I have been admitted to all these schools for CS. I am instate for UCLA. I have looked into all these schools and have an idea about the location and courses offered. I want to go to grad school and one of my primary considerations is the ability to get research opportunities as an undergrad student. I have already done some research in high school and would like to utilize that experience to get research opportunities ASAP. I want to narrow it down to 2-3 choices before I go and visit the campuses. Do you have any recommendations or pros/cons for any of these schools? Would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!
With four outstanding CS options plus instate UCLA, you have tough decision to make. It would be interesting to know the COA (cost of attendance) for each school. Regardless of cost, you owe it to yourself to look at the University of Washington as a CS Direct Admit & to the University of Texas CS as a Turing Scholar. Illinois & Georgia Tech are superb for CS, but Seattle & Austin put you right in the middle of two tech hotbeds. Congratulations !
Wow, what a list! Congratulations!
Nonresident direct admission to Washington CS is very rare. The UW website notes:
“Computer Science Direct Admission is offered to about 250 freshmen, selected from more than 5,000 candidates. … Computer Science DA is designed primarily for Washington State resident students. Although a small number of non-Washington residents may receive offers, there is a very strong preference for Washington students.”
If I recall correctly, in past years, maybe a dozen nonresidents received that offer. Your acceptances indicate why you were one of them.
I agree with @Publisher: Maybe UCLA (instate), Washington and Texas if you have to pick three. Seattle is an advantageous location and a short, relatively inexpensive flight from California. You would also be among the first students to use the second CS building at the UW (Bill & Melinda Gates Center), which is scheduled to open in January 2019:
https://www.cs.washington.edu/supportcse/cse2/background
Good luck!
All these schools have comparable CS programs.
UCLA, UT Austin, UW, and UIUC are all similar schools. 45k+ students (30k to 40k undergraduate), 35% STEM.
GT is 21k students (15k undergraduate), 80% STEM.
Forget UW, UIUC… UCLA and Texas ‘Turing’ are your better options for large universities, and weather.
UCLA cost effective, close to home, nice campus, not really a party school
UT Turing small class sizes with other Turing scholars, research priority, Austin, campus is… eh., sort of a party school
GT tech environment, everyone’s smart, nice campus, nice on campus housing for everyone, not a party school
Cost of attendance
UCLA 34k instate
GT 44k OOS
TX 50k OOS
CS undrgrad enrollment (number of academic faculty is proportional to enrollment)
GT 2.4k
TX 1.7k
UIUC 1.2k
UW 1k
UCLA 800
You can get into research at each of these 3 as a freshman. GT has UROP. Turing at Texas makes you a priorty with FRI. UCLA has SRP.
Since you were offered Turing you probably have enough AP credit to graduate in three years from each of these. Getting all your classes at Texas can be a problem. I know a Texas CS kid who had to wait to graduate an extra semester because courses he needed werent offered, but he wasn’t Turing. Downside of Turing is that only 30% complete it, and most kids drop it after the small classes run out.
Switching majors at UCLA and Texas is difficult. It’s not difficult at GT.
UT has a new CS building, it’s nice…https://news.utexas.edu/2013/03/06/for-wed-gates-computer-science-complex-and-dell-hall-begin-new-era-of-computing-education-and-research
UCLA cs building eh. http://dailybruin.com/2017/08/13/ucla-to-offer-new-undergrad-degree-in-computer-engineering-in-the-fall/
GT cs building is nice. https://www.cc.gatech.edu/about/history
GT is currently constructing a high performance computing center (opening in 2019)… http://www.news.gatech.edu/2016/12/13/construction-begins-transformational-coda-project
Thanks for the responses! If cost is not an issue do you think I should still consider UCLA? I have a $34K merit scholarship from UW so I’ll certainly go and visit their campus. I’ll also try to find out if research opportunities are available for undergrads in UW. I have enough AP credits to complete undergrad in 3 years both in Georgia Tech and UIUC but I haven’t checked if that is possible in UW. Looks like research opportunities are readily available in GT, but before I go with any option I want to visit and make sure that the campus would be a good fit for me.
Congratulations on the scholarship to Washington. Undergraduate research is a hallmark of the UW:
https://www.cs.washington.edu/academics/ugrad/enrichment/research
https://www.washington.edu/undergradresearch/
https://www.washington.edu/undergradresearch/students/
Thanks everyone! I must have posted at the same as Greymeer, so looked at those details after I posted.
UWfromCA, Greymeer, Thanks a lot for the useful links and details about these schools!!
Hello, we’re facing the same options and thanks for the post. What’s you decision at the end?
FYI This thread is 3 years old, so they probably won’t respond. The advice generally holds though - they are comparable and it would come down to price and fit preferences.
1 Like