Hi, I’m a CS sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis. I thought I was a humanities/social science person, which was why I ended up in WashU. I decided only by the end of last semester to switch to CS after taking the introductory course the same semester. Since then, I’ve been worried about WashU’s weak engineering program (the CS department doesn’t seem as well-funded as popular pre-med departments like biomedical engineering’s; WashU and St. Louis don’t have the most vibrant tech scene either).
I’ve been considering a transfer to UIUC or UW. I currently have a ~3.7 and I realize it’s a shitty GPA. It’s mostly because of a high level Spanish course, which I got a B on. My science/math/CS GPA is decent though.
I’m wondering if a transfer to these schools will be worth it. I know these two schools have a fantastic CS program, and there will be more opportunities in these schools/cities. But will I have a chance, or am I just wasting my time? Will it be financially worth it? I’m currently getting ~$20,000 in financial aid from WashU, so these two schools (I’m out of state for both) will be ~$10,000 more expensive than WashU.
Thanks in advance!
Note that UIUC and Washington CS majors are very competitive to get into. If you apply to them and get admitted, check very carefully about whether you are admitted to the CS major, or just the school. If you are admitted to just the school, then you will later have to face a highly competitive secondary admission process to get into the CS major.
https://cs.illinois.edu/prospective-students/undergraduates/transfer-students/transferring-another-university-illinois-major (UIUC: 3.67 GPA minimum)
https://www.engr.washington.edu/current/admissions/admitstats (Washington: 3.4-4.0 GPA, but also subjective evaluation with essay for admission)
If UW means Wisconsin, it is considerably less difficult to enter the CS major (just need at least a C in a CS course):
https://www.cs.wisc.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/cs-major-requirements
I don’t think paying $10,000 a year more for a public university than WUSTL is smart. I recommend staying where you are. You could change your mind again about majors after you take more classes. You’re at a prestigious university as it is, in a fairly large city, so you have plenty of opportunities where you are. No one in a hiring position will instantly judge someone from UIUC or UW as a better candidate for a CS position than you, just based on the university. They will look at what you have to offer.
What CS students are doing nowadays to get hired is learning to program (beyond what they are taught in class), programming on their own time (beyond what is required for class), putting their programs on GitHub and elsewhere, creating a personal website that links to samples of their software on GitHub and elsewhere, preparing for “technical interviews” in which they will be asked to code on the spot or discuss coding in detail, plus internships and more internships. And don’t forget to keep your GPA above 3.0 minimum. Certifications for certain types of software can also be beneficial, and that is also done on your own. Notice that none of those things have to do with which university you are attending.
Some people spend about $10,000 for a summer internship overseas – seriously – and then gain the work experience that leads them to other paid work. They also pay lots of money for specific software training leading to certifications of various types. If your parents can really afford another $10,000 a year to spend on you, I’m sure you can think of more interesting and beneficial things to do with that money than spend it on OOS tuition.
The strength of these other CS departments is due to their graduate programs and is more or less irrelevant for an undergraduate education. I am sure WUSTL has more than enough research going on in the CS department to give you the opportunities to get involved if that is what you want to do. As others have said the difference in cost is not worth the change. Concentrate on doing well in your CS courses and getting summer internships and as much programming experience as you can.