Hi everyone,
I’ve been super stressed out about which university is the best option for either Computer or Electrical Engineering…
I have narrowed my options down to the University of Washington, University of British Columbia, and University of Florida. Which one do the employers (internationally) particularly like to see, and which one carries the most prestige?
I’m looking for a college that is fun and as low-stress as possible, but at the same time well-known.
Just what is the best school overall and why?
P.S. I’m a dual citizen of Canada and the US, so the costs of going to any of these schools are pretty close. I want the freedom to work anywhere in the world with ease (mostly Europe).
Thanks for any responses! 
Have you looked into whether you could study or intern abroad with any of these schools? Have you looked at whether immigration would be easier if you actually studied in the country where you wish to work? (Germany is known for affordable college, for example.)
I’m a Swedish citizen so immigration to Europe would not be a problem for me. It’s just the degree that I’m worried about. I do know that at least for UBC they have good study abroad opportunities for the same UBC tuition which is great. I’m mostly concerned about which engineering degree that will give me the most opportunities abroad after college.
UW’s engineering is higher stress and more prestigious than the other 2 schools you mentioned. UW’s location is in a high tech hub with Microsoft and Amazon in the area. I am not sure why you considered a public school like U. Florida. There are great public schools in CA for electrical/computer engineering, i.e., UC Berkeley, which is renown worldwide. Like any out of state public universities, the out of state tuition is high, which makes the cost nearly the same as a good private school.
UBC has a strong reputation outside of North America. I think that in the USA, UW probably has a stronger reputation than UBC, but outside of North America I don’t think that this is true. I think that you would do well in Europe with a degree from either UBC or UW.
As a dual citizen, I am surprised that any US state flagship would be as inexpensive as UBC unless you were in-state, and I don’t understand how you can be in-state for both Florida and Washington. We live in the US and like you have dual citizenship. We have found Canadian schools to be a bit less expensive than our in-state flagship, in spite of a merit scholarship to the in-state flagship. You should be aware that as a Canadian citizen you pay citizen of Canada tuition at any Canadian university (except for McGill where you pay even less), and the costs are in Canadian dollars.
Thanks for your comments, they were very helpful. I get in-state tuition for both Florida and Washington due to my family circumstances and the laws of these states. Actually, Florida has one of the cheapest tuition in the US, where residents pay about $6000 per year.
I think that at this point I’d probably narrow it down to either UW or UBC, since they both have good reputations abroad.
Thank you!
Comes down to your preferred major. UW has a lot more prestige in US and lots more internship opportunities than UBC. One of the most critical things for engineering majors is how many and how prestigious internships you get during college. After graduation, other than the prestige of the university you attend, the internships you had are the most important things that make you stand out. You have more options for those at UW than many good private schools, especially for CS and CE. However, the big problem with UW is that if you don’t get direct admit to CS you are not guaranteed to get into the major since it is competitive based. You might have an easier time getting into EE or other engineering field (except CS) if you get admitted into the school of engineering. Good luck.
@iulianc Thanks. I’m not interested in CS, but I want to do some kind of engineering. If I get direct to college for the school of engineering, then I will probably go to UW over UBC because of the more opportunities that everyone seems to mention.