Help with College (High School Senior)

[Jon Stratis]

A lot of that depends on the school you go to - the program/major is sometimes called different things at different schools. I went to Case Western Reserve University, and there were two very similar programs there - Computer Science, and Computer Engineering - that ended up having quite a different focus. For one thing, the Computer Science program focused only on programming, to the point where it didn't even have the full core Engineering curriculum. The Computer Engineering program, on the other hand, had the full core Engineering curriculum, and in addition to higher level programming got more in depth with the hardware side of things, firmware design, etc. Two overlapping programs with different focuses.

Your best bet is to visit the schools your interested in, and if at all possible talk to one or more of the professors in the program(s) your considering. Ask about their program, what the typical major-specific classes are. Tell them what your interested in and what you would ideally want to pursue after college. With any luck, they can help you see how their program, regardless of what it's actually called, can help you be successful in your chosen career path.