This discussion was created from comments split from: Stressing out about which college to go to.
I got a question about which school I should choose too. So I got into CU Boulder and University of Toronto and don’t know where to go, they are on opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of educational environment. I plan on going to one of these for undergrad and then want to go to a top level school for a graduate degree in CS.
Boulder Pros:
- Top Engineering school and respectable CS program
- Relaxed environment
- Top College town
- Would be more comfortable and less competitive
- Top Entripenuership university
- Get $12,000 off for Native American scholarship
- Could be in top 10% of CS class and get good Co-op opportunities
Boulder Cons:
- Not prestigious and thought of as a party school
- Not a lot of flexibility in CS major
- Worried I can’t get into a MIT, Berkeley, or Columbia for grad school (not sure, if I could I’d probably choose Boulder)
Toronto Pros:
- acknowledged as one of the worlds best universities
- Top 20 in the world in CS
- Top Entripenuership university
- Great Profs
- Big City (although I don’t know if I’d love it there)
- If I did well it would be much easier to get into a great grad school
Toronto Cons:
- Highly competitive CS major where 70% or less of freshman get in.
- Required minimum 2 majors or 1 Major + 2 Minors
- Massive grade deflation (all classes are bell curved)
- Probably wouldn’t be in top 10% of class therefore not getting to take advantage of certain opportunities.
- Not considered a fun school at all and many students transfer from UofT or fail out due to difficulty.
Is this a financial aid question…or,a college selection question?
I’m confused.
Boulder has two CS programs, one in the school of engineering, one in arts and sciences.
Do students get into those graduate schools you mentioned? Yes. Will you? Unknown.
Bottom line–are finances an issue? How much net will each U cost after applying any scholarships and grants? Can you afford either or both?