I am a California resident. I’m trying to decide between CS at UCSB and CS at UMD. Ultimately I want to get a graduate degree in a subject like Economics and want to know which school would help me get there better.
UCSB - 30k/year; closer to home; closer to Silicon Valley, so supposedly easier to get internships; familiar weather
UMD - 40k/year; much further from home; better CS program (based on rankings); easier to graduate early; considerably different weather
Since both schools have their advantages and disadvantages and I’m almost equally split between them, I’d like to get external opinions before making my decision.
Do you have direct admission to the CS major at each school?
How significant is the $40k (plus probably increased travel costs) over four years to you?
Preparation for graduate study in economics means taking math-based intermediate micro and macro economics and econometrics and advanced math courses like proof-based linear algebra, real analysis, and calculus based probability theory.
@codergeek, curious to understand, if your goal is a graduate degree in economics, why did you choose to do an undergrad degree in CS?
BTW, UMD is more like $48K a year OOS.
These are two of our top picks for my son too. UMD certainly has a more balanced curriculum & is easier to graduate earlier if you transfer a lot of AP credits. It is a good program. But being nearby at UCSB is very enticing (not to mention the price difference between the two).
I do not have any knowledge of UCSB CS program, but don’t be enticed completely by “UMD CS is easier to graduate from than UCSB CS” because UMD CS is very tough and very theory-based.