I have always wanted to be in the tech field but do not like hard-core programming and do not want to become a software engineer, but like most other tech fields like data science/ analytics, UI/UX, HCI, etc. Some of my criteria for university are - preferably not very cold weather, urban setting with campus, experiential learning, good placements and salaries after graduating. These are my college acceptances right now:
UIUC - Information Science (their Master’s program in MLIS is ranked #1 and the same faculty teaches BS, they also have an optional co-op program, however it is extremely cold there and I am not a fan of cold weather)
Northeastern - Computer Science + Design combined major (since it is a combined major it only has a few of the tough courses of CS like Algorithms and Data, they also have integrated co-ops which means guaranteed 12 months work experience before graduating)
University of Washington Seattle - Applied to Informatics got admitted as a Pre-major in the College of Arts and Sciences (Lot of tech companies in Seattle, known for its Informatics program, however its uncertain whether I will get my preferred major or not after going there)
UC Irvine (Waitlisted) - Informatics
Please help me choose!! Any suggestions would be really helpful.
I am a NU alum and my son is a student so I am a fan of their experiential learning program for gaining valuable experience and a better idea of what you do and don’t want to do after graduation. If the Admitted Students events haven’t helped you decide, they have student Husky Ambassadors that you can talk to if you contact the Admissions office. Co-ops can be done anywhere, including CA and other warm weather places and study abroad programs are running again. My husband is an Illinois alum. He loved the school but yes, it was cold. I would think that would be a cheaper option than NU.
If you go to UW with a goal of an Informatics major, without direct-admit, you’re signing up for some significant stress and uncertainty.
My daughter and I attended a lecture of a prerequisite Informatics class when we visited UDub. It was a really fascinating lecture, but the evident pressure was no joke. It was a big lecture hall, and the prof was springing questions on students by picking names randomly off his roster. The students had a major project to produce in a 10-week quarter, which goes by very fast. The course isn’t even easy to get into (was completely full with a waitlist) and not getting an A in it pretty much means you’re not going to be an Informatics major. (And I don’t think getting that A is even a guarantee.)
I’d go for the CS+Design major at NEU. That’s a great program, and the Scout student-led design studio is a fantastic way to get experience, in addition to co-ops. As you say, the amount of higher math required is less than for most CS majors. They front-load the CS skills so that you’re prepared for your first co-op, so it’s a pretty “CS bootcamp” type experience at first, but then you get the design component as well which is excellent. And there are underground tunnels on campus for when it’s cold
Or, if you’re really more into the data science aspect than the design aspect, go to UIUC. Do you actually consider yourself artistic, or are you more of a data-analysis kind of person? (I’m sure you know that NEU has Data Science as well, and they make it very easy to switch majors, unlike the public U’s you’re considering.) You haven’t described the relative costs, which could sway the decision.
