I’ve already consulted Reddit about this but I was recently admitted off the waitlist for Williams College with an excellent financial aid offer! I was already admitted to Georgia Tech in-state early action. Williams is giving me till the 19th to accept/decline their offer.
William’s parent contribution would only be $1800 per year (the aid package factored in everything from room/board to tuition to meal plan and even included bonuses like healthcare and a small fund to spend on miscellaneous personal expenses)! INCREDIBLY generous. No loans!
Georgia Tech would require $6895 per year (factoring in housing, meal plan, transport etc). Based on the estimate they sent me, this number includes the Zell Miller/hope scholarship, institutional grant, and Pell Grant awarded as well. $3845 of this number would be in loans based on the offer.
As for post-graduation goals, I’m mostly just concerned with getting a job in the industry. There’s a lot I still don’t know when it comes to software engineering and whatnot, but that’s what I’m aiming for. As of now, I’m not planning to attend grad school. I’m also not into doing research stuff if that means anything.
Honestly, I’m pretty cooked simply because I’ve never been 100 percent sure of my college preferences. I know the weather doesn’t mean as much to me if it means going to a cheaper school. I’m okay with leaving Georgia and experiencing different perspectives up north if that means saving money. I’d also like to be in a diverse environment, especially as a black student who’d want to fit in. But I don’t know whether or not I’d like being so isolated in a rural area versus being surrounded by the city. I’d describe myself as more of an introvert but I also don’t want to feel so limited and would like to be able to grow more into my own self? What if I do end up wanting to party more with my friends y’know?
Here are the basics I’ve gathered from both schools:
Tech:
It’s the best CS-focused school I’ve gotten into
It’s close to home
I have a few of my hs friends attending tech
I have a lot of AP credit that could be applied to Tech
Financial Aid is more challenging to keep up with because of GPA requirements for zell/hope. I don’t know how that stress would affect me
Williams:
Liberal Arts focused, CS is more theoretical (idk what that would mean for job prospects)
More humanities classes I’d probably take. On the fence about this honestly. I’ve always been a stem-minded person and writing essays and reading a lot hasn’t always been my forte.
Financial aid is amazing, would greatly lift burdens on my parents to pay, and on my younger siblings in the future
No AP Credit would apply unfortunately
“In the middle of nowhere”
Any advice would be appreciated! I only visited Tech’s liberal arts campus on a school field trip. I won’t have anytime to properly visit both schools in-person.
I’ve received mixed input on whether or not the sacrificed quality in the program would be worth the cheaper price tag. Some people have said the cs experience would be largely the same no matter where I attend, and that I should consider going for the cheapest option (and Williams is the #1 LAC from what I’ve heard, it’s not like I’d be choosing between a random no-name school vs tech)
CS is a rapidly evolving discipline with divergent post-graduation pathways. A foundational form of preparation may be ideal for a field with these characteristics.
In considering your range of criteria, I’m honestly uncertain as to which school to recommend. Nonetheless, my post above represents a tentative endorsement of Williams as an excellent potential choice for you.
If you go to Williams and don’t like it how easy or difficult would it be to transfer to GT and keep hope/zell? Could you attend a cheaper option and transfer to GT? They offer several pathways.
GT is tough to beat for CS. Depending on how many AP credits you have 3 years might be doable. If you add an internship or co-op you could make enough cover expenses.
A big reason to go to a school like Williams is for all the benefits, resources and personal attention you won’t get at a school like GT. For first gen or low income students it’s huge. A degree from Williams will also serve you well.
There’s no wrong choice here. Two great options. Good luck.
For a small school, Williams as a fairly large number of CS courses, but (as the catalog listing indicates) some are offered infrequently, so when you see a topic of interest offered in a particular semester, you would have to take it then, due to it not likely being offered again before you graduate: Courses – Computer Science . GT’s extensive list of CS courses is at Computer Science (CS) | Georgia Tech Catalog .
Correct, the outcomes pay-wise are good from both schools, although obviously it is backward looking (no one knows what the job market will look like in four years generally or for new CS graduates).
yeah not completely sure how both schools thought I’d be fit for each considering how different they are :<
I guess I’d choose Tech if the cost was the same? Part of me wants to experience the thrill of attending an out-of-state school and leaving the nest which is why I’d still be hesitant
Ok Williams College does in fact take AP credit. nothing awarded for lang, ush, or gov understandable though. they take my macro, psych, calc, physics 1 and chemistry credits though which is reassuring
I am usually very reluctant to recommend loans (and did not allow my daughters to take loans at all for their bachelor’s degrees). However, computer science is a degree that typically does lead to a good job and a good career right out of university. For someone who is planning on majoring in computer science, I would not be worried about taking on let’s say $4,000 or $5,000 in loans per year for four years. This looks like a small and manageable amount of debt with a very employable major from a great university.
There are a number of ways that a person can use a degree in computer science, and a variety of types of CS jobs. There are a number of emerging areas related to computer science (AI, Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, and Data Sciences some to mind as some examples, I might have more if I weren’t tired right now). One thing that I think these mostly have in common is that some understanding of mathematics (beyond multivariate calculus) is likely to be useful. However, both GT and Williams are very good for math.
Congratulations. Way to disprove the false belief that a waitlist is a rejection and that those accepted off the wait list are only full pay or denied financial aid.
Either school is a great option but unique. If not absolutely positive of what career you want to pursue, I think Williams offers more options. If 100% sure of CS it doesn’t get much better than GT. Good luck.
I would vote for Williams. It sounds like for your family that is a meaningfully better financial offer, and I wouldn’t worry about the ability to do some partying with friends. It also sounds to me like you would like the experience of going to a college OOS, and I don’t personally think the CS reputation of Georgia Tech really matters in this comparison. Williams is known to have one of the top few CS departments among LACs, and I am pretty confident you will have no problem finding good internships and job opportunities.