CalPoly SLO, UT, UIUC, or Purdue

College Search & Selection
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I’ll list out the schools I am considering and my opinion of them and if anyone could provide any insight that would be extremely helpful. Got into all schools for Computer Engineering (or first year engineering requirements).

UT Austin - Haven’t visited but heard the place is very urban and also has a stellar reputation.The academics seem to go very in depth and just seems like a very nice place to attend overall. Lot to do on campus and off. Unfortunately OOS cost of attendance is around 50k (no financial aid received), plan on applying to small scholarships maybe even applying for in state tuition after a year.

Purdue - Solid research university, again haven’t visited but heard the city isn’t as nice as Austin. Classes also seem solid and the COA is reasonable around 30k.

Cal Poly SLO - Excellent campus and I really like the hands-on approach. Cons: Most engineering students don’t graduate in 4 years (36% graduation rate), also SLO seems a bit isolated from anything major. And I hear that cal poly is great for landing a job right after but it doesn’t prep you much for grad school (which I plan to do probably somewhere else). Not sure how true this is.

UIUC - Program on par with Berkeley (I’ve heard) but the campus atmosphere doesn’t seem like something I would enjoy. Also is more isolated than SLO. COA is around 50k here as well.

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Where are you in state?

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@socalmom007 California

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First of all, never plan on graduate school in engineering. Things change. You may get burned out. You may have an unbelievable job opportunity with a BS only. You should prepare for your BS to be suitable as a stand alone degree, and if you then decide to still go to graduate school, no problem.

All 4 schools are good schools, none particularly advantageous over the rest. I would have a hard time recommending debt when you can go to Cal Poly and pay in state tuition.

My son is a ME at Cal Poly and chose it from out of state. He was attracted to the small class size, awesome facilities, all professor instruction and job placement. As a third year, he has already started his graduate courses. Getting out in 4 years is no problem as long as you do two things, don’t dodge professors, and don’t dodge time slots. He brought in AP and dual enrollment credit, so he didn’t start at zero, but he will graduate with a co-terminal BS/MS in 5 years or less. All of his friends are graduating in 4 years too.

The notion that Cal Poly does not prep students for graduate school is wrong. Fewer Cal Poly students do advanced degrees because they don’t have to or don’t want to. Very few computer engineers do, because they are in such high demand with a BS from Cal Poly. If you look at MEs though, every year a few do go to graduate school. Most do the 4+1 co-terminal BS/MS because it’s ridiculously efficient. Those who leave go to top programs. Looking at the last three years, there are students at Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon and Stanford, to name but a few. IF you choose graduate school, you’ll have no problem if you keep your grades up.

Location is isolated, but there’s lots to do, as long as you like nature. There’s hiking, biking and the beach. Many students go to SB or LA for the weekend, but honestly, as a CE, you’ll be pretty busy. You won’t have time to get bored.

Last, even at top schools, recruiting tends to be regional. If you plan on returning west, you’ll have access to more job opportunities at Cal Poly than the rest.

UT, Purdue and Illinois are all very good schools, especially their graduate programs. They will all have much larger class sizes and have a significant number of labs and discussions taught by Graduate Assistants. There’s compelling reason to choose CP for the same price above the rest. At the deal you get, it’s sort of a no brainer.

Good luck.

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Unless your parents are part of the 1% I’d go to SLO. Any ABET school can prepare you for a job in engineering, and SLO is more than just any school; it is well respected. That extra money isn’t buying you anything.

I’d advise going for a MS degree since with your major much of your competition for jobs will have one. Industry employment (at least in Calif) is dominated outside of defense by foreign-born students. they get a BS in their home country, then come to the US to get a MS. Their MS is “free”; that’s where most colleges get their TAs from. So they work part-time as a TA in a field they are studying anyway, use the 1-2 years in the program to find a US-based job.

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If your goal is industry employment, a master’s degree is not necessary. As you approach graduation, look for jobs, but apply to funded graduate programs in case the economy or industry goes into a downturn on your graduation date.

Here is Cal Poly’s career survey:
https://careers.calpoly.edu/search.php

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I would definitely choose slo from your list. Oddly, my daughter was accepted at many of the same schools- UT Austin, Purdue, waitlisted at UIUC. For the money slo is such a bargain with such a strong reputation and great job placement for STEM fields. I can’t see how your other choices would be worth double the cost.

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UIUC is ranked high and very prestigious for compsci!
but…
all the other schools u got into are excellent as well
did u visit each campus?
personally, i would go SLO!!!
it is cheaptes option and also prestigious for CS!
i know people who chose SLO over Cal CS. many people i know also got great job offers upon graduating, don’t worry about graduating in 4 years, just try ur best!
For a college that good, u can go there for instate tuition, so y not SLO