NYU MS Computer Science?

[gazzik]

Hey all,

 

I'm having trouble deciding whether or not to go to NYU for MS in Computer Science. I have a bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from UCSD, went to work for a few years after graduating, and now I'm back to school (currently at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) for a career change to Computer Science. I recently got admitted to the CS program at NYU, but the financials are pretty steep. Just want to get some second opinions on this.

 

Thanks a bunch!

Edited April 15, 2014 by gazzik

[billrach]

Are you currently doing a second bachelors at Cal Poly?  Are you in state for Cali?

[gazzik]

I'm just taking undergrad level CS classes at Cal Poly and yes I'm in state. By the end of this quarter I'll be done with majority of undergrad CS courses so I should be ready for grad level stuff. The graduate department here at Poly isn't that great so that's why I'm looking to transfer.

[PhDerp]

IMO finances are key. Have you asked about funding opportunities that you can apply to once you're at NYU? Maybe you only need to pay for one semester.

 

I would apply to more places for F2015 (or even S2015) with funding as a goal. But that's my prerogative. ;P

[gazzik]

IMO finances are key. Have you asked about funding opportunities that you can apply to once you're at NYU? Maybe you only need to pay for one semester.

 

I would apply to more places for F2015 (or even S2015) with funding as a goal. But that's my prerogative. ;P

 

Well I heard that it's pretty easy to find an internship and software jobs in NYC, so I think that will probably be my best bet on "funding opportunities". I thought about applying for F2015, but I don't want to wait another year to finish school

[asmithe]

Hi gazzik, I don't mean to threadjack, but I am very interested in hearing your opinion about CalPoly's CS grad department. The school is one of my top choices for the next admissions cycle because of its "learn by doing" approach and close ties with industry in CA. What do you not like about the grad department? I too do not have a background in CS (only a few courses), so I thought Poly's undergraduate focus won't be too big a deal because I need to fill in the gaps anyway. Anticipating your opinion. Thanks!

[gazzik]

Hi gazzik, I don't mean to threadjack, but I am very interested in hearing your opinion about CalPoly's CS grad department. The school is one of my top choices for the next admissions cycle because of its "learn by doing" approach and close ties with industry in CA. What do you not like about the grad department? I too do not have a background in CS (only a few courses), so I thought Poly's undergraduate focus won't be too big a deal because I need to fill in the gaps anyway. Anticipating your opinion. Thanks!

Hey asmithe, I think Cal Poly's CS program is great for people coming from non-CS background like yourself. I have a bachelor's in ME and not many decent schools accept students without much coursework in CS to their Masters programs. Now, you will be required to complete about 80% of the undergraduate CS courses before they will formally "accept" you into the MS program (but you will have graduate student standing so it's pretty easy to enroll in classes). So if you haven't done any CS before, expect to spend about 1 year taking the lower division classes before actually moving on to grad level classes.

 

There are both personal and academic motivations for me to transfer to NYU. Strictly speaking about academics, keep in mind that Cal Poly does not have Ph.D. programs so they won't have much research going on. If you want to encounter top research professors you won't find them here. However, as you mentioned, they're really hands on and the courses really prepare you well for industry. Being close to the bay also helps attract a lot of tech companies here. Fall quarter's job fair had big names like Apple, Google, etc. there. Also, the tuition is cheap here compared to other UC's, Cal Poly has one of the highest ROI for your money.

 

Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions, good luck!