Hi! I am currently a high-school student who was recently admitted into the University of Washington for a Pre-Physical Science major (with a Purple and Gold Scholar Scholarship [7,500$/year]) and USC for Computer Science in the Viterbi School of Engineering for Fall’16. I heard that CSE at UW is a very well-recognized program which is considered to be better than VSE in USC. However, I have also heard a lot about how competitive it is to get your intended major in CSE at UW after your first year. Does anyone have any advice they could give me regarding which college might be the better/safer choice? I am currently leaning towards USC because I am safely in the CS school but I am worried that its program might not be as rewarding as the one in UW. Thanks!
Choose USC, because you are safely in.
UW has a top-5 CS program, yes, but the biggest problem with it is the space and room for new students.
Even if your grades are great at UW, there’s not guarantee for CS - a lot of people have their “CS dreams crushed” here.
If you choose UW, make sure you have a few backup majors (ACMS)