<p>I just found out that I got into UT Austin Computer Science Program. I have also applied to Univ. of Washington, Seattle (Udub). I am wondering how the two programs compare. Any insights? (Udub is ranked #7 while UT Austin is ranked #8 - too close to make a call for me).</p>
<p>How about Turing Honors program at UT Austin? That is probably ranked higher then Udub CS program. Is this a correct assumption?</p>
<p>Then weight them financially. Which one cost you less then go for that one.</p>
<p>I am presently a student at UT Austin for CS and I can vouch for the department. Everyday when you walk into the CS department you immediately know that you are part of an elite group of computer science students, faculty, and professors. Also I would like to say that any of the Top 10 schools get nearly the same opportunities as one another, we have Apple, Google, Facebook, MS, Dropbox, Twitter, etc that visits our campus <em>multiple</em> times per year; during their visits they recruit a ton of students for summer and full time jobs. It is also important to know that when the UT CS ranking was taken the CS department at UT was divided amongst different buildings and there wasn’t a lot of collaboration. As of this fall however, the department is now grouped under one building provided by a generous grant from Michael Dell and Bill Gates; this new building will increase collaboration and will likely increase our ranking as well in the long run.</p>
<p>Make whatever decision you think is better, however I can boldly say that if you choose UT Austin you won’t regret it. 
Not only is the school great, but there is a huge entrepreneurship mentality that thrives in our department and the city of Austin; so if you have a great idea you might want to seriously consider this school.</p>
<p>PS: Turing students are outstanding and really stand out as well if you manage to get in.</p>
<p>Thanks Oatman; very helpful advice! I am OOS and will be paying full tuition so I am weighing all my options. Does the UT CS Department have any scholarships or in-state tuition waivers available once you join the program?</p>
<p>The University of Texas at Austin is really big into diversity. So unless you are of an ethnic minority or a female, unfortunately our department is very unlikely to yield you a scholarship. However, this doesn’t mean that other companies will not. What most of my friends are doing to get out of OOS tuition is that Texas State law mandates that you must either own or rent property for a minimum of a year before you are considered a resident. (This means you need to live off-campus at either an off campus dorm or an apartment; make sure your name is also on the lease.) So what they’ll do is pick up a part-time job for the first year, then the remaining 3 years you are at school you’ll be paying in-state tuition. However, don’t forget to Google for different scholarships. Many companies, like Microsoft will give you a full ride for the year if you sign up for their scholarship and intern with them over the summer. Another avenue to avoid tuition costs, is the InfoSEC scholarship which mandates that you take upper-division security courses and work for the government for the first 2 years you get out of school. That scholarship gives you a $20,000 stipend and they’ll pay your FULL tuition for your last 2 years at UT Austin; the only caveat is that you’ll need a 3.2GPA to get into that program.</p>
<p>Personally myself, I think the first route of just footing the OOS tuition for the first year and then paying in-state the remaining 3-years is the way to go; along with that I’d apply for as many scholarships along the way. It’s a numbers game, if you apply for enough of them, you’ll get them.</p>
<p>When looking at the ranking, you have to keep in mind that it was taken in 2010. Since then, the new compsci building has been completed and a lot of new facilities have been built. I have no doubt that the ranking will go up in the next wave. Just something to keep in mind.</p>