Hi everyone!
I’m an incoming freshman from Boston who’s looking to major in Computer Science. I’ve narrowed my choices down to either U of T (New College) or UCSD (Muir). I’ve been accepted directly into the CS program at Toronto, but would be entering UCSD as a Math/CS major with the intent to switch as soon as possible.
As I am not a California resident and would be international for Toronto, the cost of tuition doesn’t play a large role in my decision as they are fairly similar. Also in my opinion, the closeness of Toronto to home vs. the weather of La Jolla cancel each other out in terms of where I want to live.
As of right now I’m having a difficult time picking between these two schools as they seem very dissimilar which makes them hard to compare. Also most of the global rankings that I have seen base their methodology on a university’s research contributions which doesn’t give much insight into the quality of their undergraduate education. I understand the U of T is a global research powerhouse, which is definitely a plus, but it seems like UCSD offers more employability in the US with higher average salaries post-graduation and its (relatively) close proximity to Silicon Valley.
What I would like to know is how a U of T CS degree is perceived in the United States vs. one from UCSD, as well as which school offers a better overall program in terms of the quality of education. Also, I wouldn’t mind hearing any opinions on the social scenes at either of these schools as I will be living there for 4 years!