<p>I have applied to around nine universities in the US.
1. Carnegie Mellon University
2. University of Michigan (Deferred)
3. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Accepted)
4. University of Texas at Austin
5. Texas A&M University (Accepted)
6. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo (Accepted)
7. Penn State University (Accepted)
8. Florida Institute of Technology (Accepted)
9. Georgia Institute of Technology</p>
<p>Out of the 9 universities I have been accepted in 5 and deferred by University of Michigan.
I have applied to all these places for Computer Science. At UIUC and Texas A&M my course got changed to general studies (Don't know why!). So, I want to know that which university should I choose.
My SAT Score is: 1300 / 1600 (CR+Maths)
SAT II - Maths (720) Phy (700)
My GPA came up to 3.7
So, where all can I possibly get?
Which university should I choose for Comp Sci. Main factors affecting the choice are:
-Course
-Tuition Fee
-Location
-After Undergraduate - jobs</p>
<p>Ya, I think those are the major one's.</p>
<p>Please help me choose.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance !
PS: I am an international student.</p>
<p>averby Thanks for the reply!
Even I would personally want to go to CMU, but I feel that I will not make it there as my scores are not very good. Secondly, I have applied to School of Computer Science which has pretty low acceptance rate and I certainly think that my scores are not competitive enough!
Do you think I have a chance?!</p>
<p>I would choose UIUC. Probably a good choice for internationals and well respected in CS. But, check first to see if you have to apply to the major as a junior. That could be a problem if you don’t have the necessary grades to get into the major. CalPoly is terrific, but a little difficult to get the classes you need. Penn State is also a decent choice for CS and is well-respected on the east coast.</p>
<p>Thanks !
I did check in on the UIUC website. It indeed is reputed for Comp Sci. The problem here is that as they have shifted me to general studies, I will need to get a GPA of 3.8 to get a transfer to Computer Science.
This is what the e-mail said: </p>
<p>"Starting in DGS still allows you the possibility to earn an Engineering degree from Illinois. To transfer to an Engineering major, you must normally complete at least two semesters on campus and show strong grades (As and Bs) in Calculus, Physics, and Chemistry. Your academic performance on campus will be the major factor that determines whether the College of Engineering will approve your transfer from DGS to Engineering. Many students do follow that path for, as Engineering states, we regularly accept DGS students, and many students who started in DGS have gone on to do very well in Engineering.</p>
<p>Please be aware that a few Engineering majors (including Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Computer Science) have a very limited number of transfer spots and admission to these majors is on a competitive basis. In addition, it is not possible to transfer into Bioengineering. Almost all of the other Engineering majors, however, are open to DGS students who meet transfer requirements."</p>
<p>So I think it’s pretty competitive and will be hard for me to crack it. So do you think I should opt for it?
CalPoly is terrific. In the sense? Is it very good? How is the place, the students, the faculty and other things. Do you think I should choose CalPoly for CS.
I am not sure about Penn State though.
What do you think about Florida Institute of Technology?</p>
<p>I’d wait for UT-Austin and GeorgiaTech; but, among the universities you were accepted, I would rather attend CalPoly than risk being stuck in the General Studies college at UCIC or Texas A&M.</p>
<p>Thanks sentimentGX4! That is precisely what I was thinking. I would want to go to CMU, but as far as I think my scores aren’t too great.
Do you think CalPoly is a very good uni?
Is it well recognized? After graduation how are the job placements?</p>
<p>What do you think about Florida Institute of Technology?</p>
<p>CalPoly is more of a regional university in California without as much national recognition as many of your other universities; but I wouldn’t be too concerned with CalPoly’s reputation as it has a rather good reputation in the state and California is the epicenter of CS in the United States with Silicon Valley. </p>
<p>CalPoly is regarded as an excellent “practical” university and a peer to midtier UCs and sometimes even UCSD. It’s admissions standards are quite stringent so you’re very fortunate to be admitted!</p>
<p>EDIT: Also, I realize this study may be unscientific; but, according to PayScale, CalPoly students are some of the highest salary workers in the nation! As a state school, it ranks 7th, right above UIUC</p>
<p>Cal Poly is quickly becoming one of the top Tech schools in the country. Its also prob the most affordable on your list if you live in California. I would start at cal poly for undergrad then do grad school at a more prestigious (expensive) school. Remember good software engineers only make about 65k with a 4 year degree. No need to rack up the debt yet. Rack it up later when your preparing yourself for the 85-100k mark.</p>
<p>O yea there are some hot girls at cal poly. Penn state would be pretty sweet too but its super expensive.</p>
<p>Eliminate the two that admitted you to General Studies. You don’t know whether or not you will be able to get into the major that you want.</p>
<p>Of the remaining institutions, check the websites for the estimated Cost of Attendance (COA). Then see what factors each institution includes in the COA. For example, some will only count tuition, fees, housing, and food. Others will include figures for books and materials, etc. Don’t forget to consider how much it will cost for you to travel to and from each place once or twice a year.</p>
<p>As an international applicant, you need to be certain that wherever you study you will get a degree that will help you find a job in your home country once you have graduated. There is no guarantee whatsoever that you will be able to find an employer in the US who will be able to arrange a work visa for you. You should ask people in your home country which of these institutions is more valued in your country. Sometimes having a degree from anywhere in the US is good enough.</p>
<p>I have received all my replies and now the choice is between Florida Tech, UIUC (General Studies) and Cal Poly?
I personally want to go to UIUC but its a bit expensive ($49K annually)…and calpoly is ($34K)…so!?</p>
<p>@sentimentGX4 : Thanks ! I am thinking of doing the same. Just a question: on what are you basing your answer of CalPoly on ?? Why do you suggest CalPoly (apart from the factor of money)?</p>
<p>CalPoly is cheapest, has a good reputation in CA for CS, and CA has the most CS jobs. Plus, the weather is excellent, the town is safe, the students are relatively laid back, and there will be enough immigrants to make you feel at home as a foreign student.</p>