For computer engineering: UVA vs USC vs Berkeley

Applying to College
1

<p>This is my dilemma. I'm a resident of Virginia, but I'd really love to get the heck out of this state. The colleges that I actually got into were: George Mason University, Virginia Tech, UVA, Drexel, USC, and Berkeley. I'd really prefer not going to Tech. The place doesn't interest me at all. Out of all these colleges, my parents and I have narrowed it down to UVA, USC, and Berkeley. We're heavily considering UVA due to its proximiy to where we are right now (DC suburbs) and its prestige. I, personally, want to go to California, so my choice there is between Berkeley and USC.</p>

<p>That's the background. Financially, we can afford UVA because it's in-state: Tuition is approximately $25,000 a year. USC gave me quite a bit of financial aid, bringing my approximate cost of attendance down to around $35,000 a year. That's about $10,000 more than UVA a year. Berkeley gave me close to no financial aid; as a result, we'd be paying around $52,000 a year at Berkeley.</p>

<p>We can't really afford the California colleges on our own. However, my grandparents, who are quite wealthy, have offered to pay for my entire college education, regardless of where I go. My dad wants me to go to Berkeley, but I think I'd prefer USC. I'm not 100% sure on these, but the social life seems better at USC, it's still very highly ranked for engineering, and it's in Los Angeles. Additionally, it's private and has all the perks of a private college. In contrast, Berkeley is a public college. I've heard horror stories of students having to stay at Berkeley for five years instead of four, overcrowded classes, etc. I mean, if I were to attend Berkeley, I'd be paying nearly full tuition for the exact same education California residents are paying in-state tuition for.</p>

<p>Overall, I'm not really sure what I'm talking about, which is why I must ask you guys to advise me here! What are the pros and cons of USC and Berkeley? Which would be better for me?</p>

2

<p>Answering from the perspective of academics and future jobs, relationships that professors have with the high tech community (not just California, but world-wide), the talent of the incoming students in computer science, the opportunities for jobs both on campus and internships off campus, and the deep interest recruiters have in the computer science graduates – it’s all about UC Berkeley.</p>

3

<p>Berkeley’s computer science and engineering programs are among the best in the world. UVA’s aren’t at that level, but they’re certainly not shabby either. UVA computer science and computer engineering majors have great job prospects and get into excellent grad schools. My ubergeeky S checked this out thoroughly last year (we are a full-pay family, but get instate tuition at UVA, so that’s where he went.) He is plenty challenged at UVA and even as a first-year has developed great relationships with faculty and more advanced students. I doubt the difference in quality between Berkeley and UVA is going to matter for your undergraduate education: it’s going to be more important to be able to take the required courses when you need to take them, in the right order. It’s at the PhD level when the importance of having top-in-the-world faculty really matters.</p>

<p>In this case, I think you need to balance how much you’re interested in a particular major or program–best at Berkeley–against the overall undergraduate experience, which would probably be superior at USC and UVA given Berkeley’s very large size and current dire budget problems. And while it’s nice of your GPs to be willing to subsidize your education, you really, really don’t want to be spending an extra $130000 or so of their money for an academic difference that isn’t really very significant. Remember that you have to add transportation costs on top of tuition/room/board for the CA schools.</p>

<p>I don’t know anything about USC’s computer engineering programs, but if they’re pretty decent, this might be a great option for you. It’s not as ridiculously expensive for you as Berkeley, it’s a lovely campus in a great location, and it would give you the “away-from-home” experience that you are yearning for. Then, if you want to continue your education, apply to Berkeley for grad school when you’d receive fellowship support.</p>