Does it REALLY matter which school I go to? (computer science, degree, cost)
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Cal is going to carry more name recognition and better recruiting on campus. Assuming it's the same cost why wouldn't you go to Cal?
I can chime in on this...
Cal definitely has better name recognition. I went there and relocated to the East Coast for work. Often times, when I tell people from work or academia that I went to Berkeley, they later forget, and ask, "Where did you go again, Stanford?" A dean from a university actually did this to me once!
So, for many outside of California, the schools are synonymous even though IMO Stanford is a significantly better school.
How much will that 'help' you in real life? Probably not much. But just addressing the point Gatornation made...
To the average person, it won't matter much. To people in academia or intellectuals in general, it will carry a lot more weight.
In the general business world, IME, there are far more average and below average people than there are intellectuals, so to speak. Unless of course you end up working for a firm that recruits only the top talent like Google or Apple.
UCSD has an excellent computer science reputation. Berkeley is much closer to Silicon Valley though, and proximity matters.
Visit both schools and meet the students there. Since you know your intended major, talk to professors in that major. Figure out if one school or the other fits you better and will give you a better chance for success. No matter the reputation, graduating from one of the schools will always turn out better than dropping out of the other school.
All things equal, I would take Berkeley if you want to work in industry just because it gives you better access to Silicon Valley. If you want to go into academia, you might actually find better research funding at UCSD.
If you want to pursue Computer Science and can get into Berkeley, do it. I have a degree from one of the top comp sci universities and it really opens a lot of doors. Even if you don't want to work at a place like Google or Apple... you're pretty much guaranteed at least an interview at most places as soon as they see your alma mater at the top of your resume. Likewise if you pursue grad school after, you will have a much better chance of getting accepted.
More importantly, the program there is phenomenal - you will be taught extremely well and, assuming you pay attention and work hard, will be prepared for anything you want to do in the industry. As has been noted, having a Cal degree isn't exactly like having a Stanford/MIT/CMU degree - but it's pretty damn close!
That said, SD has a very good program too. You won't exactly suffer if you have to go there instead
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