I have been accepted into both of these schools and plan to major in computer science. I like Rice’s environment compared to UC Berkeley’s but am uncertain about its cs department. Any help/perspective on choosing between these
Berkeley –
Pros:
-CA resident, live near UC Berkeley so no flight costs, slightly cheaper, etc.
-very familiar with the school/people going there
-top school for cs
-in Silicon Valley so many opportunities
-most practical decision
Cons:
-admitted into College of L&S and need to petition for cs major →
–>need to maintain 3.3 GPA in 3 prerequisite classes (CS 61A, 61B, 70 = Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Data Structures, Discrete Mathematics and Probability Theory)
-extremely competitive/stressful (known for depressed/stressed students)
-I’m a slower learner, would be competing against other top Bay Area students
-been in Bay Area all my life, want a change of scenery
Rice University –
Pros:
-private school/smaller class sizes/great support system = better for personalized learning/connections
-much better quality of life/happiest student body
-directly admitted into College of Engineering/easy to switch majors
-hard to fail
-exposed to world outside of Bay Area bubble
Cons:
-cs department is not as well-known? could possibly be limiting in terms of tech opportunities compared to Berkeley
-stories of overcrowding/revising curriculum of cs department: would I be prepared for workforce?
-never visited Houston
-Berkeley seems like the obvious choice for cs (is Rice more medical-focused)
-overall, net cost of 4 years would be about $30k more than if I went to Berkeley (both schools cost the same for me for freshman year, predicting that it will be about $10k more/year for last 3 years)
@bluebayou Yeah they have given a good amount of aid for me but not enough to be as cheap as a UC. Since my sister will still be in college next year (they give more aid if siblings are still in college), it will cost about $3,000 more for freshman year. For my last three years, it will cost $10k more each year since my sister will have graduated.
@bluebayou Yes, they said they can manage if I also get a good-paying job after graduating and pay off loans. Our income allows us to get a good amount of aid from UCs as well. But my main concern is if that extra risk will be worth it ://
" But my main concern is if that extra risk will be worth it :// "
Nope.
My vote is for UCB- hands down.
If it did NOT cost you less AND have such a fabulous, world renown CS dept, AND close proximity to the extensive job opportunities for CS grads at hundreds of Hi Tech bay area companies, then sure , Rice would be a good choice. But it DOES and therefore, imho, you should not think twice about going to UCB.
Thousands of Calif kids would kill to be in your shoes.
Tough choice! Rice offers an amazing and friendly undergrad experience with a great access to tech opportunities after graduation, but Berkeley being cheaper and closer to home while also having a top CS program only rivaled by the likes of Stanford and MIT is absolutely important to consider. If cost is not a huge concern, then perhaps think along the lines of if you want to go somewhere new and try something completely new (Rice), or if you feel a lot better about being closer to home in a more familiar area (Berkeley). Good luck!
