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Ask YC: Best computer science degree in Europe?

3 points by maxniederhofer ↗ HN
A friend wants to get a computer science degree in Europe starting next year. What we're not sure about is the best university to apply to. The European education landscape is difficult to navigate and we were wondering whether YC had any good suggestion: outstanding courses, stellar professors, great international student body?

Grateful for pointers of any kind.

6 comments

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tjr
Philip Wadler teaches at the University of Edinburgh:

http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/wadler/

I'd think it a good thing to get hooked up with him, depending on your interests.

giardini
I second the University of Edinburgh. Every time I've researched CS subjects (usually in AI or near it) I end up at one of that university's sites. They have so many outstanding people, I believe I would have difficulty picking an area in which to concentrate.
apexauk
I've studied @ Oxford, have friends at Imperial and Cambridge. Not sure how to say where's "best".. however there's big differences in approach/material studied.

Oxford is small (~20 undergrads/year doing straight CS) and the courses are extremely academic/theoretical in nature - both could be a +/- depending on what you're looking for. The tutorial system at Oxbridge (where you get a few hours personal time with a professor each week) is definately the big bonus that defines what makes it a great education. It's definately not a way that works for everyone though.

For me, choosing where I wanted to study was less about the course and more about the experience I'd have while there - it's a personal thing but I find I learn best by teaching myself, so for me priorities were whether I liked the city, atmosphere, plus the overall perception/reputation of the university since it's obviously nice to come out with a certificate from a "brand name" that people will respect.

The best things about Oxford are the people you meet and wide range of other things to get involved in alongside your course - wherever your friend's looking, I'd definately suggest they use this as part of the comparision.

Let me know if you've got any more specific questions/want follow-ups.

bk
Some German universities have Max Planck or Fraunhofer Institutes attached to them. They do interesting and cutting-edge work, and take local students for assistant work, etc., which is great to do something "real" during your studies.

Denmark (Aarhus and Copenhagen) seem to have pretty good CS programs as well.

I don't know though how feasible these programs are if you only speak English. Some degree programs are being offered in English these days, so it may be worth an inquiry.

MaysonL
ETHZ (Swiss federal institute of technology, at Zurich) has a great CS program - home of Niklaus Wirth.