I'm probably more entrepreneurial than theoretical. But I'd likely be so deep in debt when I get of college, that I'd have to work for a while before doing a startup.
Anyway, I think the quality of students matters quite a bit. Does CMU attract the more academic kind and Stanford the more startupy kind? Are you saying that the CS research done at Stanford is not as good?
Are you saying that the CS research done at Stanford is not as good?
At the undergraduate level I don't think this matters much.
Aside from the goodness of the CS department, which I consider equal at these two schools, you should think about the total college experience. IMO Stanford has better weather, a better campus, better looking students, better non-CS departments, better surrounding environment, etc.
Definitely consider the strength of non-CS depts as an important factor. That said, I think CMU has some pretty decent non-engineering schools in too (e.g. theatre).
Yes, it's a tough decision. But I don't think rankings really matter.
Do you mean that CS classes are better at CMU? How so?
EDIT: I claimed that "Gatech was ranked as #1 in CS but everyone I speak to tells me CMU and Stanford are definitely better (just look at the alumni of these two as opposed to gatech)." It is not. Its undergraduate program is ranked #6 and its graduate program is ranked #9 by the U.S. News & World Report. http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/com/s...
This is just an anecdotal recommendation, I don't have any data to support this. During my time as a research assistant at GT I seem to recall hearing more from/about CMU people than Stanford.
I'm a high school senior too and I only recently got accepted at Carnegie Mellon and Stanford (didn't apply to Ivys or MIT). First, you should get over the rejections. Last December, I applied for Cornell ED (36% acceptance rate) and I got rejected! I couldn't quite figure out why but now, five months later, I'm really really happy cos it gave the opportunity to apply for Stanford/CMU during RD. And Stanford had a RD acceptance rate of 7.2%. Only Harvard has a lower rate. So, shit does happen but good things also happen.
Anyway, as an international, I can't get financial aid at most schools (only Harvard, MIT and a few others are need-blind for intls). So, I'm faced with a similar question. Is it worth paying so much for Stanford or CMU?
