<p>I am a sophmore in hs, and am set on majoring in computer science</p>
<p>In CS, there are, from my impression, two tiers that I am looking at:
Stanford/Berkeley
and
Illinois (urbana-champ)/UWashington</p>
<p>My question is: Seeing how Illinois and Washington are significantly cheaper and easier to get into than the top tier schools, what are the major advantages of going to Stanford or Berkeley? What is the advantage of being near Silicon Valley? Are there significantly more opportunities?</p>
<p>Thanks so much! :D</p>
<p>Stanford is a private institution, and it is significantly more prestigious than UW and UIUC. You’ll get much more attention there. For most people, it is a good investment of money considering that you will walk out with the name of one of the world’s most famous schools under your belt, if you are able to be admitted.</p>
<p>Berkeley is similar to the state schools you listed, but the prestige will be very beneficial.</p>
<p>I understand that prestige and name-brand are important to some people.</p>
<p>But educationally or employment-wise, what do they do more? What can they offer (educationally) that the state schools can’t?</p>
<p>At Stanford you can talk to some of the world’s greatest minds. Being immersed with high-caliber students does seem to have a larger effect on you than many people believe. My brother started a business there with one of his professors. </p>
<p>But as in most schools, you need to make use of the resources. All other factors being equal, you have more opportunities available at Stanford than at any state school. If you want to just get a degree, you’ll still have a more interactive experience at Stanford.</p>
<p>Just apply to all of them and let the adcoms and financial aid officers help make your decision. No sense in worrying about differences at this point. All are great options. Are you in-state for either Illinois, Washington or Berkeley?</p>
<p>Be aware that, at Washington, if you are not directly admitted to the CS major as a freshman, it is very competitive to declare the CS major later. Ask on the Washington forum for more.</p>
<p>Berkeley and Stanford do have the “proximity to Silicon Valley” advantage. Small companies often do not have the time or resources to send recruiters all over the country (unlike GAFM).</p>