Harvard's not a bad CS program, but:

a) having alumni throw money at you to poach profs is not uncommon. UCSD just did that two years ago (I'm still salty b/c they took Kesden before I got a chance to take his class), at least a couple major unis do this every year.

b) it's not just the profs that make the program, lots more to it although having some great profs and great labs helps a ton (especially for research-oriented grad programs; undergrad it varies a bunch)

c) they are a solid program, definitely not the poster child of great-name-but-shit-tier-engineering (that's Brown), and you can also probably find a great CS program at Columbia too- but if you get the option to go to, say, MIT, you should take it over Harvard 9 times out of 10

Also, keep in mind that not all private universities are equally generous with scholarships (FAFSA #'s are just suggestions for the most part), even if you're actually in the poverty-ish range for income. But some are super-generous and you can get full rides off them if your financial situation is bad enough, so don't let finances keep you from applying to at least a couple. My general strat was to make sure you've got a 100% guarantee of getting into a school that is financially comfortable, then make sure you've got a 100% guarantee of getting into a school that's better than the previous financial safety (if one exists- if not, skip this step), then a 50-80% chance (your call) on getting into at least one school better than your safety/finsafety (if one exists), and then apply to reaches until you run out of resources to apply. Don't narrow the field until you actually have to, basically- so don't trim out schools you *want* to go to until you actually have to apply.

Edited 3/31/2017 03:43:48

Harvard's CS program has changed a lot in the last 2-3 years, and now would be a great time to join.

Edited 3/31/2017 03:58:24

Definitely apply to the Ivies and try for a scholarship. Some of them offer full tuition scholarship for low income students and loans for housing and other expenses. Low income students benefit from the Ivy League education a lot more than the high income students do (who would probably fare just about as well in the job market as if they went to a public university).

Definitely apply to the Ivies and try for a scholarship. Some of them offer full tuition scholarship for low income students and loans for housing and other expenses.

Fortunately, I'm not a low-income student, but which means I get no federal aid or as many scholarship opportunities. :(

JUST DO IT, MAKE YOUR MEMES COME TRUE.

In the UK we have an equivalent to the ivy league called the 'Russel group', although I think its got quite a few more universities in it.
I'm doing a degree in comp sci (not in Russel group one though) and I think it is necessary for various career paths, like maths based ones. If you want to do something very practical maybe its not for you. However there are various standardised ways of doing things and procedures and a university course will teach you them.

(Over 1 million Shia LaBeoufs)

Edited 4/5/2017 18:04:32

Im currently a Junior, but I want to go into Aviation, some big schools for me would be

-Air Force Academy
-Middle Tennessee State
-Univ. North Dakota
-Lewis Univ.

Or somehwere in Florida like
-USF
-UCF
-Univ. Florida
-FGCU
-Jacksonville State

@DerWyyy: Seems like a solid career path. How good are you at dragging people off of planes?

>college
Literally the greatest con ever pulled. Only schools worth going to are military ones

yeah ! school is for losers !

The best argument for college is the kind of person who goes around telling you it's not worth it. :)

Edited 4/13/2017 05:23:01

^ case in point

College seems hellish. Living in tuna cans for a couple years (I plan to go to med school eventually too) doesn't sound like fun.
But I won't go down that path.

I got a 33 on the ACT and based on sticker price my dad has pretty much said "I can only afford to pay for state schools so don't bother looking at any better schools."
I would love to go somewhere like Vanderbilt or some good private or public school nearby (My dad is UMich alum so Ive naturally grown to hate Ohio State) but sadly that may not be possible.
But if Ohio State is the best choice...

Edited 4/14/2017 18:09:49

@Andrew,

Good is relative.

I would argue that many community colleges offer the a similar education as a top-tier colleges. What you don't get... the school's name on your resume.

One thing that may be interesting approach is 2 years of community college, do well, and then transfer into a school for the name.

@Andrew: tuna cans/ramen is more of a joke than it is a reality. College students joke a lot about pulling all-nighters and not eating food, but the only all-nighter I pulled in college was because I really got into a work project... and I only ever ate ramen by choice (because I really loved pouring a whole bottle of chili garlic sauce in there).

You're in control of your life, and if you adjust well, you'll be enjoying it quite a lot.

State schools- especially UMich- aren't bad at all. In my experience (vicarious, through the CS community at OSU and the people involved with OHI/O), Ohio State seems to have the same administrative problems as most public high schools, but I mean if you're okay with staying in Ohio, it ain't bad and I'm pretty sure it's at least average as far as state schools go. If you're thinking of doing med, I know Johns Hopkins has some ridiculous scholarship money lying around (Bloomberg was an alum) so that might work out within budget. A friend of mine got in with a scholarship that would let him go for $2k/yr.

Edited 4/14/2017 19:53:04

2k/year total? Or that was his net tuition?
Believe me, Johns Hopkins would be fantastic.
But yeah, even I have to admit, Ohio State would be just fine.

But if Ohio State is the best choice...

So much U.S.-Americentrism in this thread, there's the whole world and tonnes of universities to go to, at very cheap or even free rates taught in English. Lausanne and Zürich Polytechnic School both cost 1250 CHF (~1240 USD) for tuition each year for all students (foreign and inborn - that's pretty damn commendable imt) I believe and are in the top 20s in most rankings of engineering/technology schools (#12 and #5 respectively here: https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2017/engineering-technology). They teach classes in both English/French and /German, so there are some language barriers there, perhaps, but learning is tongueless at heart.

In India, almost all university programmes are taught in English and less than 6000$ for foreigners each year.

There are many English programmes in Germany (where federal tuition is fully free), Sweden (where the costs for international students is under 1k$ and you get paid for going second cycle in some fields) that you can earn your diplome fully. Almost all of West Europe is open to you more or less, and often have a chaper cost of living than in America.

Read up on these for more infos, you should really know.

https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/studying-abroad/where-can-you-study-abroad-free;
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/10/29/7-countries-where-americans-can-study-at-universities-in-english-for-free-or-almost-free/?utm_term=.5171f9cf8f06

@Andrew: It was his total. His family wasn't financially well-off, though, so that factored in and was likely an extreme case.

@Kapy: There are significant disadvantages, especially in medicine, if you go to a foreign university but plan on working in the United States. I used to volunteer at a hospital in high school and met multiple people there who had already obtained the equivalent of an MD (or better) in their country but had to go through med school again in the US to be able to work here.

Moreover, in foreign countries, American students often do not get the benefit of local tuition :(. It's a worthwhile option, though, if you find a financially viable route, because EPFL's electrical engineering program certainly isn't behind any top-notch American ones (as an example).

There are significant disadvantages, especially in medicine, if you go to a foreign university but plan on working in the United States.

Yes, however, medicine and sciences are the same everywhere, it's just some time to learn the regulations as I understand for most things. if you want to move to another country, starting by going to a foreign university (to see if it would be a good choice to move to and for staying there for a few years will further citizenship process. The only other big disadvantage is student visas, it can be a hassle.