<p>Hi I'm an international student from Malaysia.I'm planning either to go to California CC or maybe as a freshman in UIUC,UW-Seattle or Wisconsin-Madison.</p>
<p>How do UC San Diego,UC Irvine,UC Davis,UIUC,UW and Wisconsin Madison compare?I'm afraid I can' get into UIUC as a freshman (according to rankings it is the best school for Comp Sci here) </p>
<p>So I was thinking of community colleges in CA..Is there a big difference if I get into UCSD,UCI compared to UIUC , UW Seattle and so on?</p>
<p>Many universities (including those you named) are fine for CS.</p>
<p>However, if you plan to work outside the US, you may want to find out how the universities are regarded by employers in the place you want to work, since, in some places, prestige of your university matters more for employment, and the prestige rankings are not necessarily the same as in the US.</p>
<p>Also, can you afford those universities without any financial aid?</p>
<p>It’s not reasonable to compare the CC + UC option with the UIUC, UW_Seattle, or UWisconsin-Madison option. Attending a California CC for 2 years for someone who is looking for a high-level UC in Computer Science is a plan of last resort. The CC focus in California is primarily remedial. The CCs often are an entry point for students who have not done well enough in high school to get into the California CUs and UCs. CCs are primarily commuter schools that rarely provide the college “team” experience so essential for computer science projects. Further it is rather difficult to find good intern/summer positions in computer science for CC students. So any 4-year public college is a better option than the CCs.</p>
<p>Two years is a “long time” in Computer Science study. So deferring entry to your eventual college by that length of time is unwise. And in general, and more so in engineering than in the arts, transferring from one college to another in junior year is stressful and often counter productive. Find a 4-year university that you can afford and where you’ll get accepted and then stay there until you graduate.</p>
<p>Within the UC system the “best” universities for computer science are UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC Davis. Any of these universities is a “match” for the University of Illinois. Within the CU system Cal Poly SLO has a very strong Computer Science Department, and as such this specific CU is a “better” choice for Computer Science than the “lower” UCs such as Merced and Riverside.</p>
<p>Yes my goal is to work here.My country is in a mess anyway(discrimination and racist).</p>
<p>I’m kinda leaning towards UCs because of the location (Good weather,IT companies)…However I am also bothered with the rankings so that is why I wondered if the quality of UCs and UIUC in comp sci differ much.</p>
<p>Currently I cannot apply to any UCs as I do not have 12th year education(Not because I skipped or dropped out but that is our education system here)…I took my ACT and got only 27 , TOEFL 102</p>
<p>As for how much my parents will pay,I have no idea.Although they can afford either CC+UCs or straight 4year at UIUC or such,they seem to be slightly bothered with the price I have to pay if I go for 4years straight.</p>
<p>Also,I don’t have much time either.If I choose to go CC+UCs,I think I’ll have to fly by early March…Some universities like UW Seattle and Wisconsin Madison releases the result like few weeks to a month later…UIUC looks hard to enter for me(my ACT = 27 not to mention CompSci is in ENG college).So for some universities,if I wait till my admission results are out,I would have missed my CC.</p>
<p>UW Seattle admits very few as CS majors. You have to enter a competitive pool once you are in, and there are not enough slots for all who wish to major in CS. So it is very possible that you will not get into that department and have to pick an alternate.</p>
<p>*As for how much my parents will pay,I have no idea.Although they can afford either CC+UCs or straight 4year at UIUC or such,they seem to be slightly bothered with the price I have to pay if I go for 4years straight.</p>
<p>Also,I don’t have much time either.If I choose to go CC+UCs,I think I’ll have to fly by early March…Some universities like UW Seattle and Wisconsin Madison releases the result like few weeks to a month later…UIUC looks hard to enter for me(my ACT = 27 not to mention CompSci is in ENG college).So for some universities,if I wait till my admission results are out,I would have missed my CC.*</p>
<p>Are you retesting? Are you taking the SAT?</p>
<p>Talk to your parents about how much they’ll pay each year. Even a Calif CC won’t be cheap as an Int’l. And, UIUC would cost about $45k per year as an Int’l.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids - Actually a month ago De-Anza College representative came here.My parents seem to be very interested in it.Besides they are quite happy with the fees.It is very much cheaper than if I pay as a Freshman and so on to universities like UIUC and UW Seattle…</p>
<p>I am quite curious of the quality difference in CS majors between UCs (Like San Diego and Irvine…Of course UCLA and UCB are top notch but definitely not easy to transfer into)…Are there major or big difference in quality between them and UIUC and UW-Seattle besides what fogcity have said about the “team” experience?</p>
<p>However I am also bothered with the rankings</p>
<p>Do not worry about rankings. If the school has an accredited program, then it will be more than adequate. </p>
<p>This is a big country that has to produce a lot of CS majors…to fill all the employment spots. It would be ridiculous to think that only the “top ranked” schools can provide graduates for jobs. In Calif alone there are over 25 very good programs, so across the US there are going to be well over a 100. </p>
<p>Virtually every state is going to have 3-10+ schools that have quality CS programs. </p>
<p>if you can, avoid starting at a CC. Those are too much “commuter” in culture and you’d be lonely much of the time.</p>
<p>If you want to work in the US, then you’re going to need to get a green card/citizenship. Many/most employers of CS degrees want their employees to have permenant status/citizenship.</p>
<p>Disagree. A strong record at a CC can be a way to leave a mediocre high school record behind and “upgrade” ones choices of university to transfer to, compared to the choices one has as a frosh. In addition, students with financial limitations can find starting at a CC to be less expensive than starting at a university, since (even at out-of-state or international full list price and assuming residential room and board costs at the CC) two years of CC followed by two years of university is much less expensive than four years of university.</p>
<p>However, it is true that most CCs have a predominantly commuter culture.</p>
<p>If you do want to do the CC->UC/CSU route, note that many CCs emulate the courses at a nearby UC or CSU, which can make transferring to the nearby UC or CSU easier than a more distant one. For example, Laney and Diablo Valley to UC Berkeley, Santa Monica to UCLA, Santa Barbara City to UCSB, Cuesta to Cal Poly SLO, etc… Use <a href=“http://www.assist.org%5B/url%5D”>http://www.assist.org</a> to check course equivalencies.</p>