Oxford (Math+CS) vs. Georgia Tech (CS)

Hi there I’m an offer holder for both GT and Oxford, and I’m an international student looking to eventually find a job in the states. I’m curious on which of these two schools will best help me achieve that goal, along with better career prospects. I’m also extremely interested in law & sociology (half of my resume is STEM and the other half liberal arts) so I’m also looking for opportunities to enrich myself in these professions as well (e.g. dropping in on oxford lectures or enrolling in courses at Emory). Please share your advice!

Where do you want to end up after graduation?

Both schools have excellent reputation, with Oxford being the “better” name.
The workload at both school will somewhat keep you from “enriching” yourself, but having options are nice.

If this was up to me, I’d pick Oxford … just can’t give up that unique experience.

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Nothing can be certain about that but more likely to find a job in the US with a US degree.

You should also be prepared to return to your country. In that case, which college will open more doors for you there?

Neither of your colleges are going to be useful for that.

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For a CS major who wants to work in the US, I’d say GT is the bigger name.

@TerrieY - getting a job in the US requires finding an employer who’s willing to sponsor your work visa (and eventually, a green card). It’s not easy and there are no guarantees you’ll find such an employer. You should keep that in mind and be prepared to return to your home country after graduation.

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The math+cs focus in your Oxford app does not align with your interest in law & sociology. Why did you apply to that course?

If your goals have changed, GT will be more flexible in changing your major. But that only helps you for undergrad… what do you want to do post-grad? If law school, where do you want to practice?

As an international student, you should not count on being allowed to remain in the US after your undergrad. That requires finding a sponsor for employment… I’m not sure how US law schools view international applicants. @MYOS1634 what do you think?

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thank you so much for your advice, I’m just not sure about the reputation of Oxford among tech employers since it is (by stereotype) more of a liberal arts school

Oxford is HIGHLY respected for it’s Math AND CS - as a hiring manager at a HF - we put it up there in the top tier

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I would have to say Oxford has a much bigger rep in my home country but going to oxford means grad school in the states and im not very sure what kind of grad schools oxford students could go to (if it’s the same tier as gt would get me, I’d rather save the tuition money since oxford is way more expensive)

Since you are an international student I’d go with Oxford. There is no guarantee you would be able to find an employer to sponsor you in the US after you get your degree and, to me, Oxford will open many more doors internationally than GT.

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thank you. i guess gt means taking a risk while oxford is the safer choice that guarantees me a good job back at home

well I’d say that i would love to have law&soc as my minor but that would never overtake cs to become my major. sorry about the confusion.

thank you for your advice I shall keep that in mind

Oxford will open plenty of doors in terms of top US grad schools. Of course, attending grad school in the US is also not a guarantee of being able to stay and work here.

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If you’re happy with the math+CS/CS major (apologies for misunderstanding)… as a very general opinion, Oxford will give you more options (US and other countries bc it is so well respected everywhere) as there is no guarantee of employment in the US post-grad.

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I see. Oxford does on a broader scale give more opportunities whether it’s work or grad school

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BTW, congratulations. Those are two wonderful choices to have!

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First, what’s your budget?
Then, compute
(tuition, fees, room, board) - (grant/bursary, scholarship) =$
and present the results for each university.
(don’t forget to convert £ into $)

GTech will give you the right to work in the US for 27 months if you get an internship after Sophomore or Junior year (to be found the previous Fall through the career center, where you’ll need to attend workshops), it’s called an OPT. After that, either you go to grad school or go home.
Oxford will allow you to start working in the UK immediately if you find a job (but many employers will be willing to sponsor you).
However it’ll require you go to a US grad school first if you wish to get an OPT (you can get one from a Master’s degree too, or you can get a post BS OPT then a post MSc OPT.)
You will NOT have time to “drop in” on lectures. You’ll be very busy with everything - class, hw, but also on-campus activities (STEM clubs, opportunities to show engagement and leadership).
GTech will allow you to minor in sociology, since you can take sociology-related classes for gen ed and from there see if you can add the missing classes as part of your electives.
Basically, Intro to Soc is a gen ed then you’re supposed to take 4 other classes, but you need to contact the dept. to see how often these are available.

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I don’t know if this would interest you but my son has enjoyed the professors that teach for this minor. Lots of real world experience and advising.

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Thank you! I do look forward to the ivies coming out though. My counselor says there’s no way I’m going to get 7 rejections (brown already) but it’s been a horrible app season with rejects from nearly all UCs and I dont have confidence

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Thank you for your advice! I’ve heard from students already at Oxbridge that internships and ultimately job opportunities are scarce nowadays in the U.K. so my final destination would be a US grad school and an OPT. As for GTech, having the option to minor in sociology is really nice and I’ve heard it has more research opportunities for undergrads and also summer internship programs