UMass Amherst or UBC or UWaterloo (help)

College Search & Selection
1

I’m an international student who got admitted into these 3 and I am having a hard time deciding which college to go to for undergrad in Computer Science.

→ Their rankings (of the program) and fees are really similar. UBC has a much higher QS ranking though.

→ Personally UMass seems like it will be more fun whereas UWaterloo (with its co-op program) would train me very well in
advance for the industry.

→ I absolutely love what UMass is doing in research in Artificial Intelligence.

→ UBC just seems meh, It has the most beautiful campus out of these 3 but that isn’t something I hold high importance to.

My questions are as follows,

→ What university do you recommend?

→ My current goal is to get a high paying job in Canada or (preferably) the USA during my work study period in either
Would studying in USA (and getting the OPT period) help me in any manner?

→ I’m looking to spend as less time as possible in the degree if possible due to financial constraints. I’m also taking
the AP exams next week for the same reason.

→ Should I prioritise co-op over everything else? On different forums, I hear people praising it and some hating the social
scene of UWaterloo. Personally, I’m not much of a social guy but I think it would be nice to have the option.

→ How hard would I have to work on my own in UMass to somewhat match the benefits of co-op, if that’s even possible.

Again, I’d really like to hear your recommendations. Thank you for hearing me out.

2

Waterloo CS has a far more impressive CS alumni list.

International rankings tend to measure faculty research output (which hardly matters for undergraduate education). If you ranked by alumni success, Waterloo would blow away UMass and UBC would be behind as well.

It would be easier to work in Canada after Canadian undergrad as an international than in the US after undergrad in the US as an international.

3

DD is a CS student at Waterloo. She has a vibrant social life. Here’s a link to coop earnings statistics at Waterloo. https://uwaterloo.ca/co-operative-education/why-co-op/co-op-earnings/hourly-earnings-information

The only credit for AP exams that you can get at Waterloo CS is for a 5 in Calc BC.

You may get credit for a 3 in Calc AB or BC at UBC. You can get elective credit for other courses,. Be aware that UBC will convert your AP score into a percentage grade and include it in your UBC GPA.