Here are the colleges my daughter is choosing from for Computer Engineering–UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, Cal Poly SLO. She also got into UC Berkeley, UC Irvine and UC Davis for the same major, but she’s not as excited about going to those schools. Which school is best for Computer Engineering/Computer Science? (Her major is Computer Engineering, but she may switch to Comp Sci later if she wants.) Thank you for your help.
She also got into USC but can’t afford it. We’re revisiting UCLA, UCSB, UCSD and Cal Poly this April to help her make a decision, but want to find out more about these college’s computer departments in comparison with each other. Thanks.
They are all good schools, but my advice is to stick around in metro areas, more intern opportunities.
Congratulations to you and your daughter =) Switching majors in an impacted, high-ranked university, however, is tough.
US News has UC Berkeley ranked #3 in the US for best engineering schools, behind MIT and Stanford, but edging out CalTech. https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering-schools/eng-rankings
Forbes has it ranked #1 Best Value College in US and #6 in the West. https://www.forbes.com/colleges/university-of-california-berkeley/
Cal Poly, SLO is a beautiful campus and decently ranked engineering school, but far down the list from most UC’s.
Is there a reason why she’s not as excited about UC Berkeley?
From the main list, UCLA stands out, particularly in the bio-engineering field. The bio-medical company I work for is under the UCLA umbrella.
@artloversplus Thanks for the suggestion.
@TooOld4College She’s not switching her major; she’s entering as a freshman in Computer Engineering. Interested in finding specifics about the CE departments. Berkeley is great, it’s the highest ranking school on the list, but too close to home for one, competitive, etc. She loves the feel of the other campuses. But yes, Berkeley is a great school.
@windypoplars Sorry, I thought I read that she may switch to Computer Science later, assuming after she enters the program. But I get now that you are visiting the campuses and depts to help her determine whether or not CE is the way to go. That’s a fantastic plan. I went to Cal Poly, SLO out of high school over Berkeley after visiting SLO. My high school counselor took me. It was a beautiful campus and completely different than my home town in NorCal. However, the downtown and culture feel was very small town which suited me. Being from such a small town, I was intimidated by the great amounts of people. Berkeley seemed a bit crazy and chaotic to me. Also my parents pressured me not to go there, especially after I was accepted. My major at SLO was EE, but after 2 quarters I wanted to change to Computer Science. I didn’t do so well there in EE. In hindsight, I always wondered how different it may have been at Berkeley. I work as Sr. Business Analyst and DBA, with 20 years experience as a programmer, sitting in many hiring interviews. All the schools she’s been accepted to stand out in interviews. I have a preference for UCLA simply because I, at one point, was interested in their Cybernetics program. The culture around UCLA is amazing. The Westwood area is built around college culture, with access to many amenities. I have no specific knowledge of their CE dept, though. Just as well, I went to Cal Poly, SLO back in the mid-80’'s, so I’m sure things have changed since then. Regardless, I wish you and your daughter well and the best of luck in her academic career and future endeavors.
If she may switch, she may want to consider whether computer science and computer engineering are separate majors, or if they are options within a single major (which may be called computer science and engineering; at UCB, it would be electrical engineering and computer science) that she has been admitted to (she should make sure that she is admitted to the major, because these majors may be difficult to get into after enrolling as an undeclared student). If they are separate majors, she may want to check how difficult it may be to change major.
I’m going to disagree with that. What makes Cal Poly SLO exceptional among the CSUs is that it’s engineering department is right up there with the UCs, and perhaps better than most of them at the undergrad level.