UMich [OOS] vs UCSB [in-state] for CS?

qwertyuiop777
Sat, 22 Mar 2025 21:16:07 +0000

I know technically this is a bit early, but I kind of lost hope for the remaining decisions I have (Ivies, Berkeley, Rice, USC). I just got a rejection from UCLA and checked Berkeley portal astrology and it’s not looking good… Anyway, I got into these schools:

Purdue - Computer Engineering

University of Michigan - Computer Engineering/Computer Science

Cal Poly SLO - Computer Science

UCSB - Computer Science

University of Waterloo - Computer Engineering

UCSC - Computer Science

UCR - Computer Science

Waitlists: UCSD and UCI for CS

My top two choices from here are UMich and UCSB. I’m wondering which one is better out of these choices (or if you think another option from the list would be good too).

UMich, having one of the top CS/CE programs obviously has the prestige, rankings, and alumni network. I’ve also heard that the social life is great and that it’s a nice college town. I really like the school overall. However, I received basically no financial aid and I don’t like the cold…

On the other hand, UCSB is not as prestigious, but the tuition would be way less. Plus, I really like beaches/the outdoors/SoCal weather. However, my main priority really is academics and the connections I would have to land jobs in top companies in the future. Plus, although I don’t like to admit it, prestige is pretty important to me.

Any guidance would be much appreciated. Of course, if I get off the UCSD waitlist (which I heard is unlikely) I would probably go there. Technically I’m still waiting for USC and Rice (I’m just gonna assume Berkeley is a rejection although I would definitely choose it in a heartbeat if I got in), but I want to be realistic here. I’m pretty sad because I’ve always aimed for Berkeley and LA (the top schools in-state), but now I have to start thinking outside of that.