UVA vs. Georgia Tech for Computer Science?? HELP ME CHOOSE

College Search & Selection
1

Hello everyone, I’m deciding between going to UVA or Georgia Tech and I’m having a really hard time making a choice, please help!

I want to pursue a Computer Science degree and also am interested in Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. My career goal is to be technical for a few years and ultimately move into management positions.

Here’s a pros and cons list I made for each school:

University of Virginia
pros:

  • I was selected as a Rodman Scholar in UVA's engineer school so I get lots of privileges such as priority class registration (it is apparently a huge deal), the best dorms, 2k stipend at the end of each year, name recognition in employers, advantages in applying to research programs.

-in-state tuition, which is about 10k cheaper than GaTech per year

-well-balanced life (work hard, play hard)

-close to home and my friends

-I will probably end up getting a job in the DC metro area since that’s where the headquarters of many big tech companies are, so UVA allows me to build a network of connections with students many of whom will probably also be living in this area after graduation.

cons:

-Average engineer school (CS ranked #30 in the nation)

-I don’t think there’s a lot of opportunities in AI, let me know if I’m wrong

-Not as many internship opportunities compared to GT which is in big city Atlanta

-mean starting salary of CS undergrads is 88k, 11k lower than GT’s median of 99k

Georgia Institute of Technology
pros:

-Has one of the best CS/AI/ Cybersecurity programs in the nation (CS ranked #8, AI ranked #7, Cybersecurity ranked #1 in GT’s grad school)

-Lot’s of big tech companies are in Atlanta so that opens up to more co-op opportunities

-High starting median salary for CS majors (99k)

cons:

-out-of-state tuition, which is 10k more expensive than UVA

-Stressful workload and poor life balance (at least that is what I heard/saw online, correct me if I’m wrong)

-I don’t really like the south that much so I probably will not live there after graduation. And I don’t know if GT’s name will hold as much value outside of the south

2

My son had a very similar decision last year between UVA (in state) and GT but for Chemical Engineering (though he ended up switching to Material Science Engineering) and he did not have the Rodman. He chose GT. He definitely liked GT better as far as a fit for him and the financial differences were not a great issue for us.

As far as some of your GT concerns here are my thoughts:
Work life balance- My son was able to carry 16 credits first semester and 17 2nd, join a greek fraternity, perform in 2 choirs, join a choir honor fraternity, do undergrad research and maintain a 4.0 (1st semester so far). He has more of a social life than HS. Yes the classes require a lot of dedication but there is still a life outside of class.
Name recognition- For CS, GT is recognized everywhere and more so than UVAs.
Were you able to tour GT before everything shutdown? How did you feel about it?

3

Considering that there are almost 2,000 no-profit four years schools, I would never call #30 “average”. So UVA does not an “average” CS program.

On the other hand, Georgia Tech is regarded throughout the world as a top engineering school. This not only includes California or New York, but London, as well.

Now, although GTech has an amazing CS program, and has a distinct edge over UVA in CS, a few things jumped out at me. One of the most important factors in a person succeeding and thriving at college are whether they are happy socially.

You really seem that you would do better at UVA than at GTech, at leasy how you are describing how you feel about either.

All things being equal, I would recommend GTech, however, all things are not equal, and you really seem that you would be happier at UVA. As for income. most salaries even out after the first few years, and in four or five years, your college will no longer matter. Any higher income that you make on graduating will be less than the $40,000 you are saving by attending UVA.

4

@racereer Sadly I wasn’t able to tour GT before everything was shut down so I can only work with what information I can find online. Personally I do like GT’s campus better because I like big cities and modern buildings. Your son is doing great and I’m so happy for him! However, do you think I should go to UVA just for the Rodman Scholar program?

5

@MWolf Thank you for the thoughtful response!

6

I would choose UVa, especially if you plan to be in the DC area afterwards. Yes, GTech is one of the top CS schools around, but UVa is one of the top publics around, and being a named scholar would give you perks. If you plan to work in DC, I can’t really justify paying more for GTech. I don’t believe it will give you an edge over UVa in DC.

7

Thank you so much @PurpleTitan for your answer, that is just what I thought too!

8

@jcrunjie it is,unfortunate that you did not get to vist. The Rodman sounds pretty prestigious. GT does have an honors program that you can apply to that has many of same benefits (special dorm, registration priority, special classes) but may not be considered as prestigious. It is open to all students to apply and is kind of run like an LLC.

You really have no bad choice here and you sound like you may be more comfortable with UVA.