Northeastern Vs. UMich: Computer Science

College Search & Lists
21

My D is studying STEM in LSA. She has a major and two minors. At Michigan, you can earn your CS degree in LSA or the CoE, which you may know already. If you decide to switch majors, or double major, or add minors, which many, many students do, Michigan has many, many top 10 or 15 programs. Here’s a 2017 article:

https://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/news-events/all-news/lsa-in-the-news/forty-lsa-programs-in-the-top-ten–says-new-u-s–news-rankings.html

Of course, that doesn’t take into account the CoE, Nursing, Kinesiology, SMTD, etc. You just won’t get that kind of breath and depth of programs at NEU that you would at Michigan, which is why Michigan is a tier above NEU academically.

22

@sushiritto

I want to study CS through LSA. I’m just curious as to what benefits I would be getting by going to such a highly ranked CS program. Is the way UMich does CS completely different in the way a slightly lesser ranked NEU would do it?

The breadth and depth of UMich is certainly unparalleled!

23

A good deal are found in Boston and you can stay in campus housing if you get one there! That said there are plenty of co-op’s in most major cities in the US (and some abroad as well). Northeastern actually has some housing in some of the areas (SF, Chicago, NYC, DC I believe) and for everywhere else you typically find your own housing, typically with other co-op’s in the area and facilitated sometimes by Northeastern itself. Sometimes companies provide housing as well.

You’re still in classes for the same time as any other school (8 semesters minus incoming credit etc). The academic calendar is divided differently to make use of that, mainly through half semester summer semesters (Northeastern is a year round campus). While any major can be done in 4 years with 2 co-op’s, most opt for 5 years and 3 co-ops unless they are planning to go to grad school, in which case the extra year matters more. How quickly you graduate is basically up to you and how busy you want to be.

There’s a good explanation here (and other good info) in the schedule section here:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northeastern-university/2122590-co-op-information-and-faq.html

24

As I said, my kid is not studying CS, but there’s another CC member who has a kid (junior) in the CoE, though not CS.

@Knowsstuff Can you add anything to help the OP with CS?

25

I’d go to GA Tech. A top CS program, affordable (much cheaper than Michigan), and if you do not major in CS, you can major in math, physics, engineering, business, and many other things. Big-time ACC sports too (though football team is rebuilding) and great city with warmer weather. GA Tech also has co-op program.

Otherwise, if your family can afford it without taking out big loans or otherwise hurting too much, go to Michigan.

1 Like
26

@PengsPhils

Oh wow, that’s a very helpful thread thank you very much. I was not aware NEU had housing in SF and NYC etc.

27

Colleges where CS is offered generally do have an entry point in the CS course work suitable for students with no prior computing experience (they often also have alternate entry points for students with substantial prior computing experience).

For Michigan, it appears that the “no experience” entry point is EECS 183, while the “with experience or AP CS or transfer credit” entry point is EECS 280.
https://bulletin.engin.umich.edu/courses/eecs/

28

@Uzername Yep it’s pretty cool! I think it’s only 20 or so in the housing per region, far less than the number of co-op’s in each (I think usually 250 or so per cycle in the bay) but typically most people find apartments together outside of it. The school housing is typically a bit more expensive but “batteries included” so it’s a tradeoff people usually decide on case by case.

29

@Sunny66

I wouldn’t consider myself a purely math/engineering based person (although I do love both). From your understanding of Georgia Tech, does GTech have breadth in topics to study alongside CS?

30

Yes, though Michigan would have a wider variety and give you more flexibility. I know of kids who have majored in a wide variety of subjects at GA Tech. NEU is a great school too, but really tough to turn down GA Tech for not much more $ if interested in CS. Michigan is so much more $, but if you can afford it that’s great.

Their web site says “Georgia Tech has six colleges and 28 schools focusing on Business, Computing, Design, Engineering, Liberal Arts, and Sciences.” They have “37 undergraduate majors and 46 minors.” These are all their programs:

Aerospace Engineering. Minor, BS, MS, PhD
Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization. PhD
Analytics. MS
Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies. BS, MS
Applied Physics. BS
Applied Physiology. PhD
Applied Systems Engineering. PMASE
Architecture. Minor, BS, M.Arch, MS, PhD
Biochemistry. BS
Bioengineering. MS, PhD
Bioinformatics. MS, PhD
Biology. Minor, BS, MS, PhD
Biomedical Engineering. Minor, BS, MS, PhD
Biomedical Innovation and Development. MBID
Building Construction. PhD
Building Construction and Facility Managment. MS
Business Administration. BS, MBA.
Business Administration - Global Business. MBA.
Business Administration - Management of Technology. MBA.
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. BS
Chemical Engineering. MS, PhD
Chemistry. BS, MS, PhD
Chemistry and Biochemistry. Minor
Chinese. Minor
City and Regional Planning. MCRP, PhD
City and Regional Planning & Architecture. M.Arch/MCRP
City and Regional Planning & Civil Engineering. MCRP/MSCE
City and Regional Planning & Public Policy. MCRP/MSPP
City and Regional Planning & Law. MCRP/JD
Civil Engineering. BS, MS, PhD
Computational Data Analysis. Minor
Computational Media. BS
Computational Science and Engineering. MS, PhD
Computer Engineering. BS
Computer Science. BS, MS, PhD
Computing and Business. Minor
Computing and Devices. Minor
Computing and Information Internetworks. Minor
Computing and Intelligence. Minor
Computing and Media. Minor
Computing and People. Minor
Computing and Systems and Architecture. Minor
Computing and Theory. Minor
Cybersecurity. MS
Digital Media. MS, PhD
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Minor, BS, MS, PhD
East Asian Studies. Minor
Economics. Minor, BS, MS, PhD
Economics and International Affairs. BS
Electrical Engineering. BS
Electrical and Computer Engineering. MS, PhD
Energy Systems. Minor
Engineering and Business. Minor
Engineering Science and Mechanics. MS, PhD
Environmental Engineering. BS, MS, PhD
European Studies. Minor
Film and Media Studies. Minor
French. Minor
Geographic Information Science and Technology. MS
German. Minor
Global Development. Minor
Global Economics and Modern Languages. BS
Global Media and Cultures. MS
Health and Medical Sciences. Minor
Health, Medicine, and Society. Minor
Health Systems. MS
History. Minor
History, Technology, and Society. BS
History and Sociology of Technology and Science. MS, PhD
Human-Computer Interaction. MS
Human-Centered Computing. PhD
Industrial Design. Minor, BS, M.ID
Industrial Engineering. BS, MS, PhD
International Affairs. Minor, BS, MS
International Affairs and Modern Language. BS
International Affairs, Science, and Technology. PhD
International Business, Language, and Culture. Minor
International Logistics. MS
Japanese. Minor
Korean. Minor
Law, Science, and Technology. Minor
Leadership Studies. Minor
Linguistics. Minor
Literature, Media, and Communication. BS
Machine Learning. PhD
Management. MS, PhD.
Materials Science and Engineering. Minor, BS, MS, PhD
Mathematics. Minor, BS, MS, PhD
Mechanical Engineering. BS, MS, PhD
Medical Physics. MS
Manufacturing Leadership. PMML
Middle Eastern and North African Studies. Minor
Music. Minor
Music Technology. Minor, BS, MS, PhD
Naval Science. Minor
Nuclear Engineering. MS, PhD
Nuclear and Radiological Engineering. Minor, BS
Neuroscience. BS
Ocean Science and Engineering. PhD
Operations Research. MS, PhD
Occupational Safety and Health. PMOSH
Philosophy. Minor
Physics. Minor, BS, MS, PhD
Physiology. Minor
Political Science. Minor
Psychology. Minor, BS, MS, PhD
Public Policy. Minor, BS, MS, PhD
Public Policy Joint Degree with Georgia State University. PhD
Quantitative Biosciences. PhD
Quantitative and Computational Finance. MS
Real Estate Development. MRED
Robotics. Minor, PhD
Russian. Minor
Science, Technology, and Society. Minor
Science Fiction Studies. Minor
Scientific and Engineering Computing. Minor
Social Justice. Minor
Sociology. Minor
Spanish. Minor
Sports, Society, and Technology. Minor
Statistics. MS
Supply Chain Engineering. MS
Sustainable Cities. Minor
Sustainable Electrical Energy. PMSEE
Sustainable Energy and Environmental Management. MSEEM
Technology and Business. Minor
Urban Design. MS
Women, Science, and Technology. Minor

*Just looking at majors, they are below:
Aerospace Engineering. BS
Applied Languages & Intercultural Studies. BS
Applied Physics. BS
Architecture. BS
Biochemistry. BS
Biology. BS
Biomedical Engineering. BS
Business Administration. BS
Chemistry. BS
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. BS
Civil Engineering. BS
Computational Media. BS
Computer Engineering. BS
Computer Science. BS
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. BS
Economics. BS
Economics and International Affairs. BS
Electrical Engineering. BS
Environmental Engineering. BS
Global Economics and Modern Languages. BS
History, Technology, and Society. BS
Industrial Design. BS
Industrial Engineering. BS
International Affairs. BS
International Affairs and Modern Language. BS
Literature, Media, and Communication. BS
Mathematics. BS
Materials Science and Engineering. BS
Mechanical Engineering. BS
Music Technology. BS
Neuroscience. BS
Nuclear and Radiological Engineering. BS
Physics. BS
Psychology. BS
Public Policy. BS

31

@Sunny66

How has GTech being top ranked in CS affected kids coming out with an undergraduate degree? It seems that they do have a decent amount of breadth (though not at the scale of UMich). How would the post-undergrad opportunities differ from a school lower in the ranks?

32

I’m sure it’s been great for their CS grads – it’s one of the top programs in the country. I will let others in the CS industry chime in. I did not attend any of the schools under consideration.

33

If UMass Amherst and “Amherst” are the same thing. Go with Amherst.

My opinion:

  1. UMass Amherst: 28k cost
  2. Georgia Tech: 49k cost, co-op, prestige
  3. Northeastern Honors: 43k cost, co-op

Cut:
4. UMich: 67k too expensive
BU Honors: 77k a year too expensive
Tufts: 76k too expensive

34

You are really focusing on the difference between the quality of these CS programs, but as mentioned, those differences are minimal. What you should focus on is FIT and cost. Is full pay at UMichigan really affordable for your parents? Even after this stock market crash? I’d look into it carefully.

As to culture and fit - they are very different. Northeastern is a more non-traditional college experience in a cosmopolitan city. UMichigan is a tradition football experience in the midwest. What do you prefer? You are from Mass - do you like Mass and professional New England sports that are the focus in Boston? Do you want your college experience to be somewhere totally different than where you grew up? That’s what you should think about.

35

@sushiritto. I will do my best.

First thing is can your parents “cleanly” pay the fees for college for any of your choices. Don’t assume. Sit down and ask. My first look quickly at this was GT was a great combination. All the schools have co-op even Michigan. But at Michigan coops aren’t that big of a thing internships are. You can start at the lowest level at any of these schools and work your way up. Keep something in mind. GT and Michigan are very, very tough schools even for the best students. Read that sentence again!

Michigan is very, very lenient on switching majors or between schools. Not all schools are. You can do any combination of just about anything you can figure out.

As far as doing your own thing my son in engineering has about $15,000" grants for a student org he started , put on a complete conference last year and since canceled it is going online next Sunday for free on Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality and it’s real word uses. (PM me if you want a link. Microsoft, Ford etc are talking and doing demo’s).

His friends on his board for the student org are basically all CS students. Their internships last year were Microsoft, NASA , Amazon, and some tech company in Silicon Valley. 4/4 on this board. Not horrible.

You are right. The culture at Michigan is different compared to these other schools. No question about it. Rare to have a large Public school that the LSA student body is 3.9 unweighted with 32-35 Act. That’s most schools engineering students. It’s a very academic school. This gets overlooked.

They also will support anything you want to do. They have the money to spend on their kids. My son is a living example. Need more information PM me.

Name brand, no question. GT and Michigan have that in spades and also their alumni are powerful.

But for CS it’s such in high demand that you could go to Pundunk University and get a job.

So it’s comes down to what your parents can truly afford and what you want your 4 years to look /feel like.

NE is an excellent school. It’s just a different campus then Michigan’s. Very few schools have 115,000 at football games. Both schools will give you a different 4 year experience. Didn’t say one is better but just different.

Look up things like clubs and student organizations in your interest to compare between schools.

So my son doesn’t like coding. But in his 3 years has taken Java, C plus plus, Python , R, Sql, something else. I can tell you of a 2 day, 13 hours CS assignment in in the beginning CS mentioned. 1 problem took that long to figure it out correctly!! Lol. (the usual problems don’t take that long…lol.

36

@suzyQ7

You make an excellent point. Northeastern provides a great fit for me as it is in the city ,close to home, at a very reasonable price. However, it hurts to overlook the brand name of schools like UM or GT after working hard in high school.

37

@Knowsstuff Thank you for your very thorough reply!

Obviously, paying close to 40k- 70k a year for tuition is rarely going to be clean for anyone. However I am fortunate that all of these schools are legitimate options for me.

One thing that especially drew me in was your son’s and his friend’s summer internships. They certainly were not too shabby! Obviously all of them must have been very smart, but in your opinion, would acquiring such amazing opportunities just be easier at UMich compared to the other schools on my list. (Mainly NEU).

38

If it’s comparing CS internships from all of these, you can find a list of co-op employers at Northeastern here featuring a very similar set of names:

https://www.khoury.northeastern.edu/experiential-learning/undergraduate/co-op-overview/

Anecdotally I know Northeastern people in the bay from my time at Apple, Reddit, Tesla, Yelp, and Lyft.

39

@Uzername. Those were just the example of the random students on the board of the student org he co-founded. Keep in mind. You don’t go to any school and just get these internships. These kids are workers and leaders in other avenues at Michigan also
They have all made a name for themselves in one way or another. Companies want to see you engaged in the college community. The school didn’t get them anything. The students did. The one with Nasa also won the MIT hackathon last year…all these kids are smart. You have to be to go here or actually any of your choices.

For my sons group,the actual day they registered with the university several Alumni reached out to them. Some from Silicon Valley. He still has no clue how they actually knew.

Can’t think he just got lucky. The university has bent over backwards to help him/their group. Professors have become mentors and approached them since they all had similar interests. I have heard this from other parents also.

40

“You are really focusing on the difference between the quality of these CS programs, but as mentioned, those differences are minimal. What you should focus on is FIT and cost.”

This is what I think also. I have worked with great software engineers from MIT, Michigan, and U.Mass. You can get a great education at any of these schools.

I would save my money and get a great education at U.Mass.

Your hard work in high school will make you substantially better prepared to do well at whichever of these schools you attend.