very good schools. Internships can be quite valuable and I would recommend that you take advantage of these opportunities.

I will look at this from the other side. At least in my immediate family three of us (mom, dad, older daughter) have graduate degrees from highly ranked universities, and the other daughter is currently a PhD candidate at a highly ranked university. We all have had the experience that other students in our graduate programs come from a huge range of undergraduate schools. This also seems to be compatible with the experience of others that I have talked to. This seems to be the case across a wide range of majors and a wide range of graduate programs. Even at the highest ranked graduate programs, there will be some students who come from undergraduate schools ranked lower than anything that you are considering.

You are comparing three very good universities. I think that they will all be fine in terms of graduate school placement. You will need good grades. Some very good internship or work experience will be helpful. Strong references will be important, and can come from both being a strong undergraduate student and from having good internship and work experience.

But I think that you can do well in terms of graduate school acceptances from any of these three schools. By the way in my immediate family three out of the four of us (but not me personally) got our bachelor’s degree at universities ranked lower than any of the three schools that you are considering, and we all still did very well in terms of graduate school placement.

I think given this choice I would go with the more affordable choice. I might also be tempted to gently ask your parents whether the money you save for undergrad could be put towards a master’s degree when the time comes. Getting a bachelor’s plus a master’s without any debt can be a valuable luxury.

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I recommended PSU only because of money as noted. JHU allegedly has a cut throat student body but that could be pre -med - and OP doesn’t want that environment. Engineering is typically less so.

If I were OP, I wouldn’t worry about grad school except the cost - so that’s more money.

But that’s why I wouldn’t recommend JHU (really the money) or Ga Tech - because living off campus ain’t cheap.

I saw the part of the PSU and sickness but I’m hopeful it’s coincidence.

You have to be able to afford what you do in life - and frankly PSU outcomes aren’t vastly different than Ga Tech.

OP is concerned with finding a job. I’d surmise given Ga Techs high level of kids who want jobs not finding them - they’d be worried too.

I’d hate for OP to spend money they don’t have and end up with that result.

Good luck to them.

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PSU data science appears to have three options: focus on a field of application, CS heavy, and statistics heavy.

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Pocket the $200k and go to Schreyer. Just make sure you choose the major you really want.

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Trying not to detail the thread but it might be of use for OP and others.

Data Science is a relatively new field. It has various areas of concentration. Depending on the concentration it might require higher levels of math, computer programming or business knowledge…or all three.

The problem with a Data Science degree is that each school has its own definition and variations. Some schools house it the business school where the highest level of math required is Business Calculus. Others house it in Computer Science or in Engineering. There’s no standard curriculum.

This leads into the second issue. If you want to go to grad school for Math, CS or some other degree how does your undergraduate degree in data science translate? It might not.

If you’re interested in Data Science for a career I always recommend a known degree. Any STEM degree is a good start like Math or Physics. Add a dual major or minor in Business or Data Science and you have a good start.

I would also add that I didn’t call out a CS degree. My experience is that computer programmers make better “techies” than data scientists. There’s pieces of CS for Data Analytics but not necessarily the best Data Scientists.

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This student seems to have a dual interest in a humanities major. They remind me of the type of student who may finish differently than where they start, given all the areas of interest. An applied math or stats degree could couple nicely if they end up in that route.

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Just to add. Of all the schools we visited I felt that GT had the most solid data science option. It’s in the Industrial Engineering program. It’s a known degree and there’s no doubt you will be mathematically prepared for data science. Plenty of of CS electives as well and it would prepare you for an advanced degree.

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Even with my limited math skills, I understand that ($54,000 - $5,000) x 4 = a lot of money. Certainly enough to purchase a golf cart to get around a large campus for one who dislikes walking. Or, consider buying a motorized skateboard or an electric bicycle or a private Uber driver service.

Can you graduate in 3 years from PSU given the significant number of credits from AP/dual enrollment ?

Do not underestimate the value of priority enrollment.

If still undecided, go to the ultimate tie-breaker: Which school has the best football team ?

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So Johns Hopkins? Technically, they are more competitive in their division than the other two.

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I think so, but I’d probably prolong it to 4 years anyway for co-ops/internships

My parents expect to get a significant raise at the end of the year (so I probably meant in 2 years, given that finaid used 2024 income)

I was (I liked the CS/math/stat combo aspect of it), but after reading everyone’s thoughts on it, I might have to reconsider. In that case, I’d be comfortable switching to CS/anything more stable.

Thank you for your advice! I definitely will map out the classes (like immediately).

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Few can predict which areas are more stable than other areas due to the rapid advancements in AI.

Might be best to stay flexible which means to preserve capital so that you can adjust if needed and so that you are not burdened with inadequate funds or unnecessary loans.

P.S. Invest in stocks with a strong commitment to AI.

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To be fair, I did really like both places when I visited & did admitted students day- all the ones I really didn’t like I already cut. And I think if it only came down to the illness aspect I think it would be okay after a semester or two of getting used to the environment.

Honestly yes, everything from the campus to talking to random professors. I did take the experience with a grain of salt both ways because on one hand I was more anxious given I had to visit alone + I was recovering from sickness and on the other I know I’m lowkey naive and wholeheartedly believe everything they say in the presentations/advertising. I’m just conflicted over spending a lot of money there and not making money back after graduation (especially if I split my attention between STEM/humanities)

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GT is doable in 3 years with enough AP credits. You can also take a summer class at a local CC if necessary. S20 graduated in 3 years but was on-campus for 4 years with a co-op. It worked out well. Look at degree requirements and map out if it’s doable.

Stable degrees are relative. What’s hot this year might not be next year. Finding a major/career that you like and have skill is a balancing act. Don’t underestimate how no debt offers you flexibility with career and life choices. Good luck.

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