UIUC vs UCLA for BS in Computer Science

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
1

<p>Hi! I am an International Student and have been accepted into UCLA and UIUC (and also into GaTech and Texas at Austin) for Computer Science. I am trying to decide between UCLA and UIUC. I would really appreciate your help on which one I should choose.</p>

<p>Factors which are important to me:
1) Reputation (in and outside US)
2) Strength of Computer Science Department
3) Housing
4) Food
5) Diversity
6) Social Life - but not much of a party person
7) Internship opportunities</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Definitely more hot girls at UCLA (come on, it’s LA right?) but the CS isn’t “top 5” good. Then again, it’s UCLA – nobody really cares about rankings if you go there, they just think you’re brilliant. Parties i think are pretty similar among most colleges. UCLA does have a reputation of making it really hard to get classes though.</p>

<p>UIUC is hands down the “better” school for CS. As for diversity, UCLA has more minorities but they’re still typically american residents. UIUC has more international minorities. Internships for CS are going to be superior here for sure.</p>

<p>I’m generalizing a lot here, but UCLA will be the “funner” choice, while UIUC will be the “smarter” choice.</p>

3

<p>1) Reputation (in and outside US)
i would say UCLA is definitely more reputable, be it in or outside of US ( I’m an international student n i can tell u tt UCLA is surely at the top of the list) BUT UCLA’s (ranked #14) reputation in Computer Sci/ computer engineering is not as good as UIUC’s (ranked #5).</p>

<p>[Best</a> Computer Science Programs | Top Computer Science Schools | US News Best Graduate Schools](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings]Best”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings)</p>

<p>2) Strength of Computer Science Department
UIUC (thumbs up, needless to say)
3) Housing 4) Food
honestly i think university housing n food shouldn’t vary too much, especially if u’re living in dorms. If u wana have bigger n more comfortable rooms n better food, then u’ll have to opt for more expensive housing options (eg. deluxe residence halls,residential suites in UCLA; private certified housing in UIUC)</p>

<p>5) Diversity
UCLA
African American 4%
Asian American 38%
Hispanic 15%
International 5%
Native American 0%
White 34%
Unknown 5%</p>

<p>UIUC
African American 7%
Asian American 13%
Hispanic 7%
International 8%
Native American 0%
White 63%
Unknown 2%</p>

<p>6) Social Life - but not much of a party person
both schools are pretty into greek life :confused:
7) Internship/ job opportunities
Content below is from: [Why</a> Illinois | Department of Computer Science at Illinois](<a href=“http://cs.illinois.edu/undergraduates/whyillinois]Why”>http://cs.illinois.edu/undergraduates/whyillinois)
In Demand
Computer science students at the University of Illinois are in high demand. Our alumni make up a major portion of the IT workforce in Silicon Valley, Seattle, New York, Boston, and Chicago.
“The University of Illinois has a great history of contributing to engineering and the sciences, and actually this is the university that Microsoft hires the most computer science graduates from of any university in the entire world." Bill Gates, Chairman and Founder, Microsoft Corporation
Here’s what our students can expect: (data from Engineering Career Services for 2009-2010)
Job postings = 450
Average salary acceptance:
Bachelors = $68,650 (national average: $60,426)
Masters = $87,137 (national average: $60,667)
Bringing Opportunities to You
The CS department’s Corporate Connection program connects students in CS and ECE with the employers seeking their special skills. The comprehensive recruiting partnership program brings companies to campus throughout the year for lectures, in class presentations, recruiting events, career fairs, competitions, and more.
ACM’s Reflections | Projections conference features the top computing and technology companies offering full-time jobs and internships at the event’s focused and intimate Job Fair.
The Corporate Connection After Hours event is an informal career reception hosted by CS and ECE. It’s about personal connections - not fighting crowds and dropping resumes. Just you and the employers who want to hire you, in a relaxed setting.
In addition, the College’s office of Engineering Career Services offers a host of additional services, including workshops and seminars, career fairs, mock interviews and resume reviews, consultation on offer negotiation, and job databases.
The Engineering Council student organization hosts 2 Engineering Expo career fairs each year, connecting the best engineering students in the country (that’s you!) with employers who are clamoring for your attention.</p>