UCLA vs UIUC CS recruitment and acdemics

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>I am an int'l admit to UIUC and UCLA's CS programs. Here's what I know and what I'm considering in making a decision. Please advice me accordingly.</p>

<p>Since I'm an international and neither of these schools offer scholarships/aid to us, I'll basically be paying full tuition at both. UCLA would cost me some 4~5K (?) more than UIUC.</p>

<p>1) I really liked UIUC's CS curriculum and its rigor. I haven't looked into UCLA's in a detailed manner though. How do they compare ?</p>

<p>2) I don't know what I would do after 3~4 yrs. after my undergrad - Maybe grad school or maybe a change of streams to business/consulting via a business school etc. Would a UCLA degree help me better in this regard ?</p>

<p>3) West coast. Now I know 'it-all-depends-on-you--how-you-utilize-those-4-years'. But is it true that UIUC recruitment would place in midwest only and not in Cali? It's been like a dream for me to work in silicon valley...
How does UCLA fair in this regard ? I mean, won't recruiters go to much better schools for CS like Stanford, Caltech, HMC, Berkeley before coming to UCLA ? Is UCLA CS even valued before these ?</p>

<p>4) I don't base my decisions on weather conditions. Either place is fine. Though the only reason I am even considering UCLA is coz LA > Chambana and UCLA is a better university overall.</p>

<p>I know this might be a very common question - University prestige vs Strength of a major but I really can't find any recent thread on this so I started this.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>They are both great CS departments, though I think Urbana Champaign’s has a slightly higher rank. Your UIUC degree can get you a job in Silicon Valley- don’t worry about that. </p>

<p>But if your GOAL is to work in Silicon Valley, I think UCLA is a better choice.</p>

3

<p>In terms of convenience, recruiters like local schools; if they have to get on a plane, they will go to high profile schools.</p>

<p>From a “Silicon Valley” point of view, schools like UC Berkeley and Stanford are heavily targeted, due to being both local and well regarded in CS. San Jose State and UCSC are also local.</p>

<p>Both UCLA and UIUC are typically on the list of schools that traveling recruiters will go to, although UCLA is more convenient (can be done in a one day trip since the flights are only one hour instead of five or more hours of flying). But companies that do not have the time or resources to travel to recruit may not show up at their career centers.</p>

<p>Versus Caltech and Harvey Mudd, UCLA’s large size is an advantage in attracting recruiters.</p>