If you can, please give me any advice on choosing or researching colleges!
I am a CA resident who has been accepted as an electrical engineer/computer science major into the following:
[UCI, UCSB]-in state, low tuition good weather. UCI is near home which is a plus about a 20 minute drive
[Purdue, UIUC]- better programs but more expensive out-of state, colder weather
[ASU Barrett Honors college]- I don’t prefer hotter weather, but I received a scholarship and have been accepted to the honors college, but it’s still more expensive than UC’s
At least let me know if I should chose a college from one of the three areas, In state, Out of state top engineering schools, or Honors college
So, UCs are the least expensive? Do you plan to go to grad or professional school? Do you or your parents have to take out loans for any of the schools?
Why would you go to grad school? I am perplexed by the amount of high schoolers (and their parents) that think grad school is necessary or even desired in certain majors. In engineering - get out and do. So pick the best undergrad - are you direct admit for engineering at UIUC? Even if, the UCs are good - go to the one you would be happiest at. You don’t have to be a partier at any school. Not sure UCI has much personality and that close to home may make it a commuter college experience - not sure you want that?
UCSB and UCI both have very good EECS programs. I think you should choose one of those if either money or weather concern you.
I should mention that at my Boston area company we do extremely well recruiting at UIUC and Purdue I think because their weather is even colder than ours! :-).
Not an easy decision. UIUC & Purdue are better than UCSB & UCI. That doesn’t mean UCSB is bad. Between UCSB & UCI I’d pick the former.
As for cost, in a field like CS/CE, where starting salaries are high, you can easily make up for the cost differential once you start working. So as long as your family doesn’t have to go through hardship, I’d suggest that cost should be a lower factor in your decision.
Going out of state isn’t worth the cost if you plan on pursuing a masters. UIUC may be ranked 5th overall on US News, but Purdue is only ranked 20th, and UCI is ranked 29th (and UCSB is 34th).
The decision comes down to UCI vs UCSB, for which you should also consider other factors, since the rankings are almost the same. Think about how well you’d fit in at both UCs, and also ask yourself if you’d want to be part of a school where, for most students, partying is the top priority (UCSB is notorious for this).
@blueskies2day Grad school is highly recommended for Engineering/CS majors. Only 15% of EE/CS majors complete a masters, and those that do are looked at more favorably by engineering companies. Parsons Corp (Top 5 largest engineering firm in US) where my father works, for example, prefers to hire people with masters degrees, and only hires students right out of college with only bachelors degrees if their GPA is above a 3.75.
The OP is pursuing a degree in EE/CS. You don’t need a master’s degree to get a great job in Silicon Valley with those degrees (with all due respect, Parsons is unheard of in this field). I’d go so far as to say that a master’s degree is unnecessary, unless you really want to do a PhD. There is certainly a qualitative difference between a BS & PhD, but not between a BS and MS.
You sound like you will get the education you need at any school you attend, and they are all good. Four years is a long time, and you will be working hard. I would rank highly where you want to be. These decisions are so hard because there are so many variable. You know how we will say, “All things being equal, I’d choose…” Do that. People here have told you the rankings aren’t that big of deal - they’re all good. People have said the cost may not be an issue in the field you’re going into. You may or may not go to graduate school, but that doesn’t need to come into play at this point. So, assume all things are equal-enough, and where do you want to be? Experience something new, a new region of the country, including a new climate? Have the honors experience, with maybe some smaller classes, and for the social aspect of it, being with other like-minded young people? Be close to home at Irvine so it will largely be about taking classes more than about “going to college,” or “split the difference” and go to Santa Barbara, where you can have some so-called college experience, but still be pretty close to home. You will find plenty of peers who don’t party; they’re not letting in a bunch of total slackers. Where do you see yourself? Good luck.
You mentioned that being near home is a plus for UCI. This suggests to me that you don’t have a burning desire to go out of state. Honestly, if you like your local options and they are the cheapest, pick one of them and enjoy. The rankings aren’t that divergent that I think it makes a huge difference. The UC system is very well regarded. Plus if you intend to stay in CA after graduation, doing internships or other career-related activities in the area will only work to your benefit.
I know a girl who is enrolled at Barrett. The weather does get really HOT.
I don’t know Purdue but I have been on the UIUC campus a number of times. It is a very impressive campus. However, the town is somewhat isolated and it can be difficult/expensive to fly there because it’s served by a small regional airport with relatively few flights per day. Just something to keep in mind as you work out your budget. Winters are long and cold.
Congrats - those programs are very competitive for CS/Engineering. You must be a very good student.
You say the OOS schools will be more expensive, but you don’t give any details – those are important. How much more expensive, and how much of a burden will that be to your family and you? For example, is it money you have, but would rather not use? How much in loans will you need to take out?
Otherwise, UIUC is clearly the best/strongest choice of the schools you list.
You mention EE/CS – those are different majors/departments at UIUC. Which one were you admitted to? Realize it may be difficult to switch – although likely much easier to switch from one of those majors to the other (since they’re both in the College of Engineering) than from a non-Engineering major.
I also don’t understand the ragging on grad school by a couple of the replies. Don’t let your biases and assumptions come out when they may not apply to the OP. You don’t know what they plan to focus on, or what kind of job they want. If he/she is thinking of grad school, they probably have a good reason for it. Yes, that can change as they go through undergrad, but it is not bad at all to be thinking about it now. Getting a Master’s at least won’t take much extra time, and can be quite beneficial (and typically can be done at little/no extra cost, e.g., by getting an assistantship).
California will of course be warmer, but winters at UIUC are not long and cold, certainly not in recent years, what with global warming. In general there are a week or two of temps (highs) below 20, and it snows a number of times, but it’s typically gone in less than a week.