I received admission into UCLA’s CS school as well as UW (normal admission, not CS). Here are lists of the pros and cons of each school:
UCLA Pros
-Already received admission into the CS program
-Great campus
UCLA Cons
-Costs a lot more than UW (35k a year after FA)
-Hot
-I don’t know anyone (not too big of a factor)
UW Pros
-A lot cheaper (7k a year after FA)
-A lot of my friends go/will be going here
-Also a great campus
UW Cons
-I would have to apply for the CS program, which is extremely competitive. If I don’t get in, I won’t be able to major in CS here
Over the course of 4 years, I would graduate at UW with no debt, while at UCLA I’d be about $40k in debt. As for my competence, I maintain a 4.0 UW GPA and got a 35 on the ACT if those mean anything. I’m willing to study a LOT at either school. I know full well that a high GPA won’t guarantee my admission into UW’s CS program however.
Please give me some opinions and insight on which school I should commit to. Thank you!
$40,000 of debt for UCLA (along with higher parental contribution to cover the >$100k difference over four years) is on the high side.
The difficulty in getting into CS at UW is a major drawback there.
What other schools have you gotten into, at what net prices?
@ucbalumnus I got into Boston College, but I’m not planning on going there. I’m the least attracted to it and it costs the most money lol
If you go to UW, but did not get into the CS major, would you be open to the possibility of:
a. doing a different major at UW that is easier to get into?
b. transferring to a less selective (for transfers) school where you will be admitted to its CS major (e.g. WSU, WWU, EWU if you are a resident of Washington)?
It does appear that you have no safety schools. UCLA involves a lot of debt, BC is even more expensive, and UW has a high risk of not being able to do your preferred major.
@ucbalumnus I guess my second option would be engineering or bioengineering. I wouldn’t opt to go to any other school in Washington.
“I maintain a 4.0 UW GPA and got a 35 on the ACT if those mean anything.”
They do. You would be above the 75th percentile for both, and therefore, you would have an excellent chance of getting into any of your desired majors in your first attempt. Some majors also offer early admission to students like you.
Gosh I don’t know if I have any good advice to give but I had to post cause we are literally the same person.
Our GPAs and test scores are even pretty much the same.
I’m freaking out trying to decide between UW non direct admit or UCLA CS.
I really want to go to UW but that looming threat of not making it into CS is really holding me back.
Let me know if you’ve decided anything, I still can’t make a decision!!!
I think there is 35% of admit to CS, I would pick UW because it’s cheaper, I think it’s higher ranked than UCLA in CS but also there is a really vibrant tech community near the school.
@halcyonalcyone and @asiadude, if you guys can’t get in, no one can. Your academic credentials are beyond outstanding. Have confidence in yourselves and your abilities. 35% acceptance rate? Please. For students like you, that’s not a barrier to entry. It’s just something to keep you on track and motivated to take your studies seriously.
@asiadude so where did you end up committing to? I committed to UW