decision between: Cornell, Duke, Columbia, Yale, USC

[chikachikayea]

I've recently been admitted to the above 5 schools for the Masters program in Computer Science. (I was also admitted at Chicago and Arizona but am eliminating those from the field). I'm having a hard time deciding between them - can anyone one post information they know about the MASTERS program there? For example, I know Cornell is "ranked" the highest but this is a M.Eng. program...not an M.S. Also I heard they have a really high admit rate which is suspicious (I heard over 50%).

I am looking to work in the industry, not do research so I want a practical program that's not too terribly theoretical though I don't mind some of that. That is why I applied to schools that give you the option to do something other than a thesis (i.e. project or course work).

Most likely it will be between Cornell, Columbia, and Yale - I am not sure how competitive USC is to get in and it doesn't seem like Duke is a very Masters centric school...they are probably best for PhD candidates. Yale also has a very SMALL department so there may not be the variety of classes that I am looking for. I want to be able to select from a wide range of classes and get exposure to lots of things so I can decide what area to specialize in. Thoughts?

Which would you pick?

[CalmLogic]

Also I heard they have a really high admit rate which is suspicious (I heard over 50%).

I'm sure Cornell's M.Eng is much more selective than that. MDK pointed out to me that most people who posted their profile at Edulix's Infobank got rejected from the M.Eng program.

[MDK]

I am looking to work in the industry, not do research so I want a practical program that's not too terribly theoretical I am looking to work in the industry, not do research so I want a practical program that's not too terribly theoretical

That's why Cornell has its M.Eng program.

The M.Eng. program in Computer Science is a one-year program that is designed to enhance professional skills in practical computer science. The program is particularly suited to students seeking advanced credentials for employment in industry.
Application Information

For me, the answer is obvious, Cornell

[chikachikayea]

any estimate as to what the actual acceptance rate is?

perhaps it is just high for those who get their undergrad in c.s. from cornell and then apply for the m.eng. program...

the only downside for me to cornell is getting there, what a pain!

[CalmLogic]

Originally Posted by chikachikayea

any estimate as to what the actual acceptance rate is?

I don't know enough to even guess. However, my impression is that it may actually be harder to get into Cornell than Columbia's MS program. I say that because two people who posted their profiles were accepted to GA Tech (which is more selective than Columbia) but rejected from the M. Eng. at Cornell. And one of those rejected M. Eng. applicants was accepted to Columbia.

Surely, it's easier to get into USC than Columbia, Cornell, or Yale. I would choose Cornell since it seems much less expensive while apparently having all the major benefits of the Columbia program, including the prestige factor.

[chikachikayea]

all the people on the edulix infobank are international from india... i don't think that is a good measure of acceptance rate for me. i am american, educated here in the US. i am sure that the schools don't want to overadmit on international students and want to leave room for americans to apply (since there are many qualified international candidates). it is too hard to compare the two.

can anyone who is NOT an international student post their profile for M.S. profile here and let me know how competitve you think each of the programs are?

other than the fact that, yes, cornell is the M.Eng. which would point me to going there since it is for professionals, columbia and usc also state on their websites that their programs are intended for people who want to work in industry.

[CalmLogic]

You may want to checkout College Confidential since there are more Americans there:

site:collegeconfidential.com m.eng - Google Search
site:collegeconfidential.com meng cornell - Google Search

Having said that, I think there is a strong correlation at most programs between domestic admission rates and international admission rates.

UPDATE: One American who got his MS from UIUC says the M.Eng at Cornell is worth considering:

I also went to the Cornell recruitment weekend, and it was really good, too. The program I was looking at was their MEng program, and while it wasn't as highly ranked and I wasn't going to receive as much money [for funding], I'm thinking now that I would've been a lot happier at Cornell.

I wish I'd trusted my gut instinct in this case. I'm leaving UIUC with an excellent education, a very good masters degree, but I'm having to take the remaining shreds of my sanity with me in a ziplock bag, and I'd just rather not see another person be blinded by the "number one" aura of a program (any top program, not just UIUC...!) rather than to evaluate whether or not they'd actually be productive and (reasonably) happy students there. So... it is possible to go wrong with Illinois, ECE or any other program... if it's not the right program for you. Trust your gut...

UIUC vs Cornell - College Discussion

Some interesting comments, mostly in favor of Columbia:

If you want to be an engineer for the rest of your life, Cornell trumps Columbia. If you don't want to be an engineer for the rest of your life, but enjoy engineering, Columbia trumps Cornell.

...Cornell may have the more rigorous curriculum, but Columbia offers New York City, so much opportunity for internships and part-time work prior to graduation, this should be a huge factor in the decision making process for most students considering the two. It is simply easier to get a good job when you have had the opportunity during your undergraduate experience to locate in-field internships and work minutes away by public transportation.

Which is better Columbia SEAS or Cornell SEAS? - Page 2 - College Discussion

[chikachikayea]

anything to add about the other 3 schools? yale is very small...according to website they only admit 5 to 15 ms students a year. and all contact with them to me has been from a real person, no automated system. kind of nice! they are arranging a personal visit for me which is nice.

[CalmLogic]

They all have impressive faculty members:

Faculty Pages - Cornell
Computer Science at Yale
CS@CU Faculty

I checked out the faculty names, and three names were very recognizable (one at each school) as authors of classic textbooks.

Columbia has a well-known author for theory and programming languages:
Alfred V. Aho's webpage
CS@CU Fall 2007 Videos

And Cornell's biggest name professor is equally recognizable to me for being a co-author with Aho:
John Hopcroft

Yale has the OS book guy, who was a professor at UT Austin before joining Yale:
Operating System Concepts - 7th edition
Avi Silberschatz

(These three professors are surely excellent as instructors. For example, I can't imagine a better teacher for operating systems than Silberschatz, who has the most popular textbook on the subject.)

Also, if you like compilers or programming languages, I would put more consideration into Cornell:
Theory - Computer Science - Best Graduate Schools - Education - USNews
Programming Language - Computer Science - Best Graduate Schools - Education - USNews

In any case, it seems you can't go wrong at any of the three. That is very clear to me now.

[chikachikayea]

I haven't seen anything about Columbia's admit rate for the M.S. program. Any idea? Is it less than 20%?