Purdue University vs UMD vs UWisconsin vs PennState vs UWashington Seattle for CS.

I have been offered admission to the above Universities for CS. Can you please tell me which one is the best to go to.
I am an International student from India.

They’re all perfectly good schools for CS. The University of Washington and University of Maryland might have marginal advantages in that there are many software companies near them. Local businesses and universities tend to support each other.

Are you sure you actually got accepted into the University of Washington’s CS program? My understanding is that just because you’re accepted into the university doesn’t mean you’re accepted into the CS program.

The Univ. of WA has an excellent CS program but you can’t apply to get into the CS program until you are a junior, and competition is fierce! You have to have top grades to get in. Space might also be limited for international students. Seattle is also a pretty expensive city.

The other 3 are all comparable. Go to one that accepts you directly into CS and cost the least.

Yeah I am waiting for the additional things to come in the mail from UWA. Say I do get into UWA for CS. Will that be the best option? And if I don’t get in could you please tell me which the best one in terms of the quality of the Res Halls and the general atmosphere around the campus?

Really thank you so much for helping me.

nimish, when did u received the call letter from univ of wisc.

If you looked at where Facebook recruited, the 2 UW’s are the only schools on your list where they did. However, if you are not among the few who get direct admission to UW-Seattle’s CS program, trying to get in after enrolling is pretty risky (I believe only 1/3rd of those get in). In which case I would pick UW-Madison.

@akshaybobby1‌ I applied in October. I got my decision on 11th decimber.
@PurpleTitan‌ I have another doubt. In my acceptance letter from University of Wisconsin , the program is listed as General Course - BS Degree. Does this mean that I am not accepted into CS?
@JoanneB‌ @simba9‌

@Nimishsarin, no one gets admitted directly in to CS as Wisconsin. You have to declare for it. As of now, however, the hurdle you have to get over in order to be allowed to declare for CS at Wisconsin is still incredibly low.

https://www.cs.wisc.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/faq#qualify says that you need to get a C or higher in a CS course to declare the CS major at Wisconsin.

Washington admits a small number of frosh directly to the CS major, but the process for declaring the CS major is extremely competitive otherwise. See http://data.engr.washington.edu/pls/portal30/STUDENT_APPL.RPT_APPLICANT_STATISTICS_YEAR.SHOW_PARMS .

UWA would be the best choice IF (and only if) you are a direct admit to the CS major.
Otherwise, U Wisconsin or U Maryland would be good.

If you have a GPA, SAT or ACT at or above the 75th percentile of the entering class at Washington and are serious about your studies, your chances of graduating with a coveted UW CS/CE degree are high.

This post by a current student has more information to consider:

http://www.quora.com/What-is-it-like-to-be-a-computer-science-major-at-the-University-of-Washington