UC Berkeley L&S CS vs UIUC CS

College Search & Selection
1

I pretty stuck between these 2 options (ik berkeley decisions didn’t come out yet but i’m just thinking about it). I am a California resident and grew up in this cutthroat environment my entire life. A part of me wants to get out but another part wants to go to Berkeley for the prestige and the opportunities. I am also worried about the requirements to declare CS at Berkeley whereas with UIUC, I am already in the major. Which one should I choose? Will there be a big difference in the opportunities that come with internships and jobs? How bad is Berkeley’s competitive environment and overcrowded classes compared to UIUC? Is it worth paying about 20K more to go out of state to UIUC or should I just suck it up at go to Berkeley, assuming I get it.

PS: Slightly unrelated question, I thought about changing my major for Berkeley to EECS because i feel like i would have some incentive to stay in CA. Does anyone know if its possible to change major selections after submitting the UC application?

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Regarding change of major at UCB:

Q: Can I change the major (and/or college/school) I applied for at Berkeley?

A: To change a major/college/school in your submitted Berkeley application, please submit your request using the Contact Us form. You can expect a decision via email within five to seven days. NOTE: No new major changes will be considered after January 31, 2020.

3

Have you already been admitted to UIUC CS?

UIUC admits some applicants to undeclared if they are admissible to the school but not the major. Getting into CS in that case is very difficult.