For someone planning to major in computer science, is it worth it to go to Virginia Wesleyan with tuition covered (still other costs amounting to ~16k a year) or would it be better to go to UVA with no financial aid (~40k a year)?
UVA. Borrow some money if needed. Work part time. In state admission to UVA is incredible.
If you choose VWU, youâll ideally go somewhere for a one year masters. Ask VWU CS department what their recent outcomes have been like. Not just how many get a job within six months of graduation but where and what role. Any feedback on average starting salaries and how many respond to the career survey?
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All things being equal Iâd choose UVA â but all things are not equal.
What can your family afford (without hardship or huge loans)?
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Are these your only two option?
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Can you afford the $24k delta. Thatâs near $100k difference.
Iâd go UVA but not if you need to borrow the remainder. Thatâs a big loan. Too big.
If UVA is not affordable, find another school with a bigger program in CS. We can help.
Good luck.
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If you graduate from UVA with a CS degree and are gainfully employed in the software industry, paying off even $100k over the course of your career should not be a problem. Of course if you donât finish or go into a different career then itâs a lot of debt.
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Programmer here. Thatâs $120k worth of debt, assuming you could even get the financing. Your parents would need to co-sign that kind of debt. Otherwise the federal debt limit is $27k. So my answer to you is an emphatic NO. Going to UVA would be financial suicide.
The great part of computer science is that itâs ridiculously employable. You should have no trouble finding a job out of college. Everything other skill you learn is going to be on the job. Youâre in an industry where prestige doesnât matter. In fact after about 3 years experience, employers donât even ask where you went to school.
I would recommend talking to your parents on exactly how much they can contribute to your college education. Even 16k a year puts you over the federal borrowing limit. If they canât contribute that much money, you might need to start at community college.
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No one should trap themselves under the weight of 6-figures worth of debt. If it was 20K, I would go to UVA without hesitation. This is likely not the last time you will want something you canât afford. It stinks, but you just have to deal with it.
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But you donât get your whole career to pay off the debtâŠyou get 10 years. Of course you can refinance, etc but the longer you take the more you pay. This is how some people end up paying double or triple their initial loan amounts. Monthly debt payment on $100K is at least $1.1K per month. Some CS grads could afford that early in their careers if they have lower expenses, but thatâs still too high a proportion of take home for manyâŠincluding those in HCOL areas, those with families, etc.
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Will they be buying a car after college? Thatâs probably 30k of debt. Would they purchase a house within those 10 years? Thatâs probably another 400k-500k of debt. Taken in relation to that much of debt, an extra 100k isnât that much more. It can be refinanced to longer terms. Starting salaries for software engineers out of UVA is close to 100k and within 5 years after graduating is probably 150k
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My daughterâs good friend, #1 in their HS class, went to UVA for CS, works at a job he loathes, has applied to so many companies, recently started a personal training business. I donât know how easy it is to save $100,000 for a down payment for a house while paying $1000+ a month in loans.
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Maybe some would be ok with that level of debt, but some wonât be. A person with that profile may not qualify for the lowest of mortgage rates either.
Right now we arenât even sure OP needs debt if attending UVA. I encourage OP to educate themselves on debt, so they can make an informed decision. These decisions are personal and unique to each student/family.
Here are some resources OP can use to model debt, payments, and salary so they can decide what theyâd be comfortable with, if they are considering debt.
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Assuming they can get hired.
I agree the âdifferentiationâ of schools listed is insane but they can find an in between flagship like Alabama or Ms State assuming top stats - and have far less debt. And get an outcome similar or closer to UVA.
The student can be at Bama for $18k as an example - if the stats are there - and not have this worry of an unnamed school.
Thatâs just one. CS grads seem to be struggling even to find employment so itâs a big risk with no assurance.
Iâd find option C.
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It doesnât seem like CS grads are being hired like they used to.
A friendâs kid (UVA CS) was hired by Capital One with very good pay. Would Capital One hire at VWU? Consulting?
Thatâs REALLY bad advice.
Qui
Quite possiblyâŠbut employers usually hire locally and regionally because itâs more cost effective for entry level jobs that have a higher turnover rate than other jobs. Either way CS is ridiculously employable. I went to a regional state university, and Iâve been interviewed by Google and Amazon. Both are overrated places to work in my opinion. Youâre never more expendable working for large corporations.
A friendâs son at a TX land grant U got a CS degree and three months after graduation was having trouble finding a job. Maybe he was limiting his search to big companies and Dallas area. Donât know but mom was concerned. Another friendâs son got a bachelors and masters in business from a regional private U. Heâs doing pitching lessons and UberEats.
Hereâs good insight from the dad of a CS senior at UCLA (probably similar to UVA):
Interviewing for coding jobs is very different. They look at grades but really look at what youâve done coding wise before granting an interview. Then the interview is mostly taking technical tests, sometimes live with someone and sometimes just via a computer. Grades may help get you the interview but passing the coding tests are the most important part.
Need some more detail from the OP @jr444 . Like, how much debt (if any) does each option entail, and how much difference the $24k per year makes to the OP and parents? Are there any other options?
VWU has a relatively limited selection of CS courses, and upper level courses appear to be offered only once every two years or âon demandâ (which probably means less frequently): Computer Science Courses | Virginia Wesleyan University
So the choice given seems to be a school that is not very good for the studentâs major, or one that has a higher likelihood of being unaffordable.
My nephew has a poli sci degree from Arizona - but guess what - passed the tests and got hired by a huge company in NY, and has now switched to an even bigger.
He self taughtâŠ
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Agreed - if they have the stats for UVA, then there are likely other options that can be had that will bridge the gap - big flagships in the South, as an example, that will be 20K or less including room and board.
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