hi guys! i’m currently trying to decide between attending Northeastern (neu) in Boston VS LSE in London for undergrad. these are the majors i was admitted to for each school:
-
NEU → computer science (i can easily switch majors or add on other majors/minors)
-
LSE → data science and politics (i’m trying to see if i can switch to just data science, but not sure if they’ll allow me. i heard the uk system is really strict w/ switching majors.)
i’m like 90% sure that i want to pursue compsci after i graduate, but i don’t necessarily want to do data science (nothing against it, i just don’t know too much to make up my mind now). currently i’m really interested in being a software/web developer. i also prefer working in the states rather than the UK (because higher salary and just overall better industry).
as bg info, i’m from indonesia so i’ll be an international student in both schools. i got a scholarship from NEU so both schools will cost roughly the same.
————
here are the pros and cons that i’m weighing out:
NEU
(+) pros
-
co-op program. as an international student, i think this will really help me gain experience & hopefully land a full time job in the states after i graduate.
-
it’s in the US, which means it’ll be easier to get a job in the states (compared to me studying in the UK)
-
the US system is wayyy more flexible – i can pick what classes i want to do, even if its not related to my major
(-) cons
-
ranking is not as high as LSE
-
i heard boston could be kinda boring… not really important but i can’t help but think about this sometimes!
LSE
(+) pros
-
it has a wayy better reputation & ranking than NEU
-
it’s only 3 years (NEU is 4 years)
-
i love big metropolitan cities, and london is just that! plus i’d get to travel to other european countries for super cheap.
(-) cons
-
my major isn’t exactly something i want to pursue… and i’m scared i’m going to regret studying data science (AND POLITICS)
-
this major is a new major – my batch will be the first batch of students to take it, which means it’s still in the experimental stage (i.e. might be a ■■■■ show).
-
harder to get job in the US after grad.
———
right now i’m leaning more towards NEU, since i heard that school ranking doesn’t really matter in CS.
anyways, here are my questions:
-
would you recommend lse or neu in my case?
-
how hard is it to get a job after graduating (as an international student). is it common in the CS industry?
-
if you know what the CS department is like in NEU, please do shed some light!
-
how drastic is the difference in salary + overall quality of the CS industry in the UK vs the US? ive done my research but im wondering if the internet is over-exaggerating.
-
if anything i mentioned in my pros&cons list is wrong, please let me know!
I know this is super long, but i’d really appreciate any input! thank you very much 