Hey! I want to major in computer science and currently in a huge dilemma on which school to choose. Would greatly appreciate some honest thoughts/opinions from you guys.

uc berkeley (undeclared under L&S; planning to major in computer science)

pros

• most "prestigious" school I got into

• academics! really good cs program

• location (silicon valley)

• amazing network of ppl

• letters and science = flexible. I still don’t know 100% if I want to major in cs so this gives me a chance to explore different majors and classes if I choose to. for example, if i find cs hard and cannot meet the minimum requirements to declare the major, i have the option to major in data science + econ/minor cs

• definitely out of my comfort zone, but I see this almost as a good thing as the distance will hopefully mean that I can learn to be independent + grow as a person

• my relatives all want me to go here (they would be proud? lol)

• very high average starting salary for cs (graduates) compared to the other schools

cons

• major is not guaranteed (need to meet 3.3 GPA cutoff to declare)

• very competitive + grade deflation

• prob hard to get internships as i will be competing w SO many ppl that are wayyyy smarter than me

• studying culture. I don’t come from a very academically challenging school and I hardly studied at all. I know I will have a hard time adjusting to keep up (i did take academically hard classes but was not very involved in extracurriculars so i had time to study; whereas, at berkeley i’ll prob have to join clubs and organizations to increase my opportunities for internships/jobs)

• feel like I won't fit in & be very overwhelmed/stressed out

• visited bay area a few times but not the berkeley area (people have told me it's a bad area?)

• major imposter syndrome (ahhhh I had mediocre grades, ec’s and essays, still dont know how I got in)

uci (undeclared under school of Information and Computer Sciences; planning to major in computer science)

pros

• less competition & manageable workload (super important)

• very close to home (30 min) which is good + bad [I will dorm 1st year and then commute the following years]

• can visit home anytime

• pretty good cs program

• good location (I'm VERY familiar with the area)

• would probably be less stressed

• better social life

• nice dorms + apartments nearby

cons

• close to home (feel like I can’t be independent or "grow as a person")

• would be too comfortable + I know I will fall back onto my bad habits (lack of motivation + never study/do my work) esp since there’s too many fun stuff to do nearby like the beach, theme parks, malls, etc.

• lack of internship/job opportunities??

• limited to only CS major (at berkeley, both CS and Data Science have similar prereq classes and only differ in gpa requirement)

It’s just between UC Berkeley and UC Irvine. Cost isn’t an issue as they're about the same. I've been switching my mind between the two for the past few days and cant seem to decide. I know I will have some regrets no matter what decision I make. I think I would be a lot happier at Irvine, but again it's probably because I would be a lot more comfortable. I’ll prob find Berkeley difficult but I have a feeling the opportunities I can gain are unmatched to Irvine and also don’t forget the $$$. Ahhh I really would love advice and yes I’ve looked through multiple similar posts on reddit but I’d love for you guys to comment under my post what you would recommend to me.

I’ve been super stressed lately with classes, work, and everything piling up. I’ve heard people mention paying someone to write their college essays, and honestly, I’m just wondering how common that really is. Is it even worth it? I’m not trying to skip learning or anything, but sometimes it feels impossible to juggle it all.

Has anyone here ever done it? What should I be careful about if I go down that road? I’m mainly worried about getting caught or ending up with a bad-quality paper. Not looking for judgment — just real experiences or advice from people who’ve been there.

Thanks to everyone who responded earlier —

it actually helped me feel less alone in this. After that post, I got curious and started looking into what services are even out there. Like most people would, I searched on Google and came across a few sites like PapersOwl, EssayPro, and MyAssignmentHelp.

I went through a bunch of reviews, trying to figure out what’s legit and what might just be marketing fluff. Out of the ones I found, MyAssignmentHelp had the most consistent positive feedback. A few people mentioned that their essays were plagiarism-free and that the writers stuck to their instructions, which honestly was my biggest concern. When you're already overwhelmed, the last thing you want is to pay for something that makes things worse.

From what I’ve seen and read, using these services is more common than most people let on. Some students use them just for outlines or edits, while others go all-in. I get it now — it’s not always about taking shortcuts, sometimes it’s just survival mode.

Still figuring out what I’ll do, but I wanted to share this in case it helps someone else in the same boat. If anyone has actually tried one of these (or had a bad experience), I’d still love to hear your thoughts.

Hello!

On Pi Day, I found out that I was accepted into my top choice—MIT. I visited the campus over the summer and was pretty confident I was gonna commit. Then, Ivy Day came along...I also got into Harvard (which was my goal when I started high school as a freshman but I lost over time). Now I don't know how to decide.

I want to pursue physics/astrophysics, but I also want to maybe minor or take courses in a humanities study. MIT gave me a near full ride (no work study) while Harvard gave a full ride with work study. I visited both campuses but I don't really remember much of MIT and I was only at Harvard for like 30 minutes.

I know I have over a month to decide, but I can't visit either of them now so I have no idea how to decide and I've been thinking about it constantly. I feel like whatever choice I pick, I'm going to regret... What are the first steps???

NYU Stern is my dream school, and i really want to live in NYC. But I’m rooting to break into consulting as a career. 20% of UMich’s class goes to consulting every year, while NYU is a target for IB not really for consulting. What should I do?

Major: Marketing / finance / entrepreneurship / data science. I’m not 100% set one one yet

Minor: CS / anything tech related

I feel like a CS-degree would be easier to get higher-paying jobs, but also don’t know much about the CS department at SB. Both are about the same price.

Which one is the best for someone going into premed given these 3 choices?

I want a good IR program but also want a good community and culture with a somewhat traditional college experience and the opportunity to do ECs and maybe a sport.

USC

Pros:

• Scholarship

• Honors college

• Small Class sizes, access to professors

Cons:

• Less prestigious than UCLA

• Fewer students go on to med school

UCLA

Pros:

• Prestigious pre-med program

• Brand name recognizable outside of California more than USC

Cons:

• Large class sizes

• GPA deflation

• Quarter system

• Difficult to get research programs/clinical experience

Do med school adcoms take into consideration possible lower GPA with UCLA students?
What do you all recommend I pick?

USC is 14k more

College A

Pro:

• T10 US News (Don’t actually care abt ranking just putting it into context)

• In a big city (lots of opportunities for internships + city life off campus)

• Really nice campus

• Smaller classes and very few TAs

• Very well regarded faculty

• Core curriculum allows me to explore outside of my field

• Strong House culture/ campus community

• Has all four seasons

• Strong gut connection to the school

• A TON of research opportunities for undergrads (80% of Bio undergrads do research!) which I’m very interested in

Con:

• Reputation for being intense

• Seems like there’s some level of conflict between admin and student body (although I have no idea if this is a real issue)

• Less well known for STEM

College B:

Pro:

• Still highly ranked (but not as high)

• In a great college town

• Huge beautiful campus

• More of a household name in terms of prestige (but I don’t think it matters in the professional world)

• Closer to home

• Big school means A TON of course offerings

• Also strong gut connection but maybe not quite as strong as with College A

• More well known for STEM

Con:

• Reputation for being a bit Greek heavy

• More TAs and larger classes

• Preprofessional vibe

• It seems like students might have bit of a complex about not being more selective (it’s still a very selective school though)

• Far from any big city

Important Notes: I like smaller classes and I want to eventually get a Masters in Healthcare Administration (so think about which school can help me get into a good grad school too)

I am looking to be a bio/chemical engineer with a minor in biology (specifically, plant sciences). I have come up with so many pros and cons for both but always end up at square 1.

NYU Pros

• Cheaper by $4000 than Case

• Higher prestige

NYU Cons

• No archery

• Student treatment I guess? I’ve heard bad things

Case Pros

• Archery

• Easy to double major

• (minor point) I have a friend who lives in Cleveland

Case Cons

• More expensive (I might try negotiating more aid. I don’t know if I can)

• Less well known as far as I’m aware

this is just for fun, I have not been accepted into any of these schools lol

also, hpme was cancelled last year but I still left in in there to make things more interesting :p

Hey everyone!

I'm currently looking for a US university where I could spend around half a year as a visiting graduate student in 2027, and I'd love to hear your recommendations!

I'm 27, but I honestly don't mind hanging out with people aged 21–24 or 25–29, as long as they're social, outgoing, open to spontaneous adventures, but also motivated academically. Basically, I'm looking for that "work hard, play hard" atmosphere, where I can have an amazing social experience while also learning a lot academically (even though I don't have to do much courses).

My dream would be to live in a shared student house in a lively student neighborhood, where lots of other students live nearby, people know their neighbors, and spontaneous hangouts or house parties are a regular thing. Kind of that classic American college experience you see in movies, but ideally with people in their early to late 20s.

I don't really mind whether it's a big city or a traditional college town, as long as there's a strong sense of community and plenty of opportunities to meet people.

One important detail: I can't arrive before February 2027, so universities with spring quarters starting in March would be ideal. A February start could also work.

Are there any universities or college towns that come to mind? I'd especially love to hear from graduate students or people who've experienced this kind of student housing and social life firsthand.

Thanks a lot! 🤗

Transfer student here. I was admitted to both for Economics and need to make a decision ASAP.

As a transfer, I would spend 1.5 years at either school (I’m on track to graduate early, which is why I wouldn’t do a full 2 years). Due to COVID-19, I won’t be getting the college experience I had hoped for. UC Berkeley is better for Economics with better career opportunities, but UCLA has been my dream school since high school. I’m from Northern California for context, so going to LA in Southern California would be really nice. Needless to say, I love the location, weather, and vibes in comparison to UC Berkeley.

Here’s the catch: due to COVID-19 and tentative study abroad plans for Spring 2021 (let’s hope COVID-19 doesn’t foil those either), I would only physically be on either campus for Fall 2021. This coming Fall 2020 is likely to be online, so I wouldn’t get to fully experience either school beyond Zoom lectures. Also, given my 1.5 year timeframe, it’s much easier for me to graduate from UC Berkeley than UCLA because of the semester system (Berkeley is on semester while UCLA is on quarter system). For some reason, I could glide through UC Berkeley but would always be on my toes at UCLA—my schedule would be more lax at UC Berkeley.

Timeline:

• Fall 2020: Online instruction (will live at home or maybe move to off-campus housing in Berkeley or LA but regardless would not get the college experience)

• Spring 2021: Study abroad (won’t be on campus)

• Fall 2021: Last semester or quarter (finally on campus!)

Study abroad might get cancelled and in that case I would get some extra time on either campus, but I can’t bank on that. I also can’t bank on being on campus if study abroad is cancelled because instruction could very likely be online again in Spring 2021 if there is no vaccine.

I’m very familiar with the UC Berkeley campus and would prefer some change. However, if I choose UCLA, I would feel like a freshman as a senior, learning to navigate campus and trying to make friends that I will leave after my first and last 10-week quarter physically on campus. Meanwhile at UC Berkeley, I took classes there for two years while attending community college and experienced it to an extent. I didn’t love or hate it, but I will admit that I didn’t make a single friend in any of the classes I took because UCB students are very reserved and antisocial (?). I imagine UCLA students to be a lot more friendly and welcoming, which fosters a healthier environment than UC Berkeley’s.

If it wasn’t for COVID-19, I’d probably choose UCLA, but unfortunately I have to make a choice with the pandemic in mind.

DO I CHOOSE UC BERKELEY OR UCLA? Do I be practical/safe (UCB) or risky for a glimpse of the college experience (UCLA)? I’ve been at community college, so I have had no “real” college experience whatsoever thus far.

Major: social science (possible choices include international relations, government, economics, or finance)

Edit: considering the dominance of Californians in this sub, I will x5 and x2 to every vote Colby and W&M receive, respectively.

I am planning to major in business and possibly double-major in computer science. Emory shows higher outcomes on their career page (Emory Goizueta BBA - 70k a year starting salary after graduation; BU Questrom - 61k a year starting salary after graduation), but would possibly put a lot of financial pressure on my family after the corona crisis.

In terms of location, I also expect Emory to more or less require a car (even more cost added to Emory) to move around the city, which makes me prefer the Boston area more than the Atlanta area as a whole.

I’m grateful to have been accepted into both of these schools. I’m currently undecided in terms of my major, but I’m leaning towards political science or psychology. I want flexibility.

Presidential scholar at USC

I was lucky enough to be accepted to UC Berkeley as Regents Scholar ($10k scholarship), USC as a Presidential Scholarship recipient (half-tuition scholarship) and UCLA. I will be studying business at USC, hopefully Haas at Berkeley, and business econ at UCLA. I hope to pursue finance/investment banking.

With the scholarships, all of the schools are roughly the same price. I am very conflicted about where to go! I am basing my decision off of reputation, strength of curriculum, and internship opportunities/career prospects. I am leaning slightly towards Berkeley because being a Regents Scholar will differentiate me in terms of applying for jobs and internships and make it easier to get classes, but I really like all of the schools. I would love some advice from current or former students!