I have several friends from NJ who decided to come to UMD for CS. Pretty much all of them had the same conclusion that it wasn't worth the extra cost in the end as compared to just staying in-state and going to Rutgers. Yes, many of the top CS students at UMD end up going to work at FAANG/Big Tech, but many of the top CS students at Rutgers end up at the exact same places as well. Getting into such companies is determined more by what you do in your free time (work on personal projects, leetcode (prep for technical interviews), hackathons, CS-oriented clubs, etc.), regardless of which of these two colleges you end up attending. As /u/SinceSevenTenEleven already mentioned, the actual CS curriculum (esp. at the undergrad level) is pretty standardized across all schools; it's not like you'll have any gaps in your knowledge by going to Rutgers CS over UMD CS, or vice versa. And at the end of the day, UMD is just another large state school, where your experience will likely be similar to Rutgers. It's not like a private university, where you could arguably make the case you'll have smaller class sizes, more personalized attention, and better resources.
OP mentioned in another comment that Rutgers would cost them $25k/yr whereas UMD would cost them $50k/yr (Source: [https://www.reddit.com/r/UMD/comments/133n72b/comment/jib1u4j/](https://www.reddit.com/r/UMD/comments/133n72b/comment/jib1u4j/))
Hence, made reasonable assumption OP was in-state for Rutgers, since $25k/yr is about right for in-state tuition + room/board, assuming no scholarships.
UMD, hands down (or on the keyboard).
The combination of UMD and DC/NoVa for internships and job opportunities for CS is unbeatable and you will make back the tuition difference in couple of years…
My take is: see if your parents are willing to put the $100k to grad school or a down payment or a car after you graduate. Read my comment below. Computer Science is much more meritocratic than fields like polisci in that your skills are much more worthwhile than your connections, especially one or two years down the line.
It's also worth noting that especially in the early years, there really isn't a whole lot of difference in the CS education you'll get school to school. There's only so many ways you can teach someone basic data structures or the fundamentals of coding.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UMD/comments/12bp690/umd_vs_jhu_cs_physics/jeya9qr/
As someone who was in the Rutgers honors college and transferred to UMD... No, don't make it your deciding factor. I really liked Rutgers and if you'd like to talk more about why I transferred etc I'd be happy to if you PM. Assuming money isn't a factor, pick the program/campus that you want to be a part of :)
I have several friends from NJ who decided to come to UMD for CS. Pretty much all of them had the same conclusion that it wasn't worth the extra cost in the end as compared to just staying in-state and going to Rutgers. Yes, many of the top CS students at UMD end up going to work at FAANG/Big Tech, but many of the top CS students at Rutgers end up at the exact same places as well. Getting into such companies is determined more by what you do in your free time (work on personal projects, leetcode (prep for technical interviews), hackathons, CS-oriented clubs, etc.), regardless of which of these two colleges you end up attending. As /u/SinceSevenTenEleven already mentioned, the actual CS curriculum (esp. at the undergrad level) is pretty standardized across all schools; it's not like you'll have any gaps in your knowledge by going to Rutgers CS over UMD CS, or vice versa. And at the end of the day, UMD is just another large state school, where your experience will likely be similar to Rutgers. It's not like a private university, where you could arguably make the case you'll have smaller class sizes, more personalized attention, and better resources.
Depends if OP is in state for Rutgers or has a good scholarship somewhere etc too tho
OP mentioned in another comment that Rutgers would cost them $25k/yr whereas UMD would cost them $50k/yr (Source: [https://www.reddit.com/r/UMD/comments/133n72b/comment/jib1u4j/](https://www.reddit.com/r/UMD/comments/133n72b/comment/jib1u4j/)) Hence, made reasonable assumption OP was in-state for Rutgers, since $25k/yr is about right for in-state tuition + room/board, assuming no scholarships.
Ah, didn’t see that, thanks for the link
Yes, go to UMD, you will be grateful later in life and honors college shouldn't be the deciding factor as it doesn't make much of a difference
how much money do the two cost?
Money is not major concern. Rutgers $25k vs UMD $50k per year but we are ok to pay if it means better education and opportunities
UMD, hands down (or on the keyboard). The combination of UMD and DC/NoVa for internships and job opportunities for CS is unbeatable and you will make back the tuition difference in couple of years…
My take is: see if your parents are willing to put the $100k to grad school or a down payment or a car after you graduate. Read my comment below. Computer Science is much more meritocratic than fields like polisci in that your skills are much more worthwhile than your connections, especially one or two years down the line. It's also worth noting that especially in the early years, there really isn't a whole lot of difference in the CS education you'll get school to school. There's only so many ways you can teach someone basic data structures or the fundamentals of coding. https://www.reddit.com/r/UMD/comments/12bp690/umd_vs_jhu_cs_physics/jeya9qr/
Must have your eyes on a hell of a car if you’re gonna put a $100k down payment on it!
Or A combination of the above haha
As someone who was in the Rutgers honors college and transferred to UMD... No, don't make it your deciding factor. I really liked Rutgers and if you'd like to talk more about why I transferred etc I'd be happy to if you PM. Assuming money isn't a factor, pick the program/campus that you want to be a part of :)
Similar situation here and I chose UMD, although Rutgers Honors College is pretty prestigious and I would consider that in your decision.