I just started attending Weber State University in Utah (only 30 min away from my home) because I''ve heard about its awesome CS course. My major is CS, and since so far, I think its a good university (I already know how to program in C++, so I can judge better than a complete newbie). First class requirement is Intro to CS, this basically tells you what CS is like, and teaches you algorithms and basics of CS, then the next class is Intro to Unix and C, this teaches you the basics of Unix and C, then after that, there''s more advanced classes. If you can, I''d recommend this university.


In a corner by the door were thousands of switches. They were marked with words Linda did not understand: "Line... Feed... Load... Flipflop..."
But she could understand the small green signs under each switch. They all said, "On."
"You take half!" Al cried. He began to hit the switches with both hands. He was turning off five at a time. Red lights began to flash. They said, "Off... Off... Off."

Exactly what we need to do with Windows.

Universities in Texas and Wshington and such all eem to be fine and dandy for a lot of you guys, but not for me, being a low income canadian type guy. There is one option for me tho.... a school called CDIS (Center of Digital Imaging and Sound) in vancouver... I desperately wanna try their video game programmer or designer programs but wondering if my diplomas there would help me gettin work in the industry. Any of you guys hear about this place? If yeah, then does it have a good reputation? Or should I throw away those pipedreams and go for the standard 4 year university computer science thing?

Universities in Texas and Wshington and such all eem to be fine and dandy for a lot of you guys, but not for me, being a low income canadian type guy. There is one option for me tho.... a school called CDIS (Center of Digital Imaging and Sound) in vancouver... I desperately wanna try their video game programmer or designer programs but wondering if my diplomas there would help me gettin work in the industry. Any of you guys hear about this place? If yeah, then does it have a good reputation? Or should I throw away those pipedreams and go for the standard 4 year university computer science thing?

A distant relative of me told me to start polishing my GPA and SAT scores because the best in the country is Rice University. However, he said getting in is very difficult, and it''s supposedly in a neighborhood with a bad crime rate. I''m hoping the information he gave me is true...

I haven''t decided yet if he is trying to help me or ruin me...

*gets back to his eternal struggle between fear and faith*

If you go for the BS in computer science(seems to be prefered over BA for a lot of jobs, not necessarily games) whatever you do, make sure the school is accredited, and make sure the CS program is accreditted by the computer science accredidation board, or whatever they call themselves now. There are a lot of jobs out there that require you to have a degree from an accreditted university.

As for any college that requires you to leave your core requirements until the last two years, do NOT go there for a degree in computer science! That maybe fine for a degree in history or communications or whatever, but not for CS. My professors drilled it into us that you need to start as soon as possible in CS, freshmen year preferably, in order to learn everything. Nobody transfers to CS in their junior year, that''s for sure.

As for the name of the school, I don''t know. I''m not really familiar with hiring practices, so maybe a student from MIT will be chosen over another student, even if the qualifications are the same. I dunno. I''ll tell you one thing though, any accreditted program will teach basically the same thing. The quality may differ, but probably not much(if it did, the crappy schools wouldn''t be accreditted). For instance, I attend UMaine, and the classes taught in CS here are very close to what MIT and other schools teach. In fact, more CS courses are required here than at Princeton, so take the name of the school with a grain of salt.

quote: Original post by Cold_Steel
I''ll tell you one thing though, any accreditted program will teach basically the same thing. The quality may differ, but probably not much(if it did, the crappy schools wouldn''t be accreditted). For instance, I attend UMaine, and the classes taught in CS here are very close to what MIT and other schools teach. In fact, more CS courses are required here than at Princeton, so take the name of the school with a grain of salt.

This is completely false. Once a school gains accreditation they rarely have to requalify themselves. Which means after the initial accreditation they can get rid of the professors who''ve helped to create the programs and replace them with TA''s and professor with very little experiance. As someone who''s gone to a sub-par college I can say with out a doubt that what I learned doesn''t even come close to someone else who''s attended MIT, or any other good college. Yet my school was accredited. In conclusion accrediation doesn''t gaurentee you a quality education it just gaurentees you that your degree will be recognized, it can accept international students, and the school has federally funded student financing programs such as loans and the like. IMHO If it''s not on the top list of computer science schools it''s just not worth your time or money.

Does anyone know of a site that compares colleges in there CS dept.?

and by MIT you mean Massachusetts Institute of Technology?

quote: Original post by Anonymous Poster

This is completely false. Once a school gains accreditation they rarely have to requalify themselves. Which means after the initial accreditation they can get rid of the professors who''ve helped to create the programs and replace them with TA''s and professor with very little experiance. As someone who''s gone to a sub-par college I can say with out a doubt that what I learned doesn''t even come close to someone else who''s attended MIT, or any other good college. Yet my school was accredited. In conclusion accrediation doesn''t gaurentee you a quality education it just gaurentees you that your degree will be recognized, it can accept international students, and the school has federally funded student financing programs such as loans and the like. IMHO If it''s not on the top list of computer science schools it''s just not worth your time or money.

Well, accredited schools regularly have to be re-accreditted. Also, it''s not just that the school is accreditted, the computer science program must also be accreditted by ABET(I think that''s it now). From what I understand(you can check their website), they are concerned with the quality of the program as well as other things.

As for being on the top list of CS schools, that''s silly as far as I''m concerned. There are absolutely tons of colleges around, and the top listed computer science schools numbers about 5-10. You can''t tell me that schools not in the very top aren''t good. My school isn''t in the top, but I can tell that it has a good computer science program. Just because you go to a top school doesn''t mean you will do better than at any other school(unless it really sucks). What REALLY matters is how much you want to learn. You can go to the crappiest school there is, but if you work hard, and learn more on your own, you can be just as competitive, I''m sure.

Check out http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles/family/college/10156.asp?special=college

This is a good article on why selective private schools aren''t necessarily worth the money.

Does anyone know if my statement about Rice University is true?
If anyone has heard anything about it, I would very much like to know.

As for being able to go to the crappiest school... I don''t quite agree. Where I come from people want everything in writing, so unless you have a very excellent portfolio to show, I would suggest going to an accredited school... if that is at all possible. I know not all people have the money, grades, or the qualification for financial aid (*shakes fist at President Bush*) that would be necessary to go to a highly accredited school.