<p>Hi guys!!!</p>
<p>Another dilema!</p>
<p>Which one is better??? UCBerkeley or Wash U (WUSTL)?</p>
<p>I'm an international student and want to study Applied Mathematics and Computer Science.</p>
<p>In UCBerkeley, I can get a B.A. in Applied Mathematics and a B.A. in Computer Science.</p>
<p>In Wash U, a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Applied Mathematics.</p>
<p>There is no straightforward answer to the question, “which is better?” Both schools have strengths and weaknesses. WUSTL is a more selective school with national drawing power. Average class sizes are smaller than at Berkeley. Berkeley is a stronger research university overall and computer science is one of its many strong departments. At the graduate level, Berkeley is one of the top schools for CS. It is hard to compare undergraduate departments of peer schools (good measurements are not available); however, it is reasonable to assume that undergraduates share many faculty and other resources with the graduate programs. ([NRC</a> Rankings Overview: Computer Sciences - Faculty - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“NRC Rankings Overview: Computer Sciences”>NRC Rankings Overview: Computer Sciences))</p>
<p>The B.A. v. B.S. distinction is unimportant to your decision.</p>
<p>In Berkeley’s favor, San Francisco is a much more attractive city than St. Louis. Berkeley is a more famous school. Maybe that would matter to employers in your home country. Here in the US, your skills and accomplishments (GPA, specialized interests, etc) will matter more to employers and grad schools.</p>
<p>The CS curriculum usually is very similar from one school to another, so if costs are similar, I’d probably lean toward WUSTL. Berkeley does offer proximity to Silicon Valley, but you don’t necessarily need to confine internships to your local area. At WUSTL, presumably you’d be competing against fewer students for the same good local opportunities.</p>
<p>How do the costs compare for you after aid (if any)? A significant difference would be a reasonable basis for your choice.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your information. The cost of Berkeley is 54K while the cost of WUSTL is more than 60K. I receive no aid or scholarship from either of these two universities.</p>
<p>Well then (considering you are prospective Math & CS major) I’d lean toward Berkeley, unless $6K/year is an insignificant sum for your family. However, there is some risk that Berkeley will lose its cost advantage before you graduate (considering California’s budget problems).</p>
<p>For Berkeley (and other public universities) one negative is that the average class sizes can be much larger than at selective private schools like WUSTL. However, CS and Math are not among the most popular majors. If class size is an important issue to you, you could email the department chair or post a question in the Berkeley forum about average class sizes (and opportunities for faculty interaction) in Math and CS.</p>
<p>Go to Berkeley.</p>
<p>If you’re from outside of the US, going to Berkeley makes a lot more sense as the Berkeley name on your diploma will lead you to a long, long way. </p>
<p>Well, that’s unless you also got admitted to HYPSM and Oxbridge.</p>
<p>I would recommend Cal for several reasons. </p>
<ol>
<li>Cal is #1 in Computer Science and in Mathematics (WUSTL is not as strong in those two fields)</li>
<li>Cal is in the heart of Silicon Valley, which is a big deal for a CS major</li>
<li>CS and Mathematics classes are small at Cal</li>
<li>Internationally, Cal’s reputation is hard to beat</li>
</ol>
<p>^ 5. Cal is less expensive.</p>