Rutgers vs SF State for CS

College Search & Selection
1

Hi all
Our DD is WL’d for C.S. UCSC. She got early acceptance( Nov 2021) from Rutgers (SIR there)and thats the reason she did not apply to UCR , UCM and to Most CSUs . CSU gave her option to reapply to colleges she did not apply earlier and today she got acceptance from SFSU . Now we are considering between Rutgers and SFSU for CS . Location wise SF is near for us (SFbay area) but rating wise Rutgers is good . Please give your inputs in this situation. Was Waiting for [UCSC] andgot accepted to SF state today.
. Note : she was accepted to USF but didn’t like.it
Thanks
A

2
  1. Does cost differ or matter?
  2. What is the reason she did not apply to SFSU earlier, and what is the reason she changed her mind to apply to SFSU later?
3

One thing to consider.

Rutgers most likely is a pre-major(atleast in SAS) with a certain GPA needed in core courses to declare the major. Does not seem hard, just be aware.

But then again Rutgers CS is much higher ranked. (source: CSRankings: Computer Science Rankings)

4

Cost is not a concern.
She did not apply to SF because she got in Rutgers , later when everyone was talking about the distance she just applied .

5

Yes we know that , major need some preliminary courses.

6

Rutgers is a great school. Strong CS program, and well respected in the NYC/NJ region, including with top employers. Its proximity to NYC is also a major plus for students.

I don’t know SFSU so can’t give you a comparison but if cost and distance aren’t big concerns then Rutgers is a good choice.

Have you visited the campus? Some kids don’t like the spread out campus (which is actually a collection of 5 campuses) and having to take the bus.

1 Like
7

I’m not saying that Rutgers isn’t a good program or that SFSU is the way to go, but I’d put very little stock into the ranking above. It’s based on publications. SFSU doesn’t offer doctoral degrees so their publication output will be minimal. It doesn’t even list Cal Poly or Harvey Mudd and they’re two of the best undergrad CS programs in the nation. It has OHSU on the list. It’s a medical school.

I’d go with fit and budget.

Even though you said cost is not an issue, how would your student feel about fit if you gifted her half the savings?

8

So what does she think about the distance, or any other aspect of college that she may have preferences on?

1 Like
9

She thinks that while distance is an important factor, she also wants to consider the quality of the courses she will take and the internship/work opportunities. While Rutgers is definitely ranked better for computer science, SF is in very close proximity to Silicon Valley where her major has the most opportunities, which is why she is unsure.

10

I know it’s late now, but why Rutgers in the first place and why pass over so many strong in state options if proximity was a concern? Are any other schools in the mix?

According to College Scorecard, the median salary at 2 years is about the same.

According to LinkedIn the top 5 employers are as follows.

Rutgers

Google Amazon JP Morgan AT&T Microsoft

SFSU

Apple Google Wells Fargo Amazon Salesforce

They are very equivalent in outcomes.

1 Like
11

Bcoz we are new to the entire system , no experience , no friends advice , first kid applying to college here and unfortunately found college confidential now . That’s why ended up with so many silly mistakes including being overconfident that if she got into Rutgers she can get into good UCs and CSUs so did not even apply . We even hired counselor paid around $6000 and thought she would help but no she even messed up with some early decision deadlines so you can imagine our situation.I already mentioned she got accepted in Rutgers early Nov 2021 when she did not even apply to UCs and CSUs . Already in regret state :relieved: of mind .

12

Thanks a lot for your details on Rutgers. DD is already very impressed with Rutgers campus, watched all the videos on internet about dorms and campus . She wanted an experience of huge university but we are really considering location now.

13

Nothing to regret. She’s in two programs that will set her on a great path if she takes advantage of the opportunities in front of her and does well.

If she like SFSU, that would be my choice. It’s close. Opportunities are good. You’ll have money left over for sibs or to do whatever you want, like buy her a car or help with housing after graduation.

1 Like
14

So true … we did not find any negative for SF till now . Convincing her for SF

1 Like
15

I’m a retired software engineer who lives about 10-12 minutes from SF State. It’s hard for me to imagine that there are going to be big differences in undergrad CS education and employability between Rutgers and SFSU

2 Likes
16

This makes it seem like she still prefers Rutgers, but you prefer SFSU. Is that the case? If so, what are the reasons for her versus your preferences?

17

Actually not convincing but talking about the pros n cons between the two as people here are talking ( that’s the reason of creating this thread to get inputs from different perspective) and thanks to all of you for your inputs.

18

Yeah make sense to us … thank you

19

Last summer my son was working with a CS student from SFSU who was transferring to UC Davis for his junior year. Maybe that is a possible path one can take, though i am not sure how feasible such a transfer would be.

Something to explore if interested …

1 Like
20

There are 3 different Rutgers campuses: Newark, Camden and New Brunswick. I assume she was accepted to New Brunswick?

And the difference in Tuition: OOS Rutgers is about $30K per year vs $7.5K for SFSU.

As a local NJ native, I personally wouldn’t spend the extra $100K for the Rutgers name. CS hiring depends a lot on coding ability. Having a higher ranked name won’t really matter much. She might actually have easier time finding internships in the Bay area.

3 Likes