🍦 Today's Scoops: Computer Science vs Computer Engineering (Sep 19)

Good morning folks! Here’s what we have today:

1. School of the Day: Vassar College

2. Major Matchup: Computer Science vs Computer Engineering

3. TikTok Thursday: 2 of our favorite admissions-related TikToks from this last week.

SCHOOL OF THE DAY
Vassar College

Every day, we cover a different school, helping you learn something new about your favorite schools or find a new school that could end up being your dream school.

📍 Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
🎓 Undergraduates Enrolled: 2,459
📊 Acceptance Rate: 19% (11,412 applicants)
📝 Average SAT/ACT: 1482/33
💸 Cost: $63,840 (tuition) + $16,560 (room & board)
📅 Admission Options: Early Decision (November 15), Early Decision II (January 1), Regular Decision (January 1)
🏆 Top Ranking Programs: Liberal Arts (#16), Performing Arts (#29), Public Policy (#31 (Niche)
📈 Most Popular Majors: Social Sciences (22%), Biomedical Sciences (12%), Visual and Performing Arts (10%) (Scoir)

Some positives

🎨 Strong Arts and Humanities Programs: Vassar is renowned for its arts and humanities programs. The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center and robust theater, music, and creative writing departments make it a great choice for students with artistic passions.

🧠 Interdisciplinary Approach: Vassar’s open curriculum encourages students to explore different fields without the constraints of core requirements, allowing for a highly personalized and interdisciplinary education. This academic freedom attracts intellectually curious students eager to design their own paths.

🌱 Commitment to Sustainability: Vassar has a strong focus on environmental sustainability, including initiatives like the Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve, which provides opportunities for hands-on learning in environmental science and sustainable agriculture.

👩‍🏫 Small Class Sizes: With a low student-to-faculty ratio, Vassar offers small, discussion-based classes that provide close mentorship opportunities with professors. This personalized attention helps foster deep academic engagement and close relationships with faculty.

Some negatives

🏙️ Limited Urban Environment: While the campus is picturesque and peaceful, Vassar’s location in Poughkeepsie may feel isolated for students seeking a bustling city environment. Though New York City is accessible by train, it’s still about 90 minutes away.

💸 High Cost of Attendance: As a private college, Vassar’s tuition and fees are high, and although the college offers substantial financial aid, the cost of attendance can still be a burden for some families.

📚 Less Focus on Pre-Professional Programs: While Vassar excels in the liberal arts, students looking for strong pre-professional programs in business or engineering might find the offerings limited compared to larger universities.

MAJOR MATCHUP
Computer Science vs Computer Engineering

When choosing between Computer Science (CS) and Computer Engineering (CE), it might seem like a world of difference—but at many schools, the core coursework is strikingly similar. Both majors often share foundational courses like programming, data structures, and algorithms, with just a few key classes setting them apart. Let’s break down the specifics.

📚 Similar Yet Different: Course Load

At most universities, CS and CE students will spend a lot of time in the same introduction-level courses such as Intro to Computing or math courses like Linear Algebra. However, the key differences lie in the upper-level elective courses. At most schools, students in both majors will get opportunities to take the same electives, but preference/priority is different:

• CS Majors get priority for advanced computer science electives such as Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Deep Learning.

• CE Majors will get first dibs on courses that focus more on hardware, like digital circuits, microprocessors, and embedded systems.

This difference can be particularly frustrating at large public universities, where popular courses fill up quickly. So, if you’re a CS major trying to take circuits, or a CE major wanting to dive into advanced AI, expect a bit of competition!

🎨 Liberal Arts vs. Engineering Colleges

Another major distinction can be where these programs are housed. At some schools, CS is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, while CE typically falls under the College of Engineering. This affects the type of general education requirements you’ll have:

• CS Majors in Arts and Sciences may have to complete a broader set of general education classes in areas like humanities, social sciences, and even the arts. For example, CS at Duke is part of Trinity College, which means students take more “artsy” general ed courses.

• CE Majors in Engineering Schools tend to have more engineering-related gen ed requirements, such as physics, chemistry, and advanced math. At Duke, ECE (Electrical and Computer Engineering) is part of Pratt School of Engineering, so CE students have a more STEM-focused curriculum from the start.

This could influence your decision if you’re someone who enjoys a more well-rounded liberal arts experience versus diving deeper into the technical side of things early on.

🛠️ Hands-On vs. Theoretical

• CS leans more toward theory, focusing on algorithms, software development, and computational problem-solving. You’ll spend more time writing code and solving abstract problems, and less time in the lab.

• CE, on the other hand, combines hands-on hardware experience with software skills. You’ll likely spend significant time in labs, working on microprocessors, building circuits, and understanding how hardware and software interact.

If you’re someone who enjoys building things and physically seeing how systems work, CE could be more your style. If you prefer working with abstract concepts and writing software, CS may be a better fit.

🏢 Job Market Reality

Here’s a key point to consider when it comes to the job market:

• CE Majors can easily transition into software roles, since they have a solid foundation in coding and systems. A CE grad can work as a software developer, data scientist, or even in AI, as they’ve learned both the software and hardware sides.

• CS Majors, however, may struggle more to land hardware-related roles like embedded systems engineer or hardware designer, since CE courses dive deeper into electronics and physical systems.

This flexibility can make CE a safer bet if you’re unsure whether you want to solely work on software or hardware.

⚖️ Final Thought: Which Is Right for You?

Ultimately, both majors set you up for exciting careers in tech, but the nuances between CS and CE come down to your interests:

• Love coding and problem-solving? CS is all about software, algorithms, and tech innovation from a programming perspective.

• Enjoy building and understanding the guts of computers? CE gives you hands-on experience with the hardware that powers today’s tech, while also preparing you for software roles.

TIKTOK THURSDAY
Our 2 favorite TikToks we saw last week

LINK LOUNGE
Yesterday’s Resources & Scholarships!

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we will be updating the Link Lounge section with links to great resources such as scholarships and tools during the college application process. You’ll find it at the top of your email on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and near the bottom during the rest of the week.

Coca-Cola Scholars - $20,000 college scholarship for high school seniors

Robertson Scholars Program - Full-ride scholarship to Duke or UNC, if you get into either school

College Confidential - Anonymous data on college applications from other students

DAILY DEADLINE UPDATES
Coke Scholars deadline coming up!

In the Daily Deadlines section, we will keep you updated on upcoming deadlines in the college admissions world. Remember to not procrastinate and stay ahead of these deadlines!

Coke Scholars Round 1 Deadline: September 30
University of Texas/UNC Chapel Hill Early Action Deadline: October 15
Most ED, REA & EA Deadlines: November 1

THE ARCHIVE
Looking for past mailings?

You can view all our previous posts at our website at https://scholarscoops.beehiiv.com

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