Is UC Davis the way to go for CS?

[merc81]

@ucbalumnus

@merc81

My question was simply to understand why should you pay Private/OOS tuition for a “better” CS school over UC Davis.

A great reason to apply to private colleges in general for CS would be that you might find a few at which class sizes are limited to about two dozen students, which would create a dramatically different experience for you compared to what you might encounter at most public universities (as well as at many large private universities). From your listed group of private colleges, Princeton might offer you the greatest contrast in classroom experience to that of UCD, and could be worth its cost premium on this as well as other bases.

Princeton’s class schedule indicates that its intro level CS courses have about 200 students, while upper level ones can have up to 80 or so. I.e. many more than “two dozen”.

These were separate thoughts. Princeton may be the most favorable on a relative class-size basis, or not, of the OP’s listed schools, which should represent a matter for further research. The point remains that some smaller colleges limit enrollment in most CS classes to about two dozen. If a student seeks value over or, at least, difference from, a public university option, it might be found in its most apparent form in these programs.

[ucbalumnus]

@merc81

@ucbalumnus

@merc81

My question was simply to understand why should you pay Private/OOS tuition for a “better” CS school over UC Davis.

A great reason to apply to private colleges in general for CS would be that you might find a few at which class sizes are limited to about two dozen students, which would create a dramatically different experience for you compared to what you might encounter at most public universities (as well as at many large private universities). From your listed group of private colleges, Princeton might offer you the greatest contrast in classroom experience to that of UCD, and could be worth its cost premium on this as well as other bases.

Princeton’s class schedule indicates that its intro level CS courses have about 200 students, while upper level ones can have up to 80 or so. I.e. many more than “two dozen”.

These were separate thoughts. Princeton may be the best on a relative class-size basis, or not, of the OP’s listed schools, which should represent a matter for further research. The point remains that some smaller colleges limit enrollment in most CS classes to about two dozen. If a student seeks value over or, at least, difference from, a public university option, it might be found in its most apparent form in these programs.

That is assuming that the student values smaller classes, and the college’s size limit does not require reducing offerings (because instructors are needed to teach more small sections rather than more different courses) or rationing space in the classes (as Swarthmore does).

[sushiritto]

@calikid327

Out of curiosity, why are so many people competing for OOS/private schools for CS when SJSU clearly has good prospects? It is baffling to me, as my competitive public HS classmate bend over backwards to get into ivies for CS

The college experience for students is often more than just about the job you may get after 4 years. I’m not that far from the SJSU Campus and it’s not located in a great area. I’m not aware of the statistics, but there seems like a lot crime takes place. No campus spirit. It’s also a commuter campus and the classes are BIG.

[firmament2x]

If I were to make an uneducated guess, I would say that CS classes are pretty large everywhere; it’s just the nature of the current-day beast. I think the one that might disprove this would be Caltech. Any CT Beavers CS majors here?

[mikemac]

I’m wondering what schools would be worth paying OOS/private tuition for. I am fortunate to be in a position where I do not have to apply for FA either way, however, money is still money, and 50k-60k extra per year for OOS/private tuition is nothing to shrug off no matter how wealthy you are.

You need to talk it over with your parents and decide which it is. The top 1% have annual incomes over $700K, the top 0.1% have incomes approaching $3 million and above. And I bet they have some savings tucked away. For these people, $60K/yr is not a burden (or in some cases even noticeable).

how do you define “worth it”? If you mean a difference in job prospects, as has been pointed out already you’ll be marketable in CS from Davis or anywhere else. If you want smaller classes, or to get a college experience in a different part of the country, or to have the cachet of having an exclusive college degree, then some of the private schools already mentioned may be a good choice depending on what your parents agree is your financial situation.