BYU (Provo) or SJSU

College Search & Lists
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I want to get degree in COMPUTER SCIENCE… I have two choices BYU and SJSU. Which one of these colleges offer better CS program (BS)?
I heard MIX reviews about BYU…Some said that BYU is terrible for CS; Others said opposite. According to US News BYU RANK for CS is 90 But SJSU is not included in top 100 list.
Guys please HELP me here…
Which college is better for CS?
Someone who is attending BYU and studying CS or graduated from BYU please give me honest advice…Should I come to BYU or not?

2

Are you Mormon? Like literally, I’m sure you know this, but BYU is a school funded and run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormon culture is extremely prevalent on-campus and in the surrounding areas of Provo. You’d be required to take religious classes, follow a strict honor code (no drinking, no smoking, basically no partying like the “traditional” college), and you’d be surrounded by Mormons. I live in Utah and the Mormons are great people, but they’re also very different from mainstream Christians in a lot of ways. They tend to “live their faith” much more openly and strongly. Assuming you’re not Mormon (or you are, but maybe aren’t very strict), I’d visit the campus and see if it’s a fit for what you want. BYU can be very polarizing.

3

This is a rare case when my suggestion is more based on lifestyle/comfort than the academic programs. If you are Mormon I’d certainly consider BYU, if not I’d probably go with SJSU. The strict lifestyle required by students at BYU is geared towards Mormons, the price is cheaper if you are Mormon, and if you are not Mormon you will be invited to join the church. Bottom line-- if you are Mormon BYU could be a great option, if you are not Mormon it would be important to visit and be sure you can commit to the lifestyle and feel comfortable in that environment. .

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I am not Mormon…Actually I not even Christian. I am an International Student (From INDIA). Thanks for advice

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@BabylonBabylon Can you tell me how bad is living there?.. If you have some friends who are not mormons and studying at BYU then can you share some of their bad experiences or your bad experiences?

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SJSU hands down especially if you are not Mormon. Great CS program, excellent location for jobs/internships and better access to larger cities in the area: San Francisco/San Jose.

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@sld1234 I can share my dd’s perspective. BYU is highly ranked for its foreign language dept. BYU is the only top language program we can afford. She attended their French camp in order to get a feeling for the environment. She is a very devout Catholic and the restrictions are not an issue for her at all. BUT, the dominance of the Mormon culture is overwhelming. She came home from camp extremely disappointed. She loved the language opportunities but she says that she cannot imagine attending school there even as badly as she wants the access to their academics.

It is hard for me to express what she has shared, but although they were welcoming and friendly, she was not Mormon. That may not make any sense, but the “not Mormon” meant she was “outside.” She has said that it is something you can’t really explain easily bc she really liked the people she met, but she did not feel like she could live there for 4 yrs.

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@SId1234 Sure thing. A little background though, I moved to Utah about two years ago from New York, and I’m not Mormon. My dad was raised in the Church, but he left when he was about 20 years old I believe.

Generally, Utah itself and the Mormons within it are pretty chill. I’ve met many nice Mormons and non-Mormons alike, and as long as you stay outside of the rural areas you shouldn’t run into too many extreme religious nuts. I don’t spend a whole lot of time in Provo, where BYU is located, but I do live in Salt Lake City and it’s quite nice and even a tiny bit liberal here, if you hang with the right crowd.

Culturally, I worry that you’re an international student from India. Utah isn’t diverse, at least not like New York or California. Most universities will consist of white kids with a handful of Hispanic and black kids, but nothing more. Being Hispanic, I can say that I’ve experienced true racism only a few times living here, but it’s certainly more prevalent the darker your skin gets. That’s the sad truth. I wouldn’t say that this is perpetuated entirely by the Mormons, of course – it’s just a product of living in the mountain west, in an area that’s pretty isolated from the rest of the country.

I don’t personally know anyone at BYU, but I do know that it is an academically rigorous school, and everyone who gets accepted takes their education quite seriously. It’s essentially the “dream school” for most Mormon high schoolers. I did some research and found an old post by a user named maybel8er:

The fact is, BYU is a religious institution first and foremost. That’s something you’ll have to deal with if you go to it.

You mentioned CS specifically. If it helps (and you’re interested in being in Utah for college, perhaps for the skiing), the University of Utah has a very good CS program (especially if you’re interested in pursuing game design), and it’s a public university in Salt Lake, so it won’t have the same religious culture as BYU. Of course, this will likely be more expensive for an international, but if costs aren’t a problem then you may want to consider it. My dad is a researcher at the University of Utah School of Computer Science and I spend a lot of time on campus, so if you do have any questions about the U, feel free to PM me.

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okay thanks to all…

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thanks @BabylonBabylon …And Money is the only issue…As an International Student it is very expensive but I thought BYU was less expensive and it was also competitive. I recently found out about this religious culture of BYU. I researched and I found pretty bad experiences of Non-Mormon students at BYU.