USC MS CS or NCSU MS CS?

[rohilshah]

I have admits from both, USC MS CS and NCSU MS CS. There is an option of the DS track at NCSU.

 

I am mainly concerned because USC has an intake of 900 students and only a maximum of 2 courses are allowed per semester(each being 4 credits), 28 credit program.

Moreover, at USC, the class allotment is not first come first serve at USC, but descending GPA based. Due to this many seniors are forced to change their track. The seniors I spoke to said "dont come to USC if we want to study, come only if you want a job".

Does the brand name make so much of a difference?

 

Because on the other hand, NC State has a relatively lower intake with each course being 3 credits and you're allowed to take atmost 4 subjects every semester with classes getting filled on a first come first serve basis. It also is a part of the Research Triangle Park which houses the headquarters of many companies and growing exponentially.

 

What would be an overall better bet? NCSU or USC? (PS: both have similar tuition fees, NCSU being about 10-15k cheaper over 2 years, so money isn't the deciding factor here) 

 

[.letmeinplz//]

I'm finishing up my MS CS at NCSU right now. Answered some of your concerns in red below. 

4 hours ago, rohilshah said:

Does the brand name make so much of a difference?

I don't think so, I've been accepted to a top tier PhD program after getting my MS here. People I've partnered with are going on to some top companies (like IBM Watson, Amazon), so you definitely can get to where you want to go here.

Because on the other hand, NC State has a relatively lower intake with each course being 3 credits and you're allowed to take atmost 4 subjects every semester with classes getting filled on a first come first serve basis.

Honestly the only problem I've had with getting into a course I wanted was DevOps, but it was a special topics course when I took it. It now has a permanent course number which means larger class size. It still probably fills in quick though (probably the most popular class here). 

It also is a part of the Research Triangle Park which houses the headquarters of many companies and growing exponentially.

There are lots of companies (and google fiber) here. Meaning if you want to intern you have lots of options without leaving town (Sas, Microsoft, RedHat, etc).  Also Raleigh is a pretty chill city, LA can be overwhelming depending on where you are coming from.

What would be an overall better bet? NCSU or USC? (PS: both have similar tuition fees, NCSU being about 10-15k cheaper over 2 years, so money isn't the deciding factor here) 

Probably can't go wrong with either, but I will say that NCSU has given me the opportunity to collaborate with professors from other top universities and do interesting research. So if that is something you are interested in, NCSU would be a great choice.