Should I attend UPenn for 75k a year (planning to study computer and information science) or UT Austin Business Honors Program with a full ride (I will also pursue a certificate in computer science)? I am looking for a well-rounded college experience with good job prospects and career experience and a collaborative student body. My parents are more than willing to pay for UPenn but understandably I will have much less spending money and more pressure to not mess up. Also , I would like to end up working in the Bay Area
Do you want to study computer science or business? If computer science, what other options do you have that cost less than UPenn?
How much does $300k for UPenn matter to you and your parents?
The key issue here is how much of a hit is the money to your family. If $300k doesn’t evoke much more than a blink of an eye, that’s one thing. If you had said same cost, $30c $300, $300c and maybe even $3000c, I’d go with Penn. $300k in my life buys too much extra, makes for a far better quality of life to pick Penn over UT.
For a student whose family is truly struggling and every dollar is an issue, $30k could be In doable without causing hardships just not worth it. I’ve known families where even $3000 over 4 years is unattainable.
Understand, that for many students, graduating college does not necessarily mean a windfall even with a CS degree. Often out of pocket money is needed to take the up the best opportunities. Our youngest is doing wonderfully now but last year, we put out some serious cash and credits after graduation to get him there. That he has no loans makes life all the sweeter. Classmates whose families were tapped out and who have loans, are not coasting along as easily especially with the COVID crisis. It’s best to have a reserve.
I would not pay sticker for Penn CS. UT has a strong CS program and Austin is becoming/is a major tech hub.
Free is pretty tough to beat. If you feel that you still want/need an elite CS degree (or any degree), if you do well in undergrad, you can still go to an elite master’s program and still come out ahead financially.
However, since the OP is not admitted to CS at UT Austin, s/he is unlikely to be able to major in CS there, due to how competitive it is to get into.
Unfortunately, this comes up every year where someone posts about a choice of preferred major at expensive college versus cheap or free college but cannot study the preferred major.
Free tuition tho! Hard to pass, but if you do want to study CS and money isnt too big of a concern, def consider Penn
How extensively will your Access to CS be as a BHP student?
If full access, then BHP+ CS.
^^^ a business degree with strong knowledge of CS is a great degree to have. You can always take classes in CS. Look at your options
Would using your freshman summer be out of the question to take 2 CS classes? See what a minor entails. Many do this combo successfully.
Not your school but know someone at Washu
Did the business major with computer minor. Got a great job. He wanted more CS for his work
Company is paying for him to take more classes.
Since UT Austin’s CS major is very difficult to get into, it is likely that CS classes are filled to capacity with CS majors. Non majors are likely to have difficulty getting into CS classes.
Did you get into the Honors Computer Science & Business program or just BHP? I am assuming BHP because if you got into CSB it would be a no brainer.
I am not in the CSB program, and I talked to a BHP advisor who said I can get a certificate in computer science and take a few other comp sci classes open to other majors. A certificate at UT entails slightly more than a minor. Also, money is not an issue, but it is definitely a significant factor. I am also planning to minor in business at Wharton
Looks like you will have to choose from a limited selection of “elements of computing” courses open to non-CS majors:
https://www.cs.utexas.edu/undergraduate-program/academics/elements-computing
For comparison, the overall CS course listing is here:
https://www.cs.utexas.edu/undergraduate-program/academics/curriculum/courses
Congrats! What did you decide?