Will I be at disadvantage if I attend UCSD instead of UT Austin for CS?

College Search & Lists
1

From what I’ve heard, UT Austin CS is ranked higher than that of UCSD (source: ARWU, TopUniversities, Times Higher Education, US News rankings). Besides, UT students seem to be happier with their school (source: StudentReviews, RateMyProfessors). Finally, Austin is more vibrant than La Jolla.

However, I’m leaning towards UCSD for its location (near the beaches, 1hr drive to my family, not too far from San Diego), weather (way better than Texas), Jacobs Engineering school is very well funded (UTCS is crowded + lack of funding), their special tutoring program (known to be very helpful), 6-college system (students get more attention & care) and overall quality is still top-notch.

I have internships already and concern more about education quality, research opportunities and getting into grad schools. Will UT Austin or UCSD be better in my case?

2

Short answer no. But I don’t think UT Austin ranks that much higher than UCSD. Even if it is, it’s not the exact or absolute. Do you think it makes a difference for employers? Ok, that’s a rhetoric question.

3

The rankings vary year to year. For 2014, UCSD ranks higher than UT, if you can believe this ranking.
http://www.cwur.org/2014/americas.html

UCSd is #20, while UT is #29.

4

And in this one UCSD ranks higher than UT Austin.
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/computer-science-degrees-best-roi/

5

UCSD consistently ranks among the top universities in terms of research output, including in its CS department.

6

Only a high schooler would think that attending UCSD CS would be disadvantageous compared to UT-Austin CS.

7

Net price at each? If you live within an hour of UCSD, it is more likely that you are in-state for UCSD but out-of-state for UT, which can mean a very large price difference.

8

UCSD also has the extra dimension in being one the world leaders in translational medicine (biomedical and public health research that aims to improve the health of individuals and the community by “translating” findings into diagnostic tools, medicines, procedures, policies and education) much under the context of CS…UCSD is very solid, and you would not be taking a step back on most fronts…

9

Why are you assuming UT Austin would even be an option? OOS admittance into CS is extrmemly competetive. Having UCSD as an instate option is terrific. You should concentrate on putting together the best application you can for UC schools and perhaps some privates if they make sense financially.

10

Post #7, UCSd just hired a top professor in that field if I recalled correctly.

11

I was late to editing for post #9

http://www-cse.ucsd.edu/node/2737

12

Thanks everyone for the comments, esp @DrGoogle . They are very encouraging and do spark some new insights.
Just wondering if UCSD has more ‘top’ professors in CS than UT Austin? Do you know anything about their curriculum in comparison?

@ucbalumnus: I’m actually an international students, so net prices are equal for both schools :(.
@txstella: I recall seeing UT Austin Computer Science program in top 10 of almost rankings that I’ve come across, however that of UCSD fluctuates between #11 and #20 :frowning:

13

To the OP: you really don’t know how the real world works. In the real world, no one gives an eff about rankings. They may tier roughly, with Stanford, MIT, & CMU (and maybe Cal and maaaybe UIUC) at the top. Then they’ll have a group of “good CS schools”, which UCSD and UT-Austin are in.

Also, “top professors” should not be a concern (other than for bragging rights). You’re going to be so far below what even the lowliest CS professor at these schools know that even they will blow you away with their knowledge and intellect.

14

<<<
Will I be at disadvantage if I attend UCSD instead of UT Austin for CS?
<<<<

It is pretty sad that people actually wonder about such things when they’re talking about some of our nation’s best schools.

15

Post #11, I found this information about UCSD CS program through Quora regarding why UCSD CS program is a power house. I think my daughter is going to take a class with Voelker, he is the only want that makes her get up at 8:00 am. She might have had lunch with professor Porter but I’m not sure, because there are two professors with the name Porter.

Here is what Professor Ben Zhao wrote:

http://www.quora.com/What-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-UCSD-MS-in-CS-UCLA-MS-in-CS-and-TAMU-MS-in-CS

16

I read through your posts. You are a transfer student who was accepted to oth UCSD and UT Austin. Correct? You are much too caught up in rankings. Just choose one.

17

UT CS department really seems to is be struggling with resources right now. It is very odd for a university that boasts such a large endowment. Students seem to be having a lot of difficulty getting classes and graduating on time. I have been following the UT Reddit and CS complaints are a major theme. That alone makes me nervous about the CS program there though I would enthusiastically recommend just about any other major.

18

@gvikei much of the rankings you are looking at is for graduate school and will not affect you much for an undergrad education. They are both very very good. Many times top illustrious professors at large universities don’t work with undergraduates, so how does that effect your experience do you think?

19

Even if you get top professors, UCSD just hired one professor who if you google his name is a child prodigy, graduated from MIT with perfect GPA and got a PhD from Harvard, you won’t do well in his class. In fact most won’t do well in his class, he gave out like three As and three A minuses for the whole large class, bigger than 100, but less than 150. I don’t know how his teachings but I would assume it’s good.