Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Computer Programmers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Quincy College, Harvard, Bentley, and Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider UMass Boston, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Worcester State, and Bridgewater State.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Wellesley College, and Simmons College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Atlantic Union, Endicott, Mount Wachusett Community College, and Bunker Hill.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Atlantic Union, Fitchburg State, Framingham State, and Northern Essex Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Harvard, Wellesley College, MIT, and Smith College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Bard College at Simon's Rock, Amherst, Williams College, and Mount Holyoke College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Harvard, MIT, Tufts University, and Amherst.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Harvard, MIT, Amherst, and Williams College.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Williams College, Wellesley College, MIT, and Amherst.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Northeastern University • Boston, MA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2009)
• 5/7/2011
"Northeastern was great to me. As simple as that. My college experience there was exactly what I wanted and exactly what I feel it should have been."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The CS department at Northeastern is only growing stronger and the demand for educated professionals in the field will only continue to grow. If you can get in now (it is much harder to get admitted now than when I started) I would STRONGLY recommend at least visiting and giving it a look. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | I believe the program is just starting to garner the respect it deserves around the country. Top flight professors are starting now to flock to the school for research and the younger students were doing some really great stuff back when I was there in 2008-2009. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Northeastern's program was simply outstanding. The languages we learned and curriculum were accurate to industry requirements and the assistance I received throughout my time there was fantastic. I was also aided by the school in getting my current job, something I cannot be thankful enough for. |
| Instruction | 8 | The internships I participated in through Northeastern were outstanding and gave me the experience needed to get my current job. The curriculum was up to date and modern, the professors were knowledgeable, and I was extremely comfortable asking questions. |
| How Difficult | 10 | The work at Northeastern was quite difficult. I put in many late nights in the lab and pulled out a number of hairs to get my degree. It's not for the lazy. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Very good balance of hands on and book learning. Some classes leaned more one way, but I'd say it ultimately balanced out. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | There were multiple sections of every class and classes were offered essentially year round. Taking summer classes was not an option, but rather a requirement and they offered enough material to merit that. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Northeastern's facilities are among the best I've seen at any institution. The computers and software provided were brand new and up to date, the building the department was housed in was flawless, and the people of the department were ALWAYS there for me and other students. |
| Social Life | 8 | I was a pretty popular guy, more so than plenty of other students in the CS major, so I really had no issues having a good time. The parties were typical college parties complete with drugs and alcohol, and I feel as if I experienced college in that respect. Athletics were third or even fourth tier events and not really taken seriously by most of the student body. The school itself organized GREAT events such as concerts and speakers that I thoroughly enjoyed. |
| Placement Services | 10 | Northeastern's co-op program is second to none. I was able to work 3 times before I graduated and that experience paired with assistance from a job placement specialist at the school got me a job upon graduation. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I can honestly say I never really knew much or utilized the alumni network. I know they have a presence in the department, I just don't know how influential or helpful they are. |
MIT • Cambridge, Ma, MA
Studying Electrical Engineering And Computer Science (completion in 2005)
"I attended more than 5 years ago. So I am not rating this one."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | MIT has amazing brand recognition. It opens doors for you that you would have otherwise not have found. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | MIT has immense brand recognition. It is usually ranked top in engineering. |
| Program Quality | 10 | MIT has amazing brand recognition. MIT taught me all I know about CS. |
| Instruction | More than 5 years ago | I attended more than 5 years ago. So I am not rating this one. |
| How Difficult | 10 | The workload was tremendous. MIT is known for its extremely difficult coursework. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had to attend lectures and read books. We also had to complete multiple projects for each class. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | There are some requirements every student have to complete. Other courses are optional, and provides some flexibility. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | MIT has a lot of funding. This allows them to provide excellent facilities and resources to students. |
| Social Life | 2 | MIT is academically very difficult. It leaves little time for social activities. |
| Placement Services | 10 | The career services department is very helpful. They go above and beyond to help students find jobs. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The alumni network is average. They have events and such, but I rarely take advantage of it. |
University Of Massachusetts • Amherst, MA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2010)
• 7/27/2011
"I'm very satisfied with everything about my school: the social life, curriculum, and services offered. However, I feel like I may have made the wrong choice in careers."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | My school is a state school, so I would recommend it to anyone looking for a decent education at a good price. My major is not something I would necessarily recommend, but if someone was interested in it, I would tell them that UMass Amherst was a pretty good school for that program. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | While not one of the top schools for computer science, it is still very good. I find a lot of CS programs are similar. This field is all about learning and keeping up with new developments your whole life. |
| Program Quality | 7 | My school had a very strong computer science program. My school was very large, so all programs had great faculty members, making it easy to network. |
| Instruction | 7 | I learned C and C++ in school, but now, out of school, everyone wants web or mobile platform developers, so I've had to study and learn new languages since graduation. I've learned PHP, ruby, and cocoa. |
| How Difficult | 7 | Many people in my major found that there was lots of work, and that it was hard. I found the course work to be easy, especially as I started in electrical engineering, where the course work was much heavier. Debugging programs and finding your errors is a hassle, and time consuming, but it is much easier and more interesting than analyzing huge circuits with crazy differential equations. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The curriculum was very book oriented. Anytime we talked in class it was from a book. Homework assignments were half reading, and half programming. Book work is no fun with programming! | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Being a huge school, they offered tons of classes at night, during the summer and winter, and on weekends. There were also many offerings for each day of class so I could always find one at a time that worked with my schedule. The only down side to so many classes was that final schedules were usually rough, sometimes having finals on Friday or Saturday nights. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | My school had lots of computer labs and tutors for my major. I rarely used them, and did most of my work quickly in my room. I find most CS majors to be creeps, and generally avoided spending time with them. |
| Social Life | 10 | The social life was great at my school. It was absolutely huge, which is the reason I went there. I figured as a computer science major it would be hard to maintain a good social life, but it was very easy at such a big school. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I never used these services. I was able to find my own internships during school. After seeing this, I suppose I might go back and try to use it. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | The only things I've ever used my alumni status for are email and the gym. I believe I can use the career services center, but I'm not interested. |
UMASS Dartmouth • Dartmouth, MA
Studying Computer Engineering (completion in 2004)
• 8/10/2011
"I had a good time and it gave me the skills that I needed to get a successful career going. It took me longer to get through it because I had to balance a job outside of school as well."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | My school was inexpensive and gave me the tools needed to have a good career. It was not a name brand school at the time, but as long as you know your material, you can get hired anywhere. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I haven't really heard anything as far as how my school's reputation goes. Also, with that, I have also not heard that it is a bad school either. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I have friends in the same major at other schools, and they do not have the training that I do. I feel that my classes covered a wider range of topics as far as the software side went. |
| Instruction | 5 | Most of my teachers had heavy accents. I was also unable to keep up with the speed at which the material was being presented sometimes. |
| How Difficult | 6 | I had a hard time keeping up sometimes, but with study groups, it became easier. I felt that I had to put many hours into my work in order to succeed. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I feel that most of my classes had some kind of lab work involved with them. Also, my general ed classes were mainly book learning, and that took up a good part of my time as well. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | I had an easy time selecting my classes as there were many different options for times. I had no trouble creating a schedule that fit my availability. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | This is only an 8 if you disregard the construction going on at campus. I feel as though important resources, like the internet and library, were available when I needed them. |
| Social Life | 5 | I did not have much time for socializing at school, so this is a difficult question for me to answer. I do know that there were a lot of events/parties going on at school, though. |
| Placement Services | 5 | My school gave me the link to the company that I have worked for since leaving. I feel they had several options open, but with the economy in this state, it is hard to get placed. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | There was not much tutoring available off hours. But when they were available, it was very helpful. |
MIT • Cambridge, MA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2008)
• 11/18/2011
"It's a great place to be. It also puts you on a good path for your career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would highly recommend it. Great people, great professors. It's a bit of work, but it's worth it. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | We have won the US News and World Report rankings for Computer Science every year for decades. Everyone knows MIT. |
| Program Quality | 10 | It's the best place to be for Computer Science. Puts you on a good track. |
| Instruction | 8 | The professors are really brilliant but that doesn't mean they can all teach well. |
| How Difficult | 10 | It's a hard place to get in and a hard place to get out. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It depends on the class. Some are very lab oriented and others have more tests. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | It's a tight schedule. It's hard to take a semester abroad, for instance. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Facilities are great - we are in a Frank Gehry building. The lab equipment is a bit old but usable. |
| Social Life | 8 | I made the best friends I've ever had. There was lots of socialization even while working. |
| Placement Services | 8 | The name goes a long way in getting interviews. The careers office is somewhat neutral. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | The alumni network isn't as strong as I would like. There isn't a culture of alums helping alums. |
MIT • Cambridge, MA
Studying Computer Science Engineering (completion in 2011)
• 11/28/2011
"MIT is amazing. I got everything and more than I wanted out of it."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It's amazing. You'll also land just about any job you want coming from MIT. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | MIT is consistently ranked at the top of the CS rankings. It's well known everywhere. |
| Program Quality | 10 | MIT is a top-notch institute. I felt that all the resources I ever needed were at my fingertips. |
| Instruction | 10 | I learned so much -- more than I thought I could in the years I was at MIT. I was taught by the best in the industry, so I know I learned valuable topics. |
| How Difficult | 10 | MIT is infamous for its difficulty. The professors want to challenge you, to see how far you can go. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Lots of hands-on assignments and labs. Many classes don't even have mandatory textbooks. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | The schedule isn't flexible. No night/weekend/summer offerings. Class attendance is often optional, though. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | They have everything you need. Professors could be more available and they could offer a better variety of public computers, but overall, top-notch. |
| Social Life | 10 | MIT is culturally amazing. You do have to be able to handle the coursework to enjoy the social scene, though. Otherwise, you'll be studying all the time instead of partying. |
| Placement Services | 10 | They get companies from all over the map and spectrum to come to campus. They also provide all the necessary info for interviewing and landing a good job. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | Alumni fill up top positions in many companies and universities. Keeping in touch with alums is one very effective way of landing a job. |
MIT • Cambridge, MA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 1994)
• 1/9/2012
"I would go again because the experience has been so valuable. I'd gladly send my children as well!"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | MIT is one of the top computer science schools in the world. As I've mentioned, aside from the education, a huge network of alumni is another valuable and hidden asset MIT offers. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | MIT is consistently rated as a top Computer Science department in annual reports. I am always commended by peers for graduating from my school. |
| Program Quality | 9 | MIT was very challenging and allowed me to see that I can work quite hard. I have a great network of alumni to lean on. |
| Instruction | 9 | I learned C programming in college. I have also learned how to confidently and effectively troubleshoot and be able to attack problems without obvious answers. |
| How Difficult | 10 | I pulled several all-nighters in college. My school was one of the few to require a thesis paper just to complete a BS degree. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had many robotics classes where we were literally given a box of junk and had to build from there. We also had to build a computer nearly from scratch. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | We had an optional winter session (IAP) in January to take (for credit in some cases) all sorts of varied classes (including language classes). |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | We had Unix computer labs all throughout the campus. They were always available and open 24 hours. |
| Social Life | 7 | We had most major sports programs available and extensive intramurals. I learned to ice skate and play hockey while in school. |
| Placement Services | 9 | In an era where jobs were hard to come by, I was able to get a number of interviews and offers, some of which I believe were related to my school's reputation. We had many companies come to recruit directly on our campus. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | There are MIT alumni all over silicon valley. I have asked classmates several times for help in dealing with troubleshooting. |
Northeastern University • Boston, MA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2009)
• 1/27/2012
"I loved Northeastern. It set me up well in life and I wouldn't want to have gone anywhere else."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The CS department at NU is unbelievable. If you even think you'd be interested in a CS education, give it a shot. They will take your passion for CS and turn it into tangible skills to help you achieve your goals. Plus, grads from NU get paid pretty well, too. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | I believe Northeastern is becoming a top school, especially in CS. I can only see it rising even higher in the years to come. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Northeastern has a phenomenal CS program with great instructors and the co-op program was pivotal in getting me my current job. Northeastern fueled my passion for CS and I am so happy I attended there. |
| Instruction | 8 | We were up to date working on real questions throughout my entire college career. There was very little fluff, yet there was entire breadth in assignments to allow the students to pursue their passions while still learning. The instructors would go above and beyond to help. |
| How Difficult | 8 | It was rather challenging. I considered dropping the program for a time, but stuck through. It starts fast and stays fast throughout, which was hard for someone like me with very little cs experience. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The program was extremely hands on. I did very little reading throughout the first few years of undergrad. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I never once had to take a class at a time I couldn't stand. I also was able to get into every course I wanted, let alone needed, with little issues. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The CS facilities are fantastic and new. I knock it down a point for a lack of available color printing. |
| Social Life | 6 | Socially, Northeastern was odd, but that may just have been for me. There's no traditional dorm life so making friends can be difficult, but I met some great people. |
| Placement Services | 10 | Northeastern's co-op service is hands down the best in the country. I was getting real work experience throughout my time as a student and that was invaluable in getting a job down the road. |
| Alumni Network | I haven't had much alumni interaction thus far. I know the services are there, I just haven't used them. |
University Of Massachusetts • Amherst, MA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 1998)
• 2/20/2012
"I am glad I chose UMass for both the academic and social experiences. It is a diverse campus and I came out of school very prepared for my career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I have mentioned my school many times to people who are considering colleges. The program is great for students who want a quality education but do not want to pay for private school. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | The program is known as a strong one in the New England region. I've only heard good feedback when I have mentioned my school and major to others. |
| Program Quality | 7 | I feel UMass had a good computer science program. When I got there, they had just completed a new building for it. However, I do feel it was a notch below the more tech-oriented schools. |
| Instruction | 8 | I found the classes and teachers to be exceptional. I was exposed to a number of different programming languages and had a great internship with IBM. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I found my coursework to be challenging and at times overwhelming. I had many all-nighters in preparation for exams. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The approach depended on which class I was in, but the majority of my classes had hands-on professors. The philosophy seems to be that you won't learn programming without coding as much as possible. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I had no trouble getting into the classes I needed to graduate. I was also able to construct schedules at times that worked best for me almost every semester. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The campus had around 15 computer labs we could use. I also had very little trouble communicating with my professors when I needed assistance. |
| Social Life | 10 | I was active in a student organization known as the South Asian Students Association. I also was in the Maroon Platoon for basketball games. This group allowed me to have better tickets at games and meet with the players. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I personally did not have to use the career services; I went to IBM directly out of school, because of my previous internships. However, my peers had mixed views on how helpful career services was. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | UMass has alumni all over the country. In particular, the New York chapter is strong, and I was able to use that network to get a job with a previous employer. |
MIT • Cambridge, MA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 1997)
• 2/25/2012
"They paid me to go. I got what I expected."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | MIT has a lot of rep. Going there if you can gives you good access to jobs. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | MIT is top tier. What else is there to say? |
| Program Quality | 8 | Good access to research and funding. Cold, isolating environment. |
| Instruction | 5 | Professors are indifferent. Classes are sometimes too large. |
| How Difficult | 9 | Very difficult school. Lots and lots of homework was assigned. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | MIT had a lot of theory. Some courses were project based. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | It is a day school. It is similar to many others. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | MIT has money. It also has commitment to providing resources. |
| Social Life | 7 | The people were nice. They were often overworked, so distant. |
| Placement Services | I never used it. I hear it was good. | |
| Alumni Network | 10 | MIT is a heavy institution with a lot of resources. It's part of the package. |
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