Which CalState/University should I go to?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I have been stumped in where I would want to go to. Now, I understand that acceptance letters don't come out until March for most of the colleges I'm about to list, but I would at least like to feel at ease knowing that I have good plan of where I would like to go. </p>

<p>I applied to: Stanford, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Pomona, UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, UC Davis, and UC San Diego. </p>

<ul>
<li>Stanford: it is my number 1 school right now, and it always has been. Plus, their financial aid is wonderful</li>
<li>Cal Poly SLO: I'm taking it into consideration, and I'm probably feeling this school the most at the moment. I want to apply to their honors program.</li>
<li>Cal Poly Pomona: It's nice, but when I went to their Kellogg Honors Event that I was invited to, I didn't really feel the whole campus or vibe. I'll only go because of their Honors program.</li>
<li>UC Irvine: I went to their COSMOS math and science camp, and I have to say I loved everything about it!</li>
<li>UC Berkeley: I respect their engineering school, and I'm sure their CS is just as good. Their reputation and name is great, but cost is another story. I can't say much though since I have not visited this school. ):</li>
</ul>

<p>I'm a senior in high school, and I heard that it doesn't matter your first two years - so I may transfer (it's just that it seems nice to be a good university throughout your college life). *The Cal States have the whole "learn by doing" motto which I very much like the thought of, and the UCs are more theoretical. And Stanford? I just want to go there terribly bad and I have my many reasons, but I'm trying to be realistic. *</p>

<p>So really my factors are:
- Will I have fun? (I'm not the kind to stay confined in my room all day - I need adventures or socializing)
- Are there freshmen opportunities for me to take? (internships, potential scholarships, etc)
- Will the cost of living be worth it?
- The academic strength in CS.
..... as for prestige? I guess you can say so because Stanford is my number 1, but I never wanted to go just because of their name. Ever since I visited the campus and learned about their academics, I fell in love with it.</p>

<p>Thank you so much for reading this lengthy message! I really appreciate it. Please let me know where you think I should go for college - I'll still be doing a lot of research.</p>

2

<p>Have you been admitted to any? If so, have you gotten financial aid offers?</p>

<p>If not, have you checked the financial aid estimators / net price calculators at each school to get cost and financial aid estimates?</p>

<p>No one else can help you determine if a school is “worth it” without estimates on net cost and how much in the way of loans you need to take.</p>

3

<p>Although money is a big factor, I’ll be considering it later in the month once I actually get accepted. I’m sorry I didn’t make that clear! so for now, I’d just like to know where’s a good place to go to for freshman year college.</p>

4

<p>They all are great schools, though I’m not sure about their CS program specifically. You’d have fun at all of them. Berkeley’s highly intelligent students are the least mainstream of the campuses you’ve listed, IMO. (I’m not sure if the other schools have nude runs, etc.)</p>

5

<p>I worked for electrical engineers at UCI, so I have quite a bit of familiarity with the research/employment opportunities for STEM majors there. If you want a research job, you can get it, but for the first two years you’ll probably be a lab monkey. At least in EE, most of the higher skilled jobs were only done by grad students, though it might be different for computer science. Irvine is the tech hub of Orange County, and many local employers love UCI grads, so finding internships shouldn’t be a problem. </p>

<p>From what I understand, the comp sci program at UCI is more than adequate. You will get a good computer science education there although it will probably be more theoretical than SLO’s program. </p>

<p>One thing you should be aware of about UCI is that it’s a bit of a suitcase/commuter school, although not to CPP’s extent. There are plenty of opportunities for extracurricular activities, but enough of the student body goes home on a fairly regular basis that weekends might feel a bit more dead than say, UCB, SLO, or Stanford. </p>

<p>If you’re living on campus, UCI might actually cost a bit more than UCB, since Berkeley gives the best financial aid of any of the UCs, but if you’re commuting, that’s a different story.</p>

6

<p>For the NorCal school, and Stanford specifically, you can get jobs/internships in Silicon Valley. But I guess I didn’t really have to give you another reason to love Stanford…</p>

<p>Cal has those opportunities as well just on a lesser scale because Stanford literally is in Silicon Valley while Cal is a good hour away.</p>