I got into Dartmouth and Berkeley to study CS, and I am having a hard time deciding which school to pick. I know Berkeley is ranked much higher and is right next to Silicon valley, but I heard that all the major tech companies recruit at Dartmouth, and the alumni network at Dartmouth is very good.
I like the environment of Dartmouth better and I think I’d be happier if I went there (smaller school, more personalized attention), but I don’t want to go there if it would significantly hurt my chances of getting jobs. Dartmouth is also closer to home, so I’d get to see my family more often which is a plus.
On the downside, I don’t really like cold weather so Berkeley is better than Dartmouth in that aspect. Cost of attendance is not a factor at all.
Do you guys have anything to say about CS at Dartmouth that help me decide? Do you have any advice to give me?
UCB is highly ranked in CS. Did you get into L&S or EECS at UCB ? You need GPA 3.3 in core CS courses if you are in L &S to declare your major (CS). There is grade deflation at UCB. Average GPA for CS is around 3.0 at UCB
+1. If you excel at either of these schools in CS, you will have unlimited options.
These schools could not be more different. Your options will be more a function of your performance than from which school you hold a piece of paper. Select the school/program at which you will be most likely to excel as a function of its attributes and your preferences.
Make sure that you understand the D plan. You can escape NH serving only two winters, though winters inevitably impinge on fall and spring. 2nd/3rd year winters can be spent abroad or internships at the warm locale of your choosing - assuming they also choose you.
I have no real knowledge of CS at either school, but I will contribute an anecdote that I think speaks volumes about Dartmouth. D took one CS class (it looked like and was a good way to satisfy the lab distrib requirement). It was her first quarter at the college, and the course was taught by the chair of the department (not unusual for him). Flash forward about 12 years. I “ran into” said professor on another (sort of a general knowledge) forum and made a brief comment about D having liked his class despite knowing very little going into it (a couple of summer camps creating computer games and that was it). He remembered her, which had to be from my last name alone since I gave no details. Asked if she still wore her Giants cap all the time. Made me smile. Imagine how well he would remember her if she has been a CS major. I think those are the sorts of connections that alums have to the college and each other.
"but I heard that all the major tech companies recruit at Dartmouth, and the alumni network at Dartmouth is very good.
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You heard correctly. I know several recent Dartmouth CS grads quite well, and both of them talked to literally every major tech company you can think of. They connected with Dartmouth Alum who helped facilitate the process. Some of the tech companies suggested as prep for their on-sites to “make sure you know the Cormen book” Cormen is a Dartmouth prof. and wrote the bible on Algorithms.
One thing I would like to add to your consideration between the two programs is that what if you change your mind and DON’T want to pursue CS anymore or want to get an MBA or go to Law school. The Ivy league schools excel here.
Professor Cormen is the professor I referred to above. He not only wrote the book; he is a great teacher and a very nice person. My biases are obvious.
Not in CS in either case, but my daughter went to college at Dartmouth and to grad school at Berkeley, and as far as which school she thought was better (general environment, quality of education, etc.), in a heartbeat she said “Dartmouth!”
The dilemma is CS strength & Sillicon Valley location vs undergraduate focus/resources. Honestly go with where yo fit in best. I feel both have pros and cons that balance each other out.
