Waterloo vs UC Berkeley - Computer Science

[kaigan]

Hello everyone,

I had posted earlier regarding choosing between SE and CS... and now that I'm considering CS, I just wanted to be sure if I was making the right choice as to where I should go...

I'm a Permanent Resident in Canada, so that brings quite a bit of financial benefit among other advantages, but in the US I would be an International Student... and the fees are crazy high there (around 55-60K per year... almost double the Waterloo fees!).

Which place would be the best option and why exactly? Is going to Berkeley worth shelling out the exorbitantly extra cash? What are the differences and pros/cons in terms of opportunities, value, the education itself, the experience etc. ?

The national deadline to accept/reject the UCB offer is May 1st, as you would be aware of, and it would really help me if you could provide your advice / opinions on this.

Thanks !

[kaigan]

Also, I'm just curious... why does Waterloo rank comparatively low?

UCB trumps Waterloo by far on the rankings front... according to most rankings, it is 3rd best in the world for CS!

(Rankings are not too big a factor for me honestly, but still.)

[crossley7]

Well, tuition itself is only 10k/year at UW for non-international students. As it stands, Waterloo still gets lots of people to go to co-op and jobs in places like google and has a comparable education. They are both world class universities so just take your pick. It's your money so your choice if you think it is worth it.

[kaigan]

Yes I agree both of them are world-class and both are great in the fields technology and engineering, but what exactly is the difference between the two? What are the pros/cons of going to Waterloo instead of Berkeley?

Could you provide some specifics? I know that ultimately I would have to choose any one of them... but having some insightful opinions would certainly help.

[[Gandalf]]

Whatever it is, it's not worth 60k - 10k = 50k per year. You're a permanent resident in Canada, a country where education costs are actually sensible. Make use of that.

[crossley7]

Basically Pros for Berkeley - closer to silicon valley, get a degree that says berkeley on it. Cons, ridiculous cost, travel is expensive

UW Pros - relatively inexpensive (in comparison), 2 full years of co-op before graduation, in canada

Cons - some ranking sites don't like it as much as UCB.

That basically sums it up. I'm sure you can come up with specifics and a bit more research into what Cal's program actually is to get more detailed pro's and cons. Essentially though, it is basically like what Gandalf posted. Take advantage of affordable Canadian education if you can. Unless you are getting a free ride or something, the states just doesn't make sense for most people. The cost is ridiculous

[Tony]

If you want a famous university (other than UWaterloo) on your CV, you can always do a Masters in the states afterwards.

[kaigan]

Hmm thanks for summing it up everyone... Waterloo seems to be the best option... I have a feeling I'm gonna really like it as well.