Hello everyone,
Finished getting my college results, but I need help on deciding where to go. My options and prices are below:
RPI 45k (really liking the school, but not sure if worth $$$, also not sure if able to tour$
UCSC 35k
UW 50k (not admitted directly to CS, would it still be worth it to go here and vie for a spot in their CS department? This is where my dad wants me to go, but if I can’t get into an engineering/CS major, it’s not worth it)
Purdue for CIT, 40k (not sure if worth pursuing without CS major)
SDSU w/ honors program, not sure how their CS program stacks against UC’s
Additionally, if I were to get into UC Davis/ UC Irvine, as I was waitlisted to these, would it be in my best interests to go to one of these schools? I’d like to stay in California to save money on undergraduate studies, and expect to go to grad school, as that is what my father wants.
Getting a CS spot at UW is very competitive. They only accept about 30% of their applicants. You can apply multiple times, but I’d think twice unless you’re ok with an alternate major.
RPI is a good school, but expensive. It’s worth noting, Troy can get brutally cold in the winter.
Lastly, don’t assume you’ll go to graduate school. It’s not that you won’t, but most CS students don’t, and things change. You might be burned out, or you might get a great offer without an advanced degree.
Drop UW. If you're not direct admit to CS you won't get in.
Considering RPI only $10K more than UCSC and $5K more than Purdue, I'd pick RPI. Very strong CS program - especially in InfoSec. Nerdy culture, diverse and collaborative student body (my D is student there). Very high placement rate - Google/Microsoft/etc. all hire from there and many grads get six figures upon graduation.
Freezing winters as @eyemgh said, but Purdue isn’t much better in winter. Troy has improved a lot in recent years, and has a nice downtown walking distance from campus. Great outdoors in nearby Adirondacks. (Of course if location is a critical factor, you can’t beat UCSC.) If weather is important, than SDSU. I’d also pick RPI over UC Davis/Irvine unless cost differential is painful.
FYI, grad school isn’t necessarily as helpful for CS as some other majors. If there’s a specific advanced field you’re interested in pursuing (like AI) you should do a funded PhD rather than pay for a masters.
@eyemgh Thanks! Are UW’s engineering spots as competitive, like CE/EE? I’m not hellbent on CS, but I’m not going to UW if I can’t get CS/engineering major.
Grad school can be extremely valuable in CS. I’d pick RPI and get a winter coat, a hat and some gloves. You’ll need to get involved with undergrad research and a school like RPI will give you that opportunity. I recommend that you do an overnight visit though.
I took at look and there are flights from San Francisco to JFK (NYC) for about $366 round trip. From there you take a train to New York City and a 3 hour bus up to Albany. Total cost for under $500. It’s maybe $100 more from the LA or SD area.