<p>The past couple days I have been trying to make a decision about what college I want to go to next year. I'm not sure which one to go to though. Illinois State's campus was nice. I have not heard anything about ISU's computer science program. U of I's computer science program is highly reputable. I was put on the wait list for U of I, but even if I do get in I don't know if I could handle the workload. Do you think there will be much of a difference between ISU's gen eds and U of I's? If I do get off the wait list will I be getting a bad place to stay? Everyone last year that was on the wait list was accepted.</p>
<p>You’ll have a huge advantage over other graduates in CS if you go to UIUC, and probably a lot more recruiters coming to your school from around the country. Can’t say anything about ISU. You shouldn’t be giving up going to UIUC because you think you won’t be able to handle it. College is meant to be hard, but it will never be if you stay on top of everything.</p>
<p>Go to UIUC, it’s a better school and it will make you competent at CS. There are no real standards for CS programs, and not knowing much about ISU’s program I would probably assume that it’s just another state school with just another CS program.</p>
<p>Of course, no matter where you go, you get out what you put into it. At UIUC, you just get out a lot more, though of course you’ll have to put in more.</p>
<p>ISU is terrible</p>
<p>So you were waitlisted for computer science at UIUC rather than admitted to general studies or your second choice? Or were you waitlisted for admission to the university?</p>
<p>According to question 16 on the application, all students are automatically considered for their second choice if deemed under-qualified for their first one.</p>
<p>Illinois State is on par with community college; it won’t help you as a transfer student.</p>
<p>UIUC is one of the great CS programs in the US. Looking at ISU’s website, it doesn’t even appear that they offer CS - just an I/T program.</p>
<p>I applied as undeclared to help my chances of getting in, but I was put on the wait list. I know college is supposed to be challenging, but not to the point where I want to transfer to another school because of rigor. That is what I’m afraid of.</p>
<p>ISU does have a computer science program and is a part of the School of Information Technology. I don’t know if that is different than what I’m looking for, because at UIUC it is part of the college of engineering. </p>
<p>[Computer</a> Science - Programs - Undergraduate Program - School of Information Technology](<a href=“http://cast.illinoisstate.edu/itk/undergraduate/programs/computer_science.shtml]Computer”>http://cast.illinoisstate.edu/itk/undergraduate/programs/computer_science.shtml)</p>
<p>I looked at your link. The program is very weak. It’s I/T with light CS.</p>
<p>While I don’t agree that ISU is “terrible”, CS is not its strong suit. Education, special education, business - yes. CS, probably not unless, you have no other choices.</p>
<p>If you don’t get into U of I, go to ISU and make the best of it. It’s a nice school in a nice town. Earn a very high GPA and either transfer, or go to a good grad school. My 3.957 (or whatever it was) from ISU got me into a nice law school.</p>
<p>Do you know the difference between CS and IT? If not, read up on the differences. Is CS really what you are after? The ISU CS program is ABET accredited, you can search all the accredited schools in Illinois here:</p>
<p>[Accredited</a> Programs Search](<a href=“http://www.abet.org/AccredProgramSearch/AccreditationSearch.aspx]Accredited”>http://www.abet.org/AccredProgramSearch/AccreditationSearch.aspx)</p>
<p>But the fact that it is part of the IT department would concern me. More usually it is a separate major in L&S or affiliated with the Math department in L&S. For schools with engineering it is sometimes there but not always, more often that’s Computer Engineering which is different.</p>
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<p>Nothing like a good generalization to add substance to the discussion. Ugh.</p>
<p>For clarification and a reality check, refer to missypie’s post. There are some areas of study that going to ISU is preferable for.</p>
<p>Education, for example. But I have to admit, when I read this thread’s title my first thought was “Are you kidding?”</p>
<p>Very good advice to look at whether you really want IT instead of CS.</p>
<p>Why don’t you consider what you need to do to transfer into the CS department at UIUC when you are deciding also: <a href=“https://agora.cs.illinois.edu/display/undergradProg/Transferring+into+CS+from+other+UIUC+departments[/url]”>https://agora.cs.illinois.edu/display/undergradProg/Transferring+into+CS+from+other+UIUC+departments</a></p>
<p>I think you are wise to develop a backup plan in case UIUC doesn’t work out or doesn’t appeal to you for whatever reason.</p>
<p>Regarding CS at UIUC, Computer Science is offered in the Engineering college. Math/CS and Stat/CS are offered in the LAS college. The degree requirements vary based on the college offering the degree.</p>
<p>However, not everyone wants to be one of 900 CS students (ref: [Facts</a> & Figures | Engineering at Illinois](<a href=“http://engineering.illinois.edu/about-us/facts-figures]Facts”>http://engineering.illinois.edu/about-us/facts-figures)). Not everyone who can successfully complete a computer science degree can succeed at a top tier school (#5 according to [Department</a> of Computer Science at Illinois](<a href=“http://cs.illinois.edu/]Department”>http://cs.illinois.edu/). Better to get a degree somewhere in the field you like than to drop out. Not everyone who wants to major in CS can get into UIUC, and not everyone who gets in will complete the program. Less than stellar In-state students need to consider schools in addition to UIUC for CS in my opinion. </p>
<p>Here are stats from a page that shows enrollment for each UIUC major by student year - ([On-Campus</a> Student Enrollment](<a href=“http://www.dmi.illinois.edu/stuenr/class/enrfa10.htm]On-Campus”>On-Campus Student Enrollment))
UIUC On-Campus Student Enrollment by Curriculum and Student Level - FALL 2010</p>
<p>Major Frosh Soph Junior Senior Total
Computer Science 199 145 201 247 792
Math & Computer Science 22 17 14 29 82
Statistics & Computer Science 6 4 4 3 17
Undergraduate Total 7447 6938 7624 8681 31252 </p>
<p>Assuming that they take about the same number of students every year, you can see the fresman drops followed by the student count increasing toward senior year. It’s a very hard major at a hard school; some don’t finish, and many don’t finish in 4 years. I hope that this addresses some of the snark. Geez.</p>
<p>Regarding ISU, their program follows the pattern seen at other non-engineering schools i.e. it offers an alternative to the math major/engineering major approach offered at many engineering schools.
ISU CS has math requirements (2 sememsters of Calc, Stats, Discrete I think), Science reqs (4 sememsters, I think). It is an accredited program in both Computer Science and Information Systems [Undergraduate</a> Programs - School of Information Technology](<a href=“http://cast.illinoisstate.edu/itk/undergraduate/]Undergraduate”>http://cast.illinoisstate.edu/itk/undergraduate/) so I would assume employers don’t just think of it as an IS/IT school, but I don’t know.</p>
<p>I too would like to know more about CS at ISU since my kid won’t go to an engineering school but wants a decently rigorous CS degree. ISU does seem to offer that. Their Academic Lifestyle Community sounds nice. CS majors work a lot harder than most other majors and having like-minded people around is helpful.</p>
<p>Hopefully someone else will chime in with more helpful comments.</p>
<p>Agree with 1moremom! Between the two, I don’t care if I was stuck living in a cardboard box as long as I was able to attend one of the top 5 computer science colleges aka UIUC. Also, they the most ABET accredited programs in Illinois and the most programs relevant to computer sciences and engineering.</p>
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<p>If the CS student is intending to work in industry after graduation, s/he will have to be more aggressive in finding employers to apply to if s/he is at ISU than at UIUC. UIUC is nationally known, and non-local employers looking for new CS graduates will visit its career center to do recruiting. ISU not so much.</p>
<p>Employers also tend to recruit at local schools because it is cheap to do so. You may not have heard of San Jose State University, but being in the back yard of numerous “Silicon Valley” computer companies is likely helpful for CS majors there looking for post-graduation jobs.</p>
<p>Thank for all of the responses everyone. I just feel that I am not prepared even for their gen ed courses because I’m not really an AP/Honors student. This is my only year with Honors/AP classes. I have a 3.4 GPA and I scored a 23 on my ACT. I am taking Honors German 4, AP Psychology(Joke at my school) and AP Computer Science which I have a C+ in. I like doing it although I am not a genius programmer. My brother’s friend is a major in computer science at UIUC and he said it moves at a quick pace. I don’t want to be stuck in my dorm doing work 24/7. I want to meet new people as well!</p>
<p>I am a senior at Illinois State University double majoring in Philosophy and Computer Science. Illinois State is not UIUC when comparing computer science programs. UIUC is more rigorous and far more difficult than ISU. However, that being said, education is what you wish to make it. At ISU, you have access to your professors whom you can visit and ask questions. These are individuals who have experience in the computer science field and are currently doing research. You can expand your education by participating in their research projects, asking them questions, and challenging yourself to learn more. It is not by any means a slouch of a CS program at ISU. If you can get into UIUC, go for it, but, if not, ISU is not a horrible alternative, and I have quite a few friends who have excellent jobs (one is a lead developer at the CME). If at all possible, see if you can schedule appointments with professors from each university and talk with them about the university’s program and your concerns.</p>
<p>“Major Frosh Soph Junior Senior Total
Computer Science 199 145 201 247 792
Math & Computer Science 22 17 14 29 82
Statistics & Computer Science 6 4 4 3 17
Undergraduate Total 7447 6938 7624 8681 31252”</p>
<p>These statistics should be taken with a grain of salt - UIUC bases their class statistics on the number of credits earned, including AP credits. This is why there are more seniors than any other class. It’s not because there are fewer 2nd and 3rd year students and more 5th year seniors, it’s because the 2nd and 3rd year students have enough credit to qualify as seniors by standing.</p>
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<p>Really just cross that bridge IF you ever come to it…don’t decide to cross it now! Seriously, there is no value at all in worrying about your ability and cutting yourself short. Kids come from all range of public highschools to go to UIUC- just like any other large state school (or really any school for that matter)- with different levels of preparation and ability. Don’t sell yourself short because you lack confidence at this point. </p>
<p>My little story: I went to a public university for undergrad close to my home, and worried so much I would not compete well with my classmates at the very top uni I got into for my PhD. Most had gone to super great undergrad schools like Yale and Harvard and Princeton. And you know what? I did extremely well and it turns out I was as well prepared as they were, and all was fine. Thank god I didn’t listen to that little voice of insecurity!</p>
<p>I can’t advise you on which college would be best for you, but I am concerned that you are considering majoring in something you don’t appear to be particularly good at. AP Comp Sci is a joke compared to the typical comp sci courses you’ll have to take in college.</p>