Is there any difference in the prestige between these two programs? My parents, in particular, are concerned about the employability factor of getting a degree from LAS vs. a degree from the College of Engineering. I am interested in Data Science, Machine Learning and AI, which is why I thought that the Stats+CS major would be a better option for me. I know it is too late to do anything about it now, as I have already gotten into UIUC under Stats+CS, but I was wondering if anyone knew about the employability of these programs. Is it better to do a major like Stats+CS at UIUC or something like pure Computer Science at another school (like OSU, Purdue, etc.)
Congrats on CS+Stats admission! Anything CS from UIUC is very employable right now. Even other degrees like ECE/Physics/Math would also be very employable in those fields as long as you have relevant CS classes and research projects and/or internships. Some companies put a focus on smart people with related technical majors. Impressing on interviews is always a factor that can outweigh what your major says, and with CS+X I don’t think it’s any disadvantage anyway. Besides, you can always go for an MS in CS if you are looking for an edge;-)
A close relative who was EE in project management “switched” careers recently to data/AI with little experience in that field. My son is Physics/Math and had an internship at John Deere programming for robotics and a research project in computational physics- I have no doubt he’d be snapped up in any CS related field if he wasn’t interested in a PhD program.
I think the main thing is to look at the actual courses you must take and required electives and pick the one that appeals most to you. In today’s job market, you really can’t go wrong with anything computer related at UIUC, OSU, Purdue… Many people switch majors one or more times in undergrad. It’s also worthwhile to check which schools and departments make it easier to do this among your preferred majors.
Awesome, thank you so much for the helpful advice!