I was admitted to both UCSB’s computer science major and Cal Poly Pomona’s.
I am torn between which one to choose. I know that Cal Poly Pomona has great industry ties and the “learn by doing” philosophy will definitely help me get a job afterwards. (I know many people who went there for engineering and have gotten good-paying jobs straight out of there). But a downside is that only 12% of engineering undergrads graduate in 4 years and the program is now being re-advertised as a 5 year program. I am also hesitant about the school location as it is known for being a commuter school and don’t want to miss out on the college experience.
UCSB, on the other hand, has a beautiful campus and college feel to it. Their engineering department is also highly ranked but I’m not sure if companies hire students straight from undergrad? I know everyone says cal poly is better for going into the workforce and uc’s for grad school but can i still go to a uc and have a high chance of being hired straight out of college? Another benefit of UCSB is that the program is only 4 years and I wouldn’t have to spend another year in school liek at Cal Poly and would possibly allow me to get my master’s degree through their b.s./m.s. program. The major downside is cost as I would have to pay 22k a year. (Haven’t heard back from cpp yet but i would imagine it’s closer to 15ksih)
IF anyone can add more pros or cons about either school to help me decide that would be great?!? and any opinions on which one to choose would be helpful too. Thanks!
The bulk of engineering grads from all of the UCs go into the workforce. It’s also very possible to go to a good graduate school from the CSUs. It’s really a matter of how much you will have to make your own way. At the CSUs they might not hunt you down to take the GRE and there might be less research opportunities. They will be available though and there will likely be less competition for the spots. Even at UCB about 80% of the CS grads enter the work force.
So, long story short, go where you feel most comfortable. You’ll be fine either way.
I would pick UCSB if you can afford it. They will be perfect for job hunting or for grad school. I think it will be an overall better experience. If you dorm for 2 years you are guaranteed university apartments for years 3 and 4 and they are a significant reduction in cost.
At any decent CS major degree program, you will get plenty of learning by doing in terms of assignments and projects that include programming to apply the concepts you learn in class. So it is not like UCSB will be lacking in this area. UCSB is quite reputable with employers, so you should not be concerned about that.
The likely reason that CPP’s four year graduation rate is so low is that it does not have the strongest students, and that many are commuters taking less than full (15 unit) full time course loads (may be part time, or taking minimal (12 unit) full time course loads).