High school student attending college in the fall. I have gotten into UC Berkeley for EECS and UCSD for Math-CS. The cost of attendance would have Berkeley be about $12-15K and SD 5-8K. After college, I would want to work in anything in software except AI due to personal qualms, and I have concerns about my ability to secure a job after graduating. What should I do?
Hmmm - you are in high school and have admittances to UCB and UCSD?
You are way ahead of a job at this point.
Go to school. Participate. Get an internship and hopefully two and experience life.
And then your life will progress with employment (hopefully).
Congrats on two great acceptances!
Is the cost difference significant for your family? (I’m guessing that if you qualify for that much aid, that extra 7K/year may matter.)
I don’t think not wanting to work in AI should be a worry at the moment; there are plenty of other areas to specialize in.
Both of these majors include CS content, but CS+math is quite different from CS+EE. Which do you prefer? If you’re not a “hardware” kind of person, you may be happier with the UCSD program. If you’re more interested in EE than in math, the Berkeley program may be better.
I wouldn’t worry about either school limiting your employability. As tsbna said, focus on getting practical experience while in college, especially internships. (And if the extra cost of Berkeley is going to limit your flexibility by putting a lot of pressure on your summer income, that’s something to consider.)
All that said, do you have a preferred campus and geographic area? However, these majors are different enough that academic program preference may be the more important factor.
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Try to go to Berkeley. The people there are great and it is better for your major. You will most likely get a job more easily if you go to Berkeley
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Let me ask you this - why do you have this concern?
You mentioned one area you don’t want to work in - but there’s a zillion areas to work in.
Or is your concern not related to this - but a personal or health challenge?
Is the difference in price a concern?
Assuming affordability for both, you may want to compare the courses and curricula to see which interests you more.
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Because the Math CS major at UCSD is not in the CSE department, your access to CS courses at UCSD would be more limited because of this major.
Here is information on enrolling in CS classes at UCSD. You’ll see that there is a difference in accessibility between majors in the CSE department, and non-CSE majors: https://cse.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/courses/enrolling-cse-courses
Limited access to CS courses can be an issue at UCSD for all non-CSE majors that include CSE courses (Math CS, cognitive science, etc).
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If you have been admitted to Berkeley, does that mean you are you a regents candidate? If so, and that comes through, you may get some good money from that, which may in turn narrow the financial gap, if that is a consideration in this.
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Math CS is in the math department and it’s therefore a math major with some CS. It’s a popular major for students who were not admitted to CS, and can lead to a CS career, but it’s not a CS major.
EECS is a flexible major with very few required courses; most of the major consists of electives. There is very little required in the way of “hardware” courses and the majority of students in the major have a CS focus rather than EE.
Of course the student should look at the curricula for themselves and think about what fits their interests best.
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Thanks for the info. Given the flexibility and top-tier reputation of UCB EECS, and the “second string” access to CS classes as a math-CS major at UCSD, it sounds as if the OP might be wise to choose Berkeley, as long as it’s feasible financially and logistically. (The difference in cost is approximately the amount of the allowed guaranteed loans, although that amount of debt may already be budgeted even for UCSD.) But looking closely at both majors before making a decision would still be smart, as you say.
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EECS at Cal is probably one of the most sought after majors by employers. Assuming you can shake hands and smile, you will likely have multiple offers. (And with Zoom interviews, don’t even need to shake hands anymore.)
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I really don’t think you can go wrong - I know people with Math-CS degrees from UCSD and people with EECS degrees from UCB and all are gainfully employed. As others have suggested, consider the costs (if it makes a difference to you and your family) and the course work required. I’d also suggest considering the campuses and schools beyond the major. I think UCSD may be slightly more laid back - but nobody is slacking; SD has the beach, Berkeley has S.F. and the bay.
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