I’m currently deciding between Berkeley (oos) and Vanderbilt. My intended major is CS, and I understand Berkeley is top for CS, however, I’m also aware of how stressful and competitive Berkeley is. My main concern is not being able to declare CS at Berkeley, since I’m coming in L&S undeclared and how expensive it is ($300k+ over 4 years, since Berkeley doesn’t give oos students any aid. My parents would be able to pay for most of it, and I would have ~$50k debt, but I’m not planning on going to grad school). On the other hand, Vandy has a pretty weak CS department (ranked #58), but it would cost me ~$100k (which my parents would be able to comfortably pay). I also know that Vandy has consistently one of the happiest student bodies and is seen as a more collaborative environment, and I really like the fact that Vandy is a private school where I’ll probably be able to receive more personalized attention and help. Locationwise, California is significantly better than Nashville, both for student life and career opportunities. Is Berkeley CS worth the extra $200k and extremely stressful 4 years, even if I might not be able to declare CS?
Also, I’ve never considered myself particularly STEM/math-minded, so I’m not 100% sure if I’ll stick with CS.
Berkeley’s declaration for cs major is way over the class average, so unless you are very good at cs, there’s a risk that you will not be able to study cs in the four years. Vanderbilt has a much guaranteed position for cs major and more attention from the professor. Although the reputation for cs is better in Berkeley, there’s not much of a difference at undergrad level, since the teaching from a Nobel prize prof and a decent prof is similar at intro level. Considering that you are paying oos tuition, I would recommend Vanderbilt. Of course, if you are a competitive person, Berkeley could fit you well. But otherwise, you will grow more in a more collaborative environment.