Virginia Tech vs UCSB vs UofT

[reef epoch]

Schools: Virginia Tech, UC Santa Barbara, U of Toronto
Intended major: Computer Science
Similarities: UCSB and Vtech have similar CS ranking

Name of School 1: Virginia Tech
School 1 Pros:

• Got in for CS (General engineering with an interest in CS)
• Good Quality of life
• Enjoyable school spirit
• Not terrible weather
• Intl COA is 50k (However, their website differs from PDF report) (Cheapest)

School 1 Cons:

• Unknown Location

Name of School 2: UC Santa Barbara
School 2 Pros:

• Got in for CS
• UC System
• Better weather
• Great Diversity
• Decent location
  School 2 Cons:
• COA is 69k

Name of School 3: University of Toronto
School 2 Pros:

• Got in for CS, Mathematics and Statistics
• Best ranking
• Better weather
• Decent location

School 2 Cons:

• No job prospects
• COA is 81k CAD
• Too cold
• Very rigorous

Tiebreaking considerations:

• Would like a social campus, clubs, etc.
• Would like activities like table tennis, pool and other indoor sports.
• Decent dorms

Addendum: I prefer an urban setting but I could look past it if it provides a good return on investment, US is more of a priority since all I’ve heard is there are no prospects in Canada. I've gotten into safeties with hefty scholarships but i'm not sure whether to consider them. Eg. USFCA and MSU (Presidential Scholarships). Got in to UCSD but undeclared, hence not considering it.

[frank cobalt]

yap yap yap

also vtech

[small skiff]

Toronto's a great school, but if cost is an important factor then I'd take Virginia Tech (still good for CS)

[reef epoch]

what about the future of a cs degree in toronto

[reef epoch]

price difference is minimal between the two schools

[small skiff]

I don't know enough about job prospects in Canada to give a great answer, but I don't think you'd be in a bad position getting a CS degree from the best university in Canada? That being said, Toronto is known more for academia whereas Waterloo is better known for landing a job

[reef epoch]

im not sure which coa to follow for vtech

[reef epoch]

true, thank you for the input

[small skiff]

np

[fierce mirage]

me neither. Up until last week, I thought it was 52k, but now I am led to believe it is 62k

[reef epoch]

yeah, however if you're a continuing student as a sophomore outside of the campus the costs decrease

@fierce mirage

[fierce mirage]

So if you live off-campus sophomore year, the COA decreases?

would you know by how much?

[reef epoch]

it's listed on their website currently, it's around 58k, since most vtech students move out after freshmen year

but their oos and intl costs different by 8k for some reason, room and board is charged seperately. i myself am not quite sure about that

[fierce mirage]

dang so we are looking at 62k --> 58k --> 58k --> 58k
236k total

[reef epoch]

with inflation and increase in yearly tuition it would be around 245

[fierce mirage]

oh man, ok thanks

[reef epoch]

are you planning on committing?

[fierce mirage]

possibly, between 3 right now:
Purdue, Virginia Tech, and UCR (UCSC close fourth)

[bold arrow]

I also got into vt and UofT but I think I would choose UofT hands down because I think the engineering program is ranked better

[reef epoch]

ranking ≠ best choice

[bold arrow]

for me the program ranking mattered which is why i said 'i would choose'

[reef epoch]

no worries, i was just giving my opinion, pick what suits you best!

u of t is amazing for academia. However, extremely rigorous

[bold arrow]

true! i am trying to decide bw purdue and uoft tho and both seem equally rigorous

^for engineering