[GLLUG] computer science schools in michigan

[Eric Miller]

I started at Lansing Community College, transfered to Michigan State
University, and then (don't ask why - mostly $) transfered to Northern
Michigan University.

So, I guess I have a somewhat unique viewpoint. Granted, it was in the
80's so my information might be out of date. YMMV.

LCC is a great place to get the pre-req stuff out of the way without
spending a bundle. I had no problems transfering the credits to MSU.

At MSU I was a Mathematics major but couldn't resist the computer
science courses. I finally figured out I wanted to switch to computer
science. The courses were great but I could not handle the class sizes
or the english-as-a-second-language instructors. 400 level classes with
200+ students was not working for me. Add family within a 30 minute
radius and a wife... you get the picture. 

I transfered to NMU for my Senior year to get away from it all. Boy did
I. They had a weak program from a technical standpoint compared to MSU.
At the time Pascal was the primary language at NMU but everywhere else
focused on C and Unix. The CS program was part of the Mathematics
department, so it tended to have a theoretical focus as compared to MSU.
I'd say I probably ended up with the best of both worlds. I'm sure NMU
alone would not have been as good as MSU but the isolation from external
distractions and the one-on-one attention from the professors did the
job. 

I can't say enough good things about the professors and staff at NMU.
After the "students are third-class citizens" treatment from MSU, NMU
was a breath of fresh air. I needed four credits to finish and thought I
was going to be stuck hanging around until the following fall since 400
level courses were not offered in the summer. My advisor (also a
professor) offered to work with me on two directed study programs over
the summer so I could graduate in August. He picked one topic, I could
pick the other. 

So, NMU (or MTU) is great if you want to simplify your environment as
long as you avoid drinking the entire time you are there to keep warm.

On Tue, 2003-03-11 at 10:07, Melson, Paul wrote:
> When I was at Tech, we used to go to Marquette on the weekends to party.  It *is* the happening spot in the UP.  After all, Marquette had the only Taco Bell for hundreds of miles, not to mention cute girls, something sorely lacking at MTU. :-)
> 
> It is beautiful country up there.  Very unspoiled.  Summer classes are a must.  My only advice to anyone going to MTU for CS is to intern with IBM during winter semester - they ship you to Boca Raton, FL, which is a nice change of pace from the yooper winter.
> 

-- 
Eric Miller <ejmiller@comcast.net>