USC CS vs Cal Math vs UCSB CCS Math

[torn anvil]

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Schools: USC, Berkeley, UCSB
Intended major: CS, Math, math in college of creative studies

My number one problem is that I don’t know what to do and I don’t like any of my top schools all that much.

Similarities: all are very big schools with strong specialized programs, although USC isn’t as strong in any one stem discipline. All have pretty good social lives. My financial aid has worked out in such a manner that all three schools are within $1000 or so of one another.
USC Pros:

• I can major in lots of stuff. Like, I could double major in math, or minor in game design, or get a CSBA degree….
• Good game dev courses, which is one of my interests.
  -good connection opportunities
  -LA. Concerts, food….
  -Trojan network
  USC Cons:
• not as academically rigorous
  -I can only take like 4-5 classes a semester
  -I’ve heard that the library is incredibly loud (I can only focus in libraries and specific study areas and I have sensitive hearing, so this is important)
  -I’m not too much of a party person, and I can’t drink due to health conditions. I’m worried that the sort of people I’d like to hang out with won’t go.

UCSB
UCSB Pros:
-CCS program is super exclusive and rigorous. I’ll be able to research early on and to take literally as many classes as I want (credit cap per semester is above 90)
-tons of resources, first class choice, etc
-good social scene
School 2 Cons:

• Too much partying
  -middle of nowhere
  -I don’t think I’d like the sort of person that goes there. Like, im not a personality fit
  -the program is unknown n, and I don’t want my parents to have to deal with having to explain why im at a party school to their friends

UCB
UCB Pros:
-top-ranked math program
-literally every single one of my friends besides one is committed
-distance from Silicon Valley
UCB cons:
-I’m not a CS major, so I won’t be able to take many CS classes :(
-far from home
-impersonal
-I’ve heard it’s pretty racially segregated- white kids hang out with white kids, Asians hang out with Asian kids, etc
Tiebreaking considerations:

• what are the people like? I want t o be able to make friends
  -research opportunities?
  -how hard is it to take whatever class I want?
  -library/food/QOL issues like that

Also, wherever I go will probably decide my career path- math research/prof path at Berkeley or SB, some CS job at USC (also, ignore the typos bc they’re bc discord despises me)

[sage marsh]

one of my friends is at ucsb ccs studying math right now

dm me for more details (dont wanna dox) but hes really doing some insanely amazing stuff

[torn anvil]

alright, thanks! sent you a DM

[rapid field]

alright let me dimish one thing, usc library is not loud

and also if u dont want to party u dont have to

its as simple as that

usc culture isnt just party

also most engineering students here id say close to half dont party either

and even if they do, u dont have to party to get to know them

also usc is very easy to transfer majors and the idea of usc not being academically rigorous i dont follow

its pretty hard

[torn anvil]

maybe all the USC students I know are just cracked 😭 mb

[rapid field]

ok the cs students here at usc are lowk insane. my friend is a cs student here at usc and lowk he is hella cracked. you will meet ppl will similar interest as you. if you are interested in startups, usc has a bit of startup culture with clubs, like sep and lava lab. and based on the fact you want to do cs, i really think you should consider usc unless cost is a factor

im a ece major btw so ask if you have any questions cuz there are some overlapping courses here at usc with cs

[regal loom]

ping me tmrw ill respond

[karmic anvil]

im in the same camp as you

[regal loom]

speaking on behalf of berkeley btw

can definitely take a lot of cs classes at berkeley despite not being declared! just need to know how to plan well

far from home is real but it might give you a chance to explore a new environment! lot to do in the bay area 🫶

not sure what you mean by impersonal. do you mean class sizes?

hmm from my experience it's not racially segregated and it definitely depends on the circles you qssociate with but i will say a lot of the people ive met here come from various backgrounds and are so awesome and im glad to have met them! most people are super super nice !!

research opportunities are abundant and competitive but if you put yourself out there and grind a little i'm sure you can land something good

for the most part classes are available bc there's so many seats. you just have to plan well!

we have 27 libraries on campus!!!

berkeley's math program is unmatched and a lot of people double major/minor in cs as well if that's what you're interested in. id highly recommend but you should def take whatever decision makes sense to you. lmk if you have any questions!!!

[harsh river]

Re ucsb (since I go there): I’m not a partier and none of my friends are either, which was just coincidence. It does have a party reputation but it is super easy to avoid the parties. If you go here, you might want to be careful choosing where you live though just to ensure noise isn’t an issue bc of parties (lmk if you want details for where to live). But for me, my dorm is mostly pretty quiet, the people I meet and hang out with are my vibe and also don’t really party, and there are TONS of fun things to do that aren’t partying. So many. And one thing I love is that we have a site that lists all the going ons of club and school events! And there is tons of tabling and club+interest fairs every quarter so you always can find something to do. It’s also not actually in the middle of nowhere for things to do. It is in comparison to LA and maybe internship kinds of things? (Idk bc I haven’t been looking for out of school internships yet) but for things to do, there’s small things in Goleta and isla vista which are walks and bike rides away like lots of thrift fairs, live music, and food. And then 20 min public transport away is downtown sb or deeper Goleta which has a ton of eateries, things like roller skating and bowling, TONS of movie theater (the movie scene is actually crazy here bc of the film festival — I’ve seen qnas with tons of amazing ppl in the field), etc. and we’re literally on the ocean and 30 min from the mountains. There’s also an arts and lecture series with amazing speakers like I am awed at the list. Last speajer i went to was angela davis and next one js pete buttigieg. Also ccs is pretty tight knit I believe and the people there will be even more school/research focused if that’s what you’re looking for. Even the partiers I’ve met though — they don’t party every night or anything, it’s like a weekend fun thing, and they’re still studying hard and doing lots of other things as well. CCS gets early class choices and there are classes just for ccs

So you should be good there. The library can be loud on the bottom floors but there are quiet floors up top. Research is pretty easy to get esp bc this is a majority undergrad institution — only 3000 grads — so most research goes to us. You’ll also have lots of research and independent study opportunities built into ccs and they’ll be even easier for you to get with that boost of ccs. Classes are usually priority for majors if they’re upper div classes, but lower division classes are open to anyone usually. And it’s not too hard to get off of class waitlists esp if you “crash” the class. I’ve never had trouble with classes. The food is ok. I love to complain about it but it’s really not so bad esp if you don’t have dietary restrictions (I do :-( ) or are willing to go to a slightly further dining hall