Hi, My son has been admitted to computer Science at UCR , ASU Barett and SDSU . We are in the middle of making a decision. Does being in a UC give you a chance to move to another UC, if desired ? Ranking wise, ASU is higher though it has a huge student engineering population (21K+ vs 2.5K+). Even though he is in Barett, I am thinking that with that many students in engineering, it will be tough to get professor’s time or research opportunities.
Thanks
A UC to UC transfer is definitely possible, but not the highest priority when it comes to transfers. He will still need to do well at UCR to move up to a more selective UC.
Are there differences in costs between the schools? Which school is he leaning towards? Academics will be good at all these schools so he should select the best fit.
My younger son is a Senior at SDSU for CS. He chose to attend SDSU over UCR. He felt SDSU fit him best academically/financially and socially.
He is interested in doing CS research or going into the workforce immediately after Undergrad?
Arizona high school senior here! I was accepted to Barrett as well as many of my classmates, most of whom are enrolled in Barrett already. Just in general, ASU is comprised of tons of students and those classic giant lecture halls. With Barrett, students have a bit smaller classes, but it depends on the major of course, so in engineering your son would have to find connections with profs and certain labs if he wants to succeed. I can’t say anything for sure of course because I am not an engineering major, but I have about 20 of my classmates all majoring in either engineering or pre med or something along those lines who already have very strong ties to the ASU administration. I’d recommend a UC.
@Gumbymom He got a scholarship from ASU. Cost wise, UCR and ASU will be similar. He wants to work for few years after Undergrad and then get an MBA.
@Brine Looks like You have some friends in Barett who have made connections with professors and are happy. Why do you recommend UC?
I’d recommend a UC because they are more selective about who they admit and therefore smaller schools and would provide a more individualized approach than Barrett. By going to Barrett you’d be coming into a school where 98% of the kids grew up in AZ and have been going to robotics camp at Barrett since they were 14 + studying alongside people who already have an in with the profs.
Not to rule it out tho. ASU does get a TON of funding that they funnel straight into the engineering department, so if you play your cards right you could do really well there.
@arswale: UCR is moving up in the rankings and they are a well respected school. He will probably have better access to his professors and internship opportunities than at ASU due to the smaller Engineering Department. However, being in Barrett may be the equalizer so he really needs to do some research.
I am also a big advocate for SDSU. A solid CS program, good professors and good Mentorship/internship opportunities. If all things are equal, he will need to select the best fit academically/financially and socially.
A Happy student is a Successful student.