<p>I want a job at Oracle, Google, or someplace like that as a software engineer. I want to go to either Stanford or UT-Austin for computer science but I can't decide what. I get my tuition at UT-Austin for free, and Stanford would be out of state tuition. Which should I choose?
Ps. I also would like to ride my bike to classes.</p>
<p>While Stanford will be more easily recruited at by small Silicon Valley companies, UT Austin will be more easily recruited by small Austin-area companies. Big companies like the ones you name likely recruit widely (plus you know who they are and can apply to them no matter where you study).</p>
<p>But if the cost difference is $64,000 (non-tuition cost at UT Austin for four years) versus $235,000 (list price at Stanford for four years), the decision does not appear to be a difficult one.</p>
<p>UT-Austin for Computer Science</p>
<p>Haha, the bike ride in Austin will be a lot less pleasant than in Palo Alto. </p>
<p>Fwiw, we can assume that you might have been accepted at UT but not at the Farm yet? The outcome might make your decision easy. On the job side, I do not think that it will make that much difference because both markets are hot. </p>
<p>This is a hard choice, but I would think that UT is a better choice. While we do not know if you can qualify for need-based aid, we can assume that your free tuition at UT is merit based. One consideration is that you could graduate earlier at UT and use the savings to fund a MS at Stanford. </p>
<p>This might yield you to see a couple of football championships in Austin and in Palo Alto! </p>
<p>Hook 'em!</p>
<p>PS The recruiting in the CS field transcends local schools. Not everyone who works in PA attended Stanford. The difference might be more tangible for internships and part-time jobs.</p>
<p>Lets assume I’ve been accepted into both.</p>
<p>Well, let’s assume that you are very interested in both schools, and stand a good chance of being admitted. </p>
<p>While the job situation will not be much different between the two cities, there is a danger of making your decision based on this. The reality is that we have no idea how solid the market will be in PA or Austin in the CS field. It could be red hot or … a very competitive market. None of us possesses a crystal ball that is clear enough. There are plenty of dark clouds hanging in the skies of California and Texas, although Texas has been quite sheltered from the biggest issues that are facing California. </p>
<p>Your decision should really be based on PLENTY of other elements such as </p>
<ol>
<li>Being accepted</li>
<li>Being able to afford the cost</li>
<li>Curriculum</li>
<li>Quality of life</li>
<li>Distance to family</li>
</ol>
<p>To complicate matters, let me state that one same person could be extremely happy at UT or at Stanford. There are plenty of Texans at Stanford.</p>
<p>Apply to both, see where you get in, and what the costs are, and then debate about which one to choose.
They are both worthy of applying to! And with an acceptance rate of 7.1% it isn’t worth spending a lot of time debating about whether you should go to Stanford…</p>
<p>Have you looked into the Turing Scholars program at Texas?</p>
<p>[UT</a> Austin Turing Scholars](<a href=“http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~turing/]UT”>Turing Scholars | Department of Computer Science)</p>
<p>Stanford is a private school - OOS doesn’t matter</p>
<p>It depends on what kind of financial aid you get from Stanford</p>