<p>I am an international student and have been accpeted at the following colleges for undergraduate computer science:-</p>
<p>University of California - Berkeley
University of Southern California
University of Toronto
University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign
Johns Hopkins University ( 30,000$ aid/year)
Middlebury College(Waitlist)
Carnegie Mellon University (Waitlist)</p>
<p>I have narrowed my options to UCB or JHU. I am very keen on doing Computer Science and also plan to attend grad school. I know Berkeley is the like the best for CS but I really like Hopkins and the scholarship is also very good. So what is my best option?</p>
<p>I’d say go to JHU, it’s a great school. Berkeley is much friendlier if you’re doing grad work which you can read about if you search around on here, which works perfectly for your plans.</p>
<p>JHU is great but I am going to say this and I KNOW it really does not totally pertain to the question but I think it is worth mentioning…</p>
<p>John Hopkins has a HUGE part-time/online graduate engineering enrollment, to the point that is “seems” that they push that more than their own undergraduate program. I am not totally into the “school name” thing BUT I don’t think you can go wrong with Cal-Berkeley CS. Then again, that U-Illinois CS program is HIGHLY ranked.</p>
<p>The total COA for both universities is about 62-63K including estimated personal expenses. So for Hopkins you can subtract 30K every year. I would relly appreciate some useful advice as the May 1st deadline is approcahing fast. Also, I am on the Carnegie Mellon priority waitlist which is like a binding agreement and I have no aid from CMU. So I will have to take my name off the waitlist fast!! if I am to go to Hopkins.</p>
<p>Ouch - you have a lot of very expensive options! Double check your JHU aid letter and make sure that they are committed to providing that amount of aid every year. While other schools are more prestigious for CS I’d have a hard time justifying an extra $120k over 4 years.</p>
<p>Hypothetically, If I do not consider aid as a factor…then what would yo suggest and why…I believe that college is much more than investment or a business deal…its a once in a lifetime opportunity…so to hell with the scholarship… I will go whichever place will provide me with a better education and overall experience…so what is that gonna be</p>
<p>Then I’d say CMU if you get in. Berkeley/UIUC or JHU if not. The schools are all very different though. You should consider the size if it’s important to you. Berkeley and UIUC are huge, JHU and CMU are much smaller.</p>
<p>Are you talking about the APL’s part time program, or the masters program at JHU Homewood? JHU does take masters students, but I’d be surprised if JHU took significantly more masters students then MIT, Stanford, Penn, or any of the other top schools. </p>
<p>Hopkins seems like the obvious choice to me, given that it is at a discount. If they were equal price, I would say that Berkeley and JHU are about equal.</p>
<p>University of California - Berkeley
-The Best Public College in the world
-California Weather and Opportunity
-Great teachers, decent location, but close to major cities
-Friendliest campus here</p>
<p>University of Southern California
-Huge alumni network
-Great Job opportunities</p>
<p>University of Toronto
-One of the best schools in Canada, but not amazing
-Good Location</p>
<p>University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign
-Top 5 engineering school
-Top CS School in the country/Best Engineering Safety (That and Case Western)</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins University ( 30,000$ aid/year)
-Prestige
-The best finacial package
-Top in BME and great opportunities</p>
<p>Go to JHU. Nobody in the States gets a finacial package like that, you have to take advantage of it. However, if prestige isn’t important and you only want an education or plan to go directly to go to graduate school, look at Illinois. It will save you money and get you a CS Ivy education. </p>
<p>Ranks for CS:
Berkely (Nice job on getting in!)
2.Illinois (Dark Horse)
2.JHU (No one ever gets packages like that…)
4.USC (Alumni=Jobs)
Toronto (Nice city)</p>
<p>In conclusion, congrats on you insane package at JHU, they really want you. And JHU has a more real professors than graduate students and is absolutely amazing. It has prestige, alumni and great location.</p>
<p>OK I have a few questions. Which university has more prestige, Hopkins or Berkeley? Also, I have put my name on the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science Priority Waitlist which basically means that if they take me off the waitlist I will have to attend CMU unless I take my name off before May 1st and as Carnegie Mellon does not offer aid to international students I will have to pay the entire COA. Also, I am worried if a CS education at Hokpins will give me the same opportunities as Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon? More suggestions please!! Time is running out!!</p>
<p>And yeah!! Prestige matters a lot to me but so does the CS course quality. @Apollo11 are you saying that UIUC CS is comparable to Berkeley and CMU CS?</p>
<p>You will not end up down the wrong path with either of the choices you have in front of you, especially if aide is not an issue. You just need to decide.</p>
<p>Hopkins is more prestigous overall, but Berekely is no slouch. It is way more valued in CS, the opportunities are amazing there and is better overall. But you JHU package defintally changes things. However, UC-Berk is the best CS school and will be much better for you. Hurry!</p>
<p>"And yeah!! Prestige matters a lot to me but so does the CS course quality. @Apollo11 are you saying that UIUC CS is comparable to Berkeley and CMU CS? "</p>