Questions to Ask University CS Departments? 114
egarrido16 asks: "I will be visiting numerous undergraduate colleges over the next several months and meeting with the chairpeople of the computer science departments. I need to come up with some questions to ask them so that I can evaluate their methods of teaching CS (i.e. 'Does this college believe programming is a fundamental or is it more of a tool?'). Reflecting upon your experience, what questions do you think would be necessary to ask to decide what the educators feel is important in a CS curriculum?"
Re:Not that simple (Score:3, Interesting)
Prospective undergrads should look for programs with an emphasis on broad study - a few theory courses, a strong course of programming-oriented project classes to develop you as a programmer, and interesting forays into areas like math and electrical engineering. Especially look for programs that allow upperclassmen to begin choosing their own path - my own degree requires a four-course concentration group agreed on between me and my advisor.
One thing to look for is a program with no slavish devotion to any one language. By the time you've gotten out of a good undergrad program, you should have been thoroughly exposed to functional programming (Lisp/Scheme/ML/Haskell), OOP (Java's pretty much it in academia - nothing wrong with that), and imperative/systems programming (C/C++/assembly). The idea is that learning the languages should be a side project that comes along with learning the actual material. You should learn all the major paradigms in place today, and know when to use them, and know when to apply lessons from one when programming in another.
The most important thing, by far, though, isn't what you'll find in the classroom - it's what you'll find outside it. Does the university have student organizations or programs for the type of stuff that meets your interest? Is the undergraduate culture an engaging and interesting one, with opportunities for developing your social life?
How's the dorm life? How's the food? (This is actually really important, or seems that way at times.) Go down the hall of a dorm after classes are over, or during an evening: a good sign is lots of propped-open doors - it indicates an open, friendly floor culture.
How does the administration treat the students, faculty, and staff? Ask around: if there have been any major controversies within the past couple years, people will talk about them. Remember that a school administration doesn't directly impact your learning, but they do have a tremendous amount of influence over your life while you're at school.
Is the curriculum broad beyond just computer science? (Remember, theoretically, the reason you're going to a university is to improve your mind and learn about the world and discover yourself - not just to code all the time.) Ask people there. Did they like it? If they think it's a hellhole after three years, chances are you will too. A tech-factory isn't where you want to be if you're really out for a real education.
One thing *not* to worry about as much as many people do: Don't overconcern yourself with money. Higher-tier schools know that they need to attract students who can hack it, and so many give generous need- and merit-based scholarships. Take the supplied tuition figures with a grain of salt, apply anyway, and wait for the financial aid offers to come in before ruling out a more expensive university. You might be surprised.