Hi All,
My son came to know couple days ago that he will be a Gold Scholar (Instate tuition. priority course selection) at Georgia Tech as a CS Major. We are OOS for GTech. He also got admitted to UC Berkeley early (In state).
How would you compare these two admits with respect to internships, co-ops, research, housing and course selection? Is GTech location a disadvantage compared to being in Silicon Valley. Any advise would help us with the decision. Thanks!
Is he a regent’s candidate? If so, that comes with some perks that might make Cal more attractive, such as guaranteed housing, priority registration, mentorship opportunities, and a few other things (along with the money, of course).
UC Berkeley is not in Silicon Valley. It is nearby, but it is in the East Bay whereas Silicon Valley is in the South Bay (just pointing that out to avoid potential confusion among those not familiar with the Bay Area).
I would choose Cal, simply for its proximity to the tech industry if you’re paying in state tuition. They’re both good programs though.
One more detail I would like to add is that he is a CS major at GT (capped starting this year), versus a Bioengg major (planning to add EECS as a double major) at Berkeley. He plans to pursue a CS-related career in the future. Should this also be a consideration in the final decision?
Both are elite schools for CS and provide excellent internship and job opportunities.
Look deeper at other factors that may be important to you if cost is not a major concern.
Size (including class sizes), housing, campus, etc.
Thanks for your reply. He is a Regent’s candidate, but feels his chances are very low for getting it due to a not so great interview. So we are not really banking on that.
It’s not over til it’s over. Good luck to him!
These are both great options! GT has excellent co-op opportunities and career placement successes. Georgia Tech Career Survey Report: AY 2022-2023 | Office of Academic Effectiveness
Only thing to perhaps consider, aside from whether your s wants to travel across the country, is if the grad student strikes have been settled at Cal, or if that is likely to recur. Can be a disruption. UC strike: Six things to know - CalMatters. The February protests were also unsettling there, but that seems to have become more quiescent. FWIW, neither of my s’s went to school in CA, but both work in SV. So there is plenty of opportunity for job placement there.
*ETA They have several friends who went to GT and several of work colleagues they have had over the years are GT grads
Good luck!
Well that’s a wrinkle that can’t be overlooked if he wants CS. I don’t believe that adding EECS is guaranteed. @ucbalumnus and @Gumbymom would know more.
According to the UC Berkeley website:
It is rare but possible to transfer into the EECS program from another major on campus or to add EECS as a second major. We also offer an EECS minor, a CS Minor, and an EIS Minor for students pursuing other majors.
So perhaps an EECS minor would be more plausible. I would contact the UC Berkeley Engineering department to confirm a EECS double major is possible before committing.
If both schools were for CS major and your child would want to stay in CA, I would consider Berkeley.
Given that CS is only at Gatech and Gatech loves him (Gold scholarship with instate tuition) it sounds like no-brainer to me…if he wants CS major…
Yes. Changing into EECS at UCB is likely to be difficult if it is even possible.
“Difficult” is overstating the odds. Teh odds are slim and none, and slim already gave up.
If he want CS, take the CS admit. Congrats to him! 
If he is set on CS - go to GaTech! Congratulations!
It is currently possible for a COE student to switch to EECS with sufficiently good grades after two semesters. The requirements are fairly straightforward. The student must have been originally admitted to a COE major as a freshman, and it must be the student’s first major change. Each semester, the student must make progress in their current major (i.e. must take two classes in the current major) plus one EECS core class, and must meet a grade threshold for both overall GPA and for the EECS classes they take.
Source: My student’s advisor in the COE.
HOWEVER, it is always possible that the department may close that door at any time in the future. So I wouldn’t recommend going to Cal if the student has their heart set on EECS, as the policy may change. (And I certainly wouldn’t recommend students trying to “back door” into EECS by applying to another major in COE, as this may change at any time!)
I would only recommend Cal if the student is happy with being a BioE major, with the possibility that they MAY be able to switch or add EECS if the door remains open.
I believe this warning might be aimed at students who were not originally admitted to a COE major. (For example, students in L&S.) Within COE, students do switch into EECS at this time… it is just not guaranteed that this door will remain open.
Great information, thank you.
I’ll also add that BioE majors, and all other COE majors at Cal, are allowed to enroll in both lower and upper division CS and EECS classes.
So the student wouldn’t be restricted from studying EECS and CS at a high level along with their BioE major.
It’s just a question of whether the student would be happy with that BioE major. Presumably they applied for that major because they had an interest in it?
Getting Into Computer Science Classes lists enrollment priorities, but policy can change.
Of course, it’s always possible that policies could change.
My son’s advisor doesn’t think this particular policy is likely to change any time soon (non-EECS COE majors’ access to EECS / CS classes), because of COE’s support of EECS.
It’s thought to be more likely that students may eventually lose the flexibility of switching to the EECS major.