Hello all, I am a HS senior in California and am looking for guidance on an undergraduate CS major decision. I got admitted into UW Madison CS, Purdue CIT, and also got a pathway offer into Georgia Tech for the Computational Media Program (Pathway means a guaranteed transfer to GA Tech from any college at the end of freshman year as long as I have a min. GPA of 3.3.). I am waitlisted for CS in UCR/UCSC and was accepted at UCM for CS
For additional context, I love to code and have written a book on programming and game design as well. I would also love to double major in business (or) data science if possible.
This is how I am thinking about my current options.
-
UW Madison has a great CS program and allows double majoring in business and DS as well, but there are concerns around class crowding, course availability, etc. The career services for CS majors seems to be centered around mid-west companies. (I want to intern and work in the bay area if possible). The weather sucks and it is also a bit ($10k) more expensive than Purdue/GA Tech
-
If my CS waitlist for UCSC/UC Riverside clears (that’s a big if this year), should I consider them? Is there a case to be made that learning and career outcomes will be similar compared to UW Madison?
-
Should I consider a community college (or) UCM/UCR for first year and transfer to GA Tech using the pathway offer? The CM program is co-hosted by the school of computing and the school of design. Not sure about transfer to CS (if at all I want to) and the ease of integrating into GA Tech after joining mid-stream from another college. The career options at GA Tech also look a lot more comprehensive than any other college. FAANG companies come every year, and the internships/co-ops seem to be nation-wide and not limited to the south-east.
-
Purdue’s CIT program blends IT, business, and CS in a broad curriculum. Purdue has strong career services but it is not clear if CIT students have similar learning/career possibilities as CS students.
I am visiting UWM, GA Tech, and Purdue next week but am feeling somewhat overwhelmed with the decision and the uncertainty… I would welcome any inputs and thoughts.
Thank you!
You did too well for yourself.
What’s important. Location. Costs. Otherwise ?
If you want pure CS then not Purdue although it’s an awesome school at an awesome price. Note it’s in the polytechnic school so likely not what you seek.
If costs matters then the UCs if come through.
Otherwise UW. Y r u visiting Ga Tech. Do I really want to go to a cc and miss the four year experience ??
If you want to study CS, the Purdue CIT program is not CS. It is more of an IT major for those who want to manage computers, software, and networks, rather than design and develop them like CS majors commonly do. If your interests are more technical and creative, this type of major is probably the worst fit for you out of your choices.
GT computational media has substantial CS as well as other course work; take a look at the degree requirements to see if it interests you more or less than a typical CS major: Bachelor of Science in Computational Media < Georgia Tech
What is the reason for wanting to add a major in business?
How does cost and debt compare?
Thank you. Yes, agree about CIT not being a good fit. Only reason for visiting was that we were in the area any way (for UW M) and we wanted to learn more and also explore if it would be possible to change majors. I am seriously considering GA Tech (maybe not cc, but UCSC/UCR first year if they come through…)
If you go to a school, especially a four year, you might end up loving it - and then you’ll not want to leave…or you’ll leave and regret it.
If you go somewhere, go all in.
My son goes to Bama. He interned with Ga Tech kids last summer. They made the same and he was invited back, they weren’t.
A school may have a better rep but you can do very well from the UCs. Jobs pay based on where they are, less so on where you go.
These transfer, Spring programs - i’m just not a big fan.
Love those who love you.
Thank you, the UCs are the cheapest… UW costs around $40+k (net after scholarships), Purdue is $35k, and GA Tech is same as UW, but I may save on the first year.
One question is if waitlist clears for say UCSC or UCR for CS, is it worth the additional 20-30k per year to go to UW or GA Tech or Purdue. Are the brand, career opportunities, etc. worth the additional spend? There might be some debt, but it will mostly be funded by my parents + work study.
Yeah, very true… the disruption of moving after the first year bothers me and my parents very much. A lot easier to take up something and commit to it for 4 years…
1 Like
Based on what you wrote, Purdue is the worst fit (in terms of major) out of all of the schools, so it looks like the last choice regardless of cost. Changing into CS at Purdue is a competitive admission process and “Space is extremely limited” according to https://catalog.purdue.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=14&poid=19771 . You do not need to visit to find this out.
Does a regular CS major (UCM, Wisconsin, or if you get off the waitlist at UCSC or UCR) appeal to you more or less than the computational media major at GT?
Remember, you can only take $5.5k loans the first year; anything more would need to be parent loans. You may want to remove any school where the loans would be greater than this amount.
1 Like
I would hold out for the in-state schools if you can. They offer the most value for the money. All the other schools are basically triple the tuition. Are you able to afford those schools without taking on a pile of debt? If not, then you’re better off at community college to start off, than going to a school you can’t afford. Trust me, it’s far better to sacrifice and transfer later than be crippled financially.
As much as I love Purdue, if you aren’t a direct admit to CS, the likelihood of being able to transfer in from another major is very slim. I would not risk it if you have a direct admit to CS somewhere else.
Best of luck to you!
1 Like
GaTech’s Computational Media degree is a combination of CS and Literature/Media/Music. Does that interest you?
1 Like
Yes, I applied for the program because I liked the intersection of CS and the Arts.