<p>Hello, the title says it all: which university has a stronger Computer Science program, UC (UCLA, UCSD, UCR) or SUNY Stony Brook?</p>
<p>If you are a New York resident, Stony Brook is the one that makes sense given the cost difference.</p>
<p>If you are a California resident, Stony Brook’s relatively low out-of-state cost can make it attractive if your goal is to work in the New York region, due to the regional bias in employer recruiting. Obviously, the UCs would be favorable for the same reason if you want to work in California.</p>
<p>Thanks for your response.</p>
<p>Good point that I will consider - it depends on where I want to work.</p>
<p>Anyways, I’m not a California or New York resident, so I will be paying OOS tuition on both Universities. I’ve been reading and I think California has more tech related jobs for my major, so I think that after getting my CS degree I will get jobs easier in California than in NY…</p>
<p>What state are you a resident of?</p>
<p>UC out-of-state cost is significantly higher than SUNY out-of-state cost. CSU (including Cal Poly) out-of-state cost is more competitive with SUNY out-of-state cost.</p>
<p>The bigger concentration of CS jobs in California would be in a different part of California, which in driving distance to UCB, UCSC, UCD, SJSU, SCU, and Stanford.</p>
<p>I’m a resident of New Jersey, but I don’t like NJ at all.</p>
<p>UCLA
UCSD
Stony Brook
UC Riverside (I’d go UCI instead)</p>
<p>Are your parents willing to pay the OOS costs? Are your stats good enough to get into UC OOS?</p>
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<p>Rutgers is a perfectly good school for CS.</p>
<p>There is absolutely no reason to go to a UC school as an OOS resident, especially when you are majoring in a subject easily quantified like CS. </p>
<p>When you are a liberal-arts major future employers have to make a guess for the large part about your abilities. That is a big reason why there is stronger demand for liberal-arts majors from top-ranked colleges compared to those farther down the list. </p>
<p>But any employer can easily and accurately assess your CS abilities in a few hours of interviews. Furthermore there is no magic they have at the UCs that lets them teach the subject better than it can be taught elsewhere. </p>
<p>If your parents have an extra $200K they’d like to donate to the UC college system, then as a CA resident I thank them for their gift. If they and you are taking out loans to do it then I think that is just insane. You can get the same large classes and impersonal environment for much less elsewhere.</p>
<p>BrownParent: I plan to start at a CCC and then transfer out to a UC, if I decide to go to CA. The first two years my parents won’t have the pressure of the high UC tuition cost. Also, I’m pretty sure I will be manage to transfer and get into a good 4 year school in CA. Thanks for your reply.</p>
<p>Ucbalumnus: I’m aware of that, but I would be in depression if I stay studying in NJ, because of many personal reasons. Thanks for you help.</p>
<p>Mikemac: When deciding between CA and NY, I don’t only think on how much it will cost. I have made a budget and the difference will be 10-15k more (in total, for the 4 years) in CA.</p>
<p>I prefer CA’s weather, and prefer where I will live in CA rather than the place I will be staying in NY. In NY I would have to travel in train for around 40 mins, 1 hour counting the walks, versus the 15 mins it would take me to go to the CC in California. I’m thinking in the opportunities I would get knowing the area I would like to work in.</p>
<p>I know the UCs don’t have any magic way of teaching, but something I consider when choosing my university is finding people with the same interests as me, and how good the program is. I like people as dedicated as me, and I doubt I will find that elsewhere, without narrowing my choices.</p>
<p>Thanks for your advices!</p>
<p>Sounds like you already have your mind made up because you sure are making a lot of excuses for why going to school in California would be perfect. You’ll find dedicated, hardworking students at any college campus in America. Don’t fool yourself. There is nothing special that awaits you in California that you can’t find somewhere else. </p>
<p>If your parents can afford the cost, you should do what you want. But if you have to pay for school through student loans, then you should really reconsider. The UC’s cost around $50k per year for OOS students, and they won’t give you any financial aid outside of loans. Stony Brook is much more reasonably priced for OOS students. </p>
<p>I think you need to step back and look at the situation realistically. If you are paying with student loans, even after 2 years of CC, you’re looking at around $100k in debt. That is WAY too much debt, even for a computer science major. People don’t realize what this kind of debt is like. You think it will be so easy to pay off, but that is not the reality of it. And if you can’t pay that back, it will dampen a good chunk of your future. </p>
<p>Last year I was in your position. I was all ready to go to USC but I realized that it wasn’t worth it. I’m at my state flagship and I’m so glad I stayed here because even seeing that I have $5k worth of loans is hard to deal with. That money you owe won’t magically go away. And until that $100k is paid off you can’t buy a house, a car, start a family… great plan.</p>
<p>You can move to California after you’ve gotten your degree if that is what you want. But basing where to go off of something as trivial as the weather and the false assumption that you can only find people like you in California (and “really wanting to go there”) is a REALLY bad idea. </p>
<p>Plus, what happens when you graduate with your CS degree and find that you cant find a job! All of a sudden you’re working at McDonald’s for minimum wage trying to pay off a $100k debt. Not saying it will happen, but it has happened to people. You aren’t guaranteed a job after college and that is something you need to remember. </p>
<p>Go with what is AFFORDABLE, you will thank yourself later.</p>
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<p>Huh? The difference between Stony Brook OOS and a UC OOS is $18k/year…</p>
<p>Bluebayou, that’s because the Room & Board expenses in CA in my first two years won’t be expensive as in NY, for some personal reasons.</p>
<p>Melpru, you’ve really opened my eyes and I’m starting to reconsider, again. But… Don’t the UC’s or CSU’s (Cal Poly) give out any merit financial aid?</p>
<p>The UCs do give merit scholarships (e.g. Regents’), but usually not huge ones. Some UC campuses’ Regents’ scholarships cover need with a $0 (instead of $8,500 to $10,000) student contribution, but it is unclear from the web sites whether the out-of-state additional tuition is included (normally, UCs meet full in-state need with an $8,500 to $10,000 student contribution (= direct loan plus work-study) but do not cover the out-of-state additional tuition).</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be surprised if the merit scholarship situation at CSUs is similar.</p>
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<p>Assuming that you will be an eventual CS graduate with a high (think 3.7+) GPA your perception is accurate. This is certainly the case for UC Berkeley and UCLA graduates. Recruiting at these universities is national and intense. It is mostly true at UC Davis and UC San Diego. Both universities have very strong CS departments. Some of the other UCs have excellent CS departments although recruiting at those may be more regional than at the ones I’ve mentioned.</p>
<p>California has a more breadth and depth in CS related jobs than most areas of the United States. Graduates with strong stats and depth (modern, quick, with skills in CS fundamentals, related skills in EE in addition to modern languages, modern infrastructure, proven domain specific knowledge, etc.) do very well. And indeed, at the moment, there is a shortage of CS engineers in California. Starting salaries in the 100K+ range are typical for the very best graduates. If you expect to be one of them than the difference in OOS tuition between Stony Brook and UCLA (for example) is a minor issue.</p>
<p>These answers have been really helpful. Thanks so much!</p>