I transfered from a technical/engineering school (1,500 students) to a more general state university (20,000) where computer science was not an important and the average student's ability was lower.
The real important difference was the curriculum. The state school had a language requirement (14 credit hours) tacked right on; CS is located in the Arts&Science school. It meant I couldn't take more technical electives.
The most important thing about undergrad years is what you can do when you leave, whether it came from a class or hours spent in self-directed study, as I did.
It meant a lot to potential employers when I could say that I have submitted (small) patches to the linux kernel, or wrote my own mini-kernel or compiler. Try writing a thread library or a nifty little VM, or something that is unusual and will stand out.
The real important difference was the curriculum. The state school had a language requirement (14 credit hours) tacked right on; CS is located in the Arts&Science school. It meant I couldn't take more technical electives.
The most important thing about undergrad years is what you can do when you leave, whether it came from a class or hours spent in self-directed study, as I did.
It meant a lot to potential employers when I could say that I have submitted (small) patches to the linux kernel, or wrote my own mini-kernel or compiler. Try writing a thread library or a nifty little VM, or something that is unusual and will stand out.