Ask HN: Which college should I attend?

This is actually the startup I'm working on. We applied to YC a couple of days ago. My cofounder and I believe that there are better ways to find out where you should go and what you should study than the traditional routes of nearly guessing, getting a postcard with your name on it, or taking a tour around campus with a student worker. (Though, honestly, schools love the last one because attendance rates, once you get the student to set foot on campus, are above 70%. So as much as I knock the idea of a tour with a student worker making less than $10 per hour, it does seem to seal the deal.)

Anyway, we're going to change college selection for a lot of students. I'm sorry we're not ready, yet.

I agree with the others that B.A. versus B.S. makes little difference from the perspective of a future employer. It might make a difference to you, though, in terms of what the class requirements are.

UCB is nice if you are interested in startups. If you get into Caltech, visit if you can (and haven't already). Caltech was my "dream school" from middle school onward. I was admitted and visited, at which point I realized that it was a horrible fit for me socially. I'm not saying that you'll feel the same way, but of the schools you've listed, Caltech is probably the weirdest, and therefore the riskiest choice if you don't know exactly what you're getting into.

My two cents is that the social scene in Caltech has a high degree of variability with respect to which House you live in.

Just like the others have said, choosing the school that makes you HAPPIEST is best. Culture is so important when it comes down to these long-term commitments.

Also, do think about the networking aspect. That is, where are some of those alums at those schools heading off to. This may be an important as you think beyond college.

They're all great schools, and if you're confident in your ability and work hard, you'll make the most out of any school you choose.

... and just because I am an avid fan of my undergrad, I'm going to throw in Georgia Tech to the talk. Just cuz...

Good luck and congrats!

Thanks for your input!

If you want to be a software engineer, UCB probably has the most renowned CS program of all the schools you mentioned.

At Cal the only differences between L&S CS and EECS are lower division classes. L&S CS and EECS students at Cal take the same upper div classes, and most of the same lower div classes (only differences are the non CS GenEd's and eecs has to take ee20n and ee40 but L&S doesn't).

I think the perceived value between a UCB CS degree and another school's CS degree (regardless of BS or BA) will be much greater than the perceived difference between a BS or a BA. And if you ever run into anyone who claims there's a major difference between a BA and a BS @ Cal, just point out that a Berkeley physics degree is only a BA as well.

EDIT: just realized I didn't give you an opinion. Here it is: Go to the most difficult program where you are reasonably sure that you can still get at least a 3.5 GPA. No, GPA isn't everything, but it is a lot, because people tend to use it to weed people out when there are too many applicants for something, especially right after undergrad or for grad school. Some schools have grade inflation. Others, like berkeley, have an active policy against grade inflation: [1]. Yes, you can still get a good job with a 2.1x GPA from one of those schools (or, at least, I managed to), but it's much harder than if you have a GPA > 3.

[1]: http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Policies/ugrad.grading.shtml

1) Don't let your focus deride you from getting a more well-rounded education. That said, it should be an interesting, engaging, and satisfying education. Not just "because I should".

2) And, that said, keep your eye open towards to possibility(s) of turning this into a 5 (5.5, 6?) year Masters track. I guess I'm of two minds about this. My understanding from others is that, particularly in the shorter timeframe, such a curriculum might squeeze out time and opportunity for some other topics -- you might miss things you would find of significant value. But, it can be a more direct path to a more valuable degree and perhaps to a deeper educational experience in your topic of interest -- if this does indeed mesh with your interests.

So, I'll say, look into such opportunities. Whether you ultimately decide to sign up for such a path is a matter of whether it would be right for your (and what opportunities end up presenting themselves -- or, perhaps better stated, what you can shake loose, and at what cost).

P.S. A difficult, hard, challenging professor is one thing. A crap professor is another (and, believe me, they do exist -- whether their attitude is malicious, disengaged, or even ostensibly helpful). Don't waste too much time on the latter. Nor work too hard to avoid the former; I remember one math(s) professor with a somewhat fearsome reputation, but boy did you learn! :-)

Take a walk around each and talk to some people and figure out which one of these schools will LET YOU BE YOURSELF!

Which one you will learn at, but be able to pursue your outside passions.

Which on you can kick back with friends to blow off some steam.

I wouldn't consider money at all. You have the rest of your life to pay back loans and that is worth picking the place for the reasons I listed above and not worry about cost.

I disagree about not considering money at all. Yes, you have the rest of your life to pay back your loans and if you go to an expensive school, you will be paying them back for a long time.

You can be happy anywhere. Don't rely on a place to make you happy - YOU make yourself happy. You can make friends and pursue interests and passions of all kinds at any of the schools you listed.

Student loans have very different rules from other types of loans in this country... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNM7nvcVm-0

And remember, these days you're paying for a piece of paper that says you graduated from some place. Everything you'll learn in college you can learn right now for free.

I agree that BA vs BS isn't too big of a deal. But some employers do actually require a BS. You will lose some opportunities but they're probably at high-bureaucracy places with pointy haired bosses.

IMHO, choose the place where you'd (1) graduate with the least debt, (2) have the best chance of graduating, (3) would enjoy the most, (4) has the highest quality teachers (teachers, not researchers), and (5) has the best students... in that order.

You should also visit the campuses and pop in on some classes and talk to students or professors.

I don't think this order is the best. Otherwise, it wouldn't take into account your expected outcome. So, given that, IMHO (as a graduate who is going to be far better off, with better, happier long-term prospects having gone 85k into debt than had I chosen to get paid to go to college), I'd say you should weight difference in education with how much debt you'll be going into. Not having gone to the schools in question, I don't know what that would be, but I think some amount of risk-taking pays huge dividends, especially when the risks taken are very favorably calculated risks. Just remember to be a bit Bayesian, and be willing to re-asses your assumptions later down the road.

If you'll do programming then a degree often isn't required to get a job, so choose the one you like the best regardless of the credentials you'll get. If you'll be paying for it, or borrowing, I suggest not spending or borrowing a lot more to get better credentials.

If it were me the location would be a big factor. If the costs were equal I'd choose Berkeley because of the great nature in Yosemite and the Sierras, and also Berkeley is near an epicenter of tech development.

You haven't even begun to answer the most important question: what are you looking to get out of university?

they all seem to be great schools, with great teachers. I'd choose a place where you'll live on campus and hangout with smart CS majors.

Yeah, definitely. I plan to surround myself around people with similar interests. I think I'll have the most fun that way.

My advice is just choose the place you'll feel happiest at for 4+ years. Think carefully about social support in terms of positive family and friend interactions.

Choice of schools doesn't matter much - how interested and excited you are to learn is the critical factor, and the environment and your own situation influences that heavily.

You can get an outstanding education at any of those schools, regardless of department.

Whether you get a B.S. or B.A. won't matter. Don't forget to broaden your education and follow your interests wherever they lead - learn a foreign language in depth, take many humanities classes, take science classes outside the engineering track, learn how to write, draw, teach, etc. Enjoy yourself and the hard work will just naturally flow.

I studied engineering and biochemistry, but the classes outside my technical majors proved more valuable over time than anything else.

Thank you for the advice. I appreciate it!

Also, don't be afraid to change your major (though this might be harder to do in the UC system than I'm used to). Just because you think you love programming doesn't mean you can't be a great linguist, or chemist, or etc. Especially if you get through the first year or two of CS classes, you'll be capable of being an incredibly sought-after commodity in pretty much any field (including history or anthropology), because you'll be able to attack problems others don't have the same tools for. And absolutely, unless you want to get a Ph.D, a BA vs a BS doesn't really matter (and I'd argue research matters more): one just means the top part of your T-shaped knowledge is wider.

>>Just because you think you love programming doesn't mean you can't be a great linguist

That's the best advice among all these comments, OP (IMHO).

I still wish I had done my UG from a country where it was possible.

If you do like his advice, I would not choose Caltech if the option presents itself. I happen to like it, and I don't know if other students are just "whiny for fun," but I hear a lot of complaints about everything under the sun that is germane to the institute. Moreover, CS is a very theoretical option. I'll be finishing my sophomore year this spring and I don't feel as though I really have the programming chops to really be useful in any sort of internships. My case is a little different though, I didn't think I wanted to option in CS until the beginning of the winter quarter.

1. Look at the campus, area around and weather.

2. Which college gives you how much loan burden(assuming you are taking one)

3. Which is more international

4. Look at your house and all those US UG things and see where you'll fit in, someone commented sth related above (back in my country there are hostels and no matter which hostel you are in, you are living in the entire campus)

5. Walk into all these campus and see which one makes you feel most good (okay, it's not that simple but you'll know)

6. I am sure you've worked on all other factors like acads and job prospects and entrepreneurial scene :-)

Lucky you, congratulations :-)