So I’ve been deliberating on the prospect of going to either of these schools and I’m pretty much stuck at a dead end. I plan on studying computer science and I’m pretty sure I’ll stay within the comp sci/math field as a major. I’m super interested in theory, research, but I also like learning to make stuff too.
I’ve been accepted to the ACES program at UMaryland and given a full scholarship(would cost ~2k/yr), while the cost of attendance at uChicago would be ~35k/yr. I’m unsure about my plans post graduation but if I go to Maryland my parents will fund my grad school and so I’d graduate grad school debt free. At either of these options, I’d be able to graduate undergrad debt free.
I visited uChicago and I felt more at home, although I feel I’ll be at home at either of the two schools. Upon flipping a coin, I was upset when it landed on Chicago and upset when it landed on Maryland. They didn’t do such a great job of convincing me that uChicago had a great computer science program during my time there so I’m unsure of the quality of this department.
The following is just my breakdown of what seems like the pros and cons. If you have anything to add or I forgot I’d be more than happy to hear it!
Univeristy of Chicago:
Pros
City of Chicago
Diverse Student Population
Class Size
Prestige
Housing
Learn a lot
The Core
Can talk intellectually easier
school has tons of money
More attention to me
Better at Math & Everything else
beautiful campus
Research
Cons
Expensive
Many many many many Introverts
Small and focused comp sci program
Harder School
Stressful
Weather sucks
Not much Entrepreneurship
Far away
Some of Core sucks(history part)
University of Maryland - College Park
Pros
Good Computer Science
Entrepreneurship
Would have xtra money to do stuff like Study Abroad
Less Stress
Engineering School
ACES
ACES Dorm
Close to home
DC
parties
Flexible Curriculum
Many people=Many different people/views to talk 2
Cheaper
Grad School
Cons
Homogeneous Population
Big Classses
College Park sucky town
My friends would be mostly comp sci majors
Weather sucks(though not as much)
harder to talk intellectually w/ people
less attention to me b/c so big
Not scenic campus
Research not as easy
92:1 student to faculty ratio
76% Maryland residents
Thoughts?
At the moment, I’m leaning towards Maryland.
140k is a lot to spend on a school depending on your financial situation but 4 years is also a long time and the difference between Maryland and Chicago is pretty extreme. I’d go with UChicago.
@Sam998 As a school in general I agree but computer science isn’t uChicago’s strong suit and UMaryland is as good, if not better in that field. I also kinda think that whole thing where they sell “teaching you to think” is just marketing. eh idk. I’ll hear some more thoughts
@Coldsummer123 except in really extreme cases (e.g. schools in DC for international relations), I’m generally a seller on the notion that schools have departments in which they are really strong and departments in which they are really weak. UChicago is amazing in just about everything and UMaryland is fine but not even close from a holistic perspective. I would not base your decision on subject specific criteria.
My oldest is at UChicago, UMD was a contender for him 4 years ago, and for my youngest last year. Banneker Key scholarship is a wonderful deal, along with the ACES program.
CS at UChicago is a bit different from CS almost anywhere else-very much a theory based program. UMD has a top-notch CS program.
My S has loved his time at UChicago, but it is not for everyone. UMD has a great program at a great price-you can’t go wrong to study CS there.
@Sam998 That sounds like an argument for prestige. It’s almost completely irrelevant how good the college I go to is at History or the arts, as I’ll take maybe 1 course in those areas as a requirement. If the argument for this is the quality of students are better, then I agree wholeheartedly. However, if the argument that somehow the prestige of a specific program “spills over” to another than I think that this isn’t really too true. I’ll be dealing with the individual program for pretty much my whole time at Maryland and 1/3 of all my courses at Chicago will probably be in this program, so I think it is valuable to look at the programs.
Idk tho, that’s just my feel. I get why a holistic perspective would be useful but I feel like the whole prestige argument, which seems to be hand in hand with holistic, is the justification people use to go to schools they can’t afford.
@Marylandfour Thanks! Yeah, I think I’ll like CS at UChicago too, as it seems to be very math based and I also love math. They both just seem really good. Do you know what kind of jobs students get coming out UChicago for computer science that aren’t in academia? I’m curious about what they do at their jobs and where(location and company-wise) their jobs are. It seems like UChicago does a pretty good job getting them to good jobs though. Everybody I met studying comp sci there had an internship at a big company.
@Coldsummer123 it’s not a prestige argument. It’s an argument that schools don’t tend to be totally all over the place in the quality of their academic programs. Also the quality of the student body is a massive consideration. Massive. I’m currently trying to transfer from my current institution largely because the student body is just not of a very high quality. Don’t want you to end up in the same spot!
@Sam998 Thanks! I understand then. Yeah. You’re right. Chicago kids are pretty unique and the diversity I encountered on the overnight was incredible.
However, I’ve met a bunch of kids at Maryland and the guys in ACES were bros so I doubt I’ll have problems with the quality of the academic body. Also, Maryland is so large that I’d be surprised if I couldn’t find at least some people I like.
On the academics part, I understand what you’re saying, but I feel like that would be a better argument if I didn’t know what I was interested in. Since I know(roughly) what I want to do I think it’s valuable to look at the department I’d be working with.
Can you afford the $35,000 without incurring any debt? Would you be OK with not saving up the cost difference and funding any grad or other endeavors?
My H is in high tech and has a PhD in CS. His grad education was basically funded by the dept. Sure, he had to live frugally but that’s was easy because he is low maintenance. His view is that with a CS degree and graduating from a strong CS dept, is all you need. People want to see internships, good refs and that will open doors for jobs or grad school.
My advise would be UMaryland if you can embrace it and make the most of the experience and save the money. Use it for funding grad school (living better off than most grad students), going abroad or setting up your own place after graduating. Go on an awesome family vacation. Maybe your parents can use it for their retirement.
If your family won’t miss the $35,000 a year and you really want UChicago for the experience, go for it.
Thonk about it more. Then talk to your parents and get their input.
@goingnutsmom
Yes I could incur the 35k w/o incurring debt. My family would be a little bit tight but I could help with getting jobs over the summer and such.
The problem is that I’m not sure that I want the uchicago experience. For a while I convinced myself I did but now I’m not too sure.
What are you unsure about with UChicago? The Core? Weather? Try to see if you can pinpoint that further and weigh in how important that is to you.
My guess is that if you have to convince yourself to go to UChicago, then it may not be the right fit for you. And that’s OK. Just because they accepted you doesn’t mean that you have to go. Try to put aside prestige and look at where you feel would be the best academic/social/financial fit.
I don’t know about the CS Dep’t, but we’ve ber researching UMD for my D who wants to double major in Accounting and Arabic with a Spanish minor and I am very impressed by all the opportunities abailable to top students there. Go with your gut and where you think you’d have the best overall college experience. My D is very bright but would absolutely hate Chicago…just not her people. It wasn’t for me way back in the day either and I turned it down and never regretted it. Good luck with your decision.
UMD CS is strong, but I want to push back on the idea that U of C CS isn’t good. It is very strong in CS theory (which is why their CS grads get jobs). However, if you are not gung-ho about the U of C, I would save the money. To me, that’s a good deal of money.
@PurpleTitan I don’t think I fully grasp the idea of computer science theory. What exactly is computer science theory? Is it algorithms like AI and Machine learning? Or is it computer architecture like graph theory and math with applications in computing? The former I find very very interesting the latter lesser so.
UMD has a top notch CS department - you will find a lot of all sorts of stuff there -theory, practical etc. Have you visited their web site to see what they offer?
And the math/CS students body there is of very high quality. Sergey Brin (founder of Google) went there as an undergrad…
Anyway, UMD is not your “average” flagship. A lot of high profile employers interview at UMD.
(Full disclosure: I got my PhD in Appl. Math from UMD. The math dept is also world class. )
That said, UMD does not have the cachet of U Chicago. Tough decision. Talk to your parents about the $$ angle.
BTW, U Chicago’s math dept. used to have a reputation of being very difficult, but not sure if that’s still the case.
Agree with @mathprof63 that UMD CS is very good (up there with the CS departments of “typical” elites and above typical flagships).
Theory is algorithms and math. Not stuff like designing compilers, designing operating systems, hardware/computer architecture stuff that the top “practical” CS programs are known for (or just churning out IT developers that lesser “practical” CS departments are known for). Obviously, they blend in to each other at the top end as well. Stuff like robotics, computer vision, and computer graphics may be considered “practical”, but they involve heavy-duty math and algorithms.
In my experience, name cachet only matters in a few industries. If you are only interested in CS, I would save the money, especially since you are not gung-ho about the U of C and UMD is fine in CS. If you might consider Wall Street or consulting (and have the makeup for it), the U of C would open more doors.
I didn’t go to UMD, but I’ve been working the DC area for quite a while and UMD CS grads are highly regarded. And there is a lot of opportunity at places like the FBI, CIA, NSA, DIA, NRO, and Homeland Security, not to mention all of their associated contractors (Northrop, Lockheed, Boeing, BAE, etc. plus many smaller specialty CS companies).
You’re already familiar with ACES, the first program of its kind in the nation (and sponsored by Northrup), so you may be interested in this other “first” that UMD is a part of.
My daughter received a nice scholarship to UMD but decided to go to an excellent full-pay Northeast LAC. Last month she told me that she would have been equally happy at UMD and she didn’t think the cost differential was worth it. My friend’s chose UMD honors with a scholarship over higher ranked schools and is heading to medical school without any financial worries.
