CS Major: Georgia Tech vs USC. How do I Decide?

College Search & Selection
1

Hi.
I am having a tough time deciding between USC and Georgia Tech.

I am planning on majoring in CS. I am mainly interested in AI if that makes a difference. I also am very interested in entrepreneurship, which is strong at both schools.

I like LA slightly more than Atlanta (love both cities). I believe Georgia Tech has a stronger CS program, especially in AI. However, it also seems to have more of a stress culture, while USC seems much more chill. Also, I would love to be in Silicon Valley after graduating, although I am also considering pursuing a post-graduate education.

I will not have to take any loans as my parents are paying, and they are saying cost is not too important.
Cost of Attendance:
~45k at USC (Presidential Half-Tuition Scholarship)
~45k at Georgia Tech (Out of state, no scholarship)

I just can’t decide! How do I decide? Is there any information anyone has that could help me decide? Any advice?

Thanks!

2

What type of environment do you see yourself thriving in? You seem to be hinting USC. Neither are bad options. Yes, GT will be more intense.

3

It’s probably true, by objective measures, that GT has the stronger CS program. The question is whether that translates to a meaningful difference in opportunities at the undergraduate level. I seriously doubt that either program would limit you in terms of the CS education available.

You sound as if you’d rather go to USC, but feel as if you should go to GT because of its CS reputation/ranking. I don’t think there’s a wrong choice to be made here. If what you’re excited about is entrepreneurial opportunities in California, then it’s indeed possible that USC could be the better incubator for what you hope to do, both during your time in college and via the strong alumni network going forward. But of course, plenty of GT grads end up working on the west coast as well.

Other factors - what are your secondary/extracurricular interests, and where do you feel you could best pursue those? Is study abroad important to you? (If so, compare opportunities that work with your intended program.) Are there particular areas of research that you hope to become involved in? (If so, compare both the research that’s happening at each school, and the ease of access to involvement in that research, for undergrads.)

Given the cost parity and the more-or-less balanced pros and cons, I think you should feel free to “follow your heart” and go where your gut says you’d be happiest, unless one of your specific criteria makes one school an undeniable “slam dunk” over the other.

4

Two great choices.

What part of the country do you live in? One thing would be to think about the logistics of traveling home/etc…some kids find that they really like being somewhat close to home (say, a long car trip or short flight) while others are fine with being further away.

5

Your other thread says that you got into UMass - Amherst with price of $25k per year (in-state).

Are GT and USC worth $80k over four years more than UMass - Amherst?

6

@ucbalumnus Thanks for your reply. Friends at umass told me that although they have a great curriculum and opportunities, there isn’t much of an entrepreneurial mindset amongst most of the cs kids. I also feel that I’ll be able to make better connections at other schools.

I guess the question I have to ask is are those benefits worth the price of a luxury car. I honestly don’t know, but it seems like my parents think it’s worth it. Do you agree?

7

I agree with your parents if they are willing to pay for Gtech or USC than they are both better choices than UMass… I think it’s a choice which you need to discuss with your parents… have you had the chance to visit both campuses? I think both are the same in a major city … for me Atlanta reminds me of La with all the highways going through the city and spread out…

8

@aquapt @SouthernHope @Knowsstuff thanks for the advice, I’ll take all of that into consideration!

9

@airway1
Both cities are so similar, and the things I am looking for within the CS department are also really similar, which is why I am having a hard time choosing. I guess I don’t know how much value I should give to different factors, like distance from home, strength of overall school, culture, etc.

10

What do you need to do to keep the scholarship at USC? If you lose the scholarship, what will the new COA be?

11

You are in the usual circumstance we find here on CC. Your state flagship is unappealing to you.

I find when you get down to the core of the matter, it’s not exotic enough. Or too many kids I know go there… Or people won’t realize how smart I am etc…

The University of Massachusetts at Amherst has what is considered the finest, or nearly so, AI offerings in the nation. The work being done there is off the charts.

If you want to be an entrepreneur in the CS space in the future. Many believe that future resides in AI.

And the Isenberg school of management has a real place in campus culture. You could exist in both worlds. Maybe a double major of sorts.

If only knew how many out of state students are really hoping to get admitted and have no shot.

Not saying USC and GT aren’t world class. They are.

But please don’t dismiss the opportunity you have close to home.

Simply Because it’s close to home.

And 80k is really good start on your MBA from USC. Or Babson if you really want the entrepreneurial chops with your CS.

Between GT and USC. I would go to California.

12

@privatebanker
It just feels weird man. Everyone I know gets into umass, and plenty of people for cs. And it’s not like I’m getting a crazy scholarship either, people with way worse grades and scores got in based on my school scatterplot. I guess that doesn’t really tell how good the school is, maybe I just need to be convinced it doesn’t matter. But you are definitely right about how I am biased against umass.

But I also know some umass amherst cs people that say while the graduate program is top tier, there isnt much focus on undergraduate and that there isn’t a lot of breadth. Apparently most people dont even take machine learning classes in undergraduate, while at gatech theres a whole AI thread.

Honestly, you definitely know way more about this stuff than I do, so maybe you can help me change my biases. I want to make a wise decision, not one based on what others will think or a desire for a change of scenery.

Thank you!

13

If that is the case, wouldn’t the classes be less likely to be full, so that you can take them more easily?

14

@ucbalumnus
I think what I meant to say was that there arent machine learning courses offered.

Okay, let me just explain why I am a little bit confused about umass amherst. I googled some reviews and found this on quora:

https://www.quora.com/I-am-from-California-Is-UMass-Amherst-a-good-school-for-CS

Reviews like these are giving me the impression that the undergrad quality isnt that great. Additionally, I asked people about the vibe in the undergrad cs dept. and they said it was really focused on just getting a job, and that there wasn’t a big entrepreneurial community.

I think the fact that I am getting my reviews from quora and a couple of my friends shows that I don’t really know how to judge if the program is good. Theres so much info, I dont know what’s relevant. Would it be a mistake to go elsewhere when umass is cheaper and comparable in quality of education and opportunities?

15

Remember this your life. So go with your instincts and trust yourself. This is only a set of general thoughts to consider. Your situation is unique to you.

GT is world class USC is world class.
Masschusetts is world class in informatics and ai. It’s a flagship state university with a different mandate than tech or a private like USC.

So not every student is at the same high school caliber as you at UMass. That does change once you arrive, generally, and as you advance in your major. By junior year all your classmates will be smart.

So as an entrepreneur you will also learn about the concept of “trade offs”. very quickly or fail. It’s not black or white. There are shades of gray in decision making. Is the absolute best car in the world better than the cheapest. Not really if your only concern is getting from place a to b. Or you can’t afford $100,000. And the schools you are looking at are not that vast a difference.

If money were not an issue. I would say go to usc and be one of the best students and get into the tech vibe out there.

GT is great. As an entrepreneurial focused CS student, my concern would be that the supremely talented stem high schooler, will be one of the crowd in CS at GT. You will spend more time keeping up in those areas than expanding into some others that may interest you. If you want to be an engineer or designer, I would reverse my thoughts. GT is powerful brand in those circles. Especially working for established, big name companies.

My personal experience in the tech start up space, is no one cares where you went to school once you are at a certain level of quality.

It’s more about what you can do. How creative and driven are you.

And who your friends happen to be early on in your career.

That’s a real advantage of some schools. MIT Stanford Harvard etc. USC is in that category too. GT is just super highly regarded.

If you choose one of the two powerhouse schools at least you will have considered all of your options. And when you go to hire someone for your start up, make sure you give the UMass kid a fair shake!

16

@privatebanker
Thank you for all your help, I am definitely going to reconsider all my options and not let the biases you mentioned sway me too much when making my decision.

Your response was more comforting than you may know. Thank you!

17

UMass’s machine learning course is COMPSCI 589:
https://www.cics.umass.edu/content/spring-19-course-descriptions

Note: 5xx course numbers are “Combined graduate/undergraduate;suitable for upper division undergraduates”, according to:
https://www.umass.edu/senate/sites/default/files/Guide%20to%20Course%20Numbering.pdf

18

Like I said. Don’t be swayed by me or anyone else. Gather data and discuss with your family.

And don’t decide based on CC or Quora!

You understand that GT and USC are powerful schools. And look great on resume. Especially GT among the stem world.

But you have to analyze the data points. Strength of school. Cost. Location. Activities. Weather. Travel. Family. Social life. It all matters. Maybe rank them in each category 1 to 10, and then add up each school and see what it says to you.

And make the best overall decision for you.

19

@ucbalumnus
Oh so there aren’t exclusive undergrad classes in ML but undergrads can still take them, got it.
Thanks for clarifying

20

I just looked up usnwr in undergraduate AI.

And I know CS is more than this but since we are discussing. It only had the top 20. And it was the most recent.

Georgia Tech was #7. Massachusetts was #11.

It’s only one ranking. So obviously Georgia Tech fits the bill for you for sure. Especially you wanting to get a change of scenery and the name recognition of GT.

Best of luck. And have some fun too.