Columbia CS Master Placement

[newtt]

Hi, I got admission to the CS MS for fall 2010. I chose Vision and CG, Foundations of CS as my tracks. (Who knows which one I will enroll ) But I think I will choose the thesis track. Here, I've got a problem-Does it worth to go to Columbia to get MS CS? (My family will suffer a lot in financial condition if they support me to go there) You know, it is too expensive and MS students hardly get financial assistantships. Who knows the information about the MS CS students graduated from Columbia? What the job placement of them? How many of them can find a good job in the U.S.?

Edited March 15, 2010 by newtt

[newtt]

I just want to know the prospect of going there. Anyone knows?

[joro]

Isn't there some sort of alumni page at Columbia you can go through to find out where they've ended up at? Also, why did you apply there if you knew you would suffer financially? Congrats on being accepted either way, but it's up to you whether you think paying $18k+ a semester would be worth it. I personally think you can get a job anywhere even if you didn't graduate from a prestigious university, but that's my own personal way of thinking and it probably doesn't make sense to a lot of people. Good luck on your decision, I sure wish I could go to Columbia. Then again I wouldn't be able to afford it either.

[newtt]

Isn't there some sort of alumni page at Columbia you can go through to find out where they've ended up at? Also, why did you apply there if you knew you would suffer financially? Congrats on being accepted either way, but it's up to you whether you think paying $18k+ a semester would be worth it. I personally think you can get a job anywhere even if you didn't graduate from a prestigious university, but that's my own personal way of thinking and it probably doesn't make sense to a lot of people. Good luck on your decision, I sure wish I could go to Columbia. Then again I wouldn't be able to afford it either.

Thx for your reply. Actually they do not provide much info about where their MS alumni go on the website. So, I just seeking help from who knows the condition about it. The reason why I applied there is that I refer to it as an investment. So, I need to know how well the rewards the investment will bring.

If anyone knows it, feel free to share your opinions. :-)

Edited March 17, 2010 by newtt

[uclacolumbia]

can I ask how Columbia Engineering notified you of your acceptance? Did they send you a formal acceptance letter via post? Or they only directed you to their website for a generic online letter?

No. There is nearly ZERO financial help for a master student at Columbia engineering (just like most masters programs in other schools).

Personally I think it's worth the money to get a Masters degree from top ranked CS program like Columbia from Ivy League. It's not like you have to spend 4 years there like undergrad. You only have to pay for a year of tuition, and you most likely can get the money back in your first year of working after graduation with that Columbia degree.

[ironmaiden]

Hi, I got admission to the CS MS for fall 2010. I chose Vision and CG, Foundations of CS as my tracks. (Who knows which one I will enroll ) But I think I will choose the thesis track. Here, I've got a problem-Does it worth to go to Columbia to get MS CS? (My family will suffer a lot in financial condition if they support me to go there) You know, it is too expensive and MS students hardly get financial assistantships. Who knows the information about the MS CS students graduated from Columbia? What the job placement of them? How many of them can find a good job in the U.S.?

Hey there,

did you end up joining Columbia or not?

and anyways, what was your academic profile at the time? I'd really like to know since I'm considering applying this year!

THANKS!

[UnfortunateEvents]

Columbia has recently increased its masters programs admissions significantly due to a change in departmental/engineering school policy. According to masters students I've talked with, this has led to a serious decline in quality of students - basically, MS students are being treated as cash machines, and being shoveled into extremely large classes without a lot of individualized professor attention and with ample grade inflation.

Whether that is worth it depends on whether employers know this, and also on your alternatives. Also, thesis track would get you more individual attention, if not more financial aid.

[cartel]

Columbia has recently increased its masters programs admissions significantly due to a change in departmental/engineering school policy. According to masters students I've talked with, this has led to a serious decline in quality of students - basically, MS students are being treated as cash machines, and being shoveled into extremely large classes without a lot of individualized professor attention and with ample grade inflation.

Whether that is worth it depends on whether employers know this, and also on your alternatives. Also, thesis track would get you more individual attention, if not more financial aid.

That's very disappointing to hear.