Princeton vs Harvard vs Yale vs Brown for Computer Science / Robotics

BlueRedStar
Sun, 05 Jun 2022 15:26:44 +0000

Not timely, but given there is a lot of misinformation here in this thread, I will respond. For context, I am a CS academic working as Professor of CS for the last 25 years in a highly-ranked institution. So, I feel I know the area. I don’t have an axe to grind except that I went to Princeton (I don’t think that colors my view.)

I think Brown and Princeton stand out in this list. Harvard has never prioritized CS and is considered weak in CS circles. Though the name has a general appeal that may trump other factors. Yale has also not traditionally prioritized CS, but that is changing and their program is fast improving.

In robotics specifically, Brown clearly stands out in this list with people like Tellex and Konidaris. But for a deep dive into the area, you would need to go to CMU. But, really, I don’t think it matters at the undergrad level. It does for a PhD.

But, importantly, what matters is a focus on undergrad education. Brown CS and Princeton CS stand out for that. Princeton has a long history of CS innovation, starting from Turing, Church and von Neumann. Likewise, Brown is famous for its CS alumni who went on to start and chair other CS programs in other top places, e.g., George Forsyth who started Stanford CS, Lazowska who built University of Washington CS, and so on.

For people in the know, Princeton and Brown standout for undergrad CS education, especially if you want that in a context of liberal arts framework. But, if you want an intense deep dive into CS, you would be better off at CMU or MIT.