Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Software Engineers For Applications
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Santa Monica College, Moorpark College, Reedley College, and Cal State Fullerton.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider San Diego State, Cal State San Marcos, Cal State L.A., and Cal State Stanislaus.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider LA College International.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Northwestern Polytechnic University, Cal State L.A., CSU Dominguez Hills, and UC Riverside.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Mendocino College, Brandman, Monterey Peninsula College, and Holy Names.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of LA College International, Pomona College, Harvey Mudd, and Claremont McKenna.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Harvey Mudd, Pacific Union College, Claremont McKenna, and Pomona College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Harvey Mudd, Pomona College, Stanford University, and Claremont McKenna.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Stanford University, Pomona College, Claremont McKenna, and Cal Berkeley.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Pomona College, Claremont McKenna, Stanford University, and Harvey Mudd.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of California, Berkeley • Berkeley, CA
Studying Electrical Engineering Computer Science (EECS) (completion in 2003)
• 7/13/2011
"I can't ask for more - I now have a good career, I met many interesting people, I and gained many new perspectives on life because of my college education there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Strong program, lots of opportunities to get into interesting research (even as an undergrad) if one seeks it, and a big and diverse campus that provides everything else outside of the academic. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | I believe the school was just rated top 3 in the entire world. The CS program has always been strong, supplying talent to Silicon Valley startups. |
| Program Quality | 7 | It's a diverse and interesting campus. Decent facility for the CS department and many interesting research is happening at the graduate level. |
| Instruction | 7 | Great staff, but the course work is a bit on the theoretical side. Some technologies and concepts discussed are slightly dated and not as up-to-date as other universities - this is especially due to the fact that computer technology evolves quickly. |
| How Difficult | 7 | There are some really challenging courses and some easier ones - the spectrum is wide. It's possible for a student to avoid most of the really challenging ones and still complete the degree, however. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I think this varies greatly by professor and class. Then again, being a big campus, it's possible for students to seek out one or the other types of classes. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | Not a lot of evening courses, and summer courses are usually only general education classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | It's a large campus, so there are many resources around, especially peer tutoring. The library and computer facilities are strong. Some classrooms are a bit dated, but overall they serve the purpose just fine. |
| Social Life | 10 | I've met many intellectually simulating and culturally diverse people at Berkeley. In addition to my major, I learned how to dance (and later performed, competed, and still teach today) and volunteered with an after school educational program where I've met friends that I still keep in touch with today. |
| Placement Services | 8 | There are a couple job placement websites that I used after I earned my degree. They were OK - I can't remember anything particularly special or interesting about them. They do host career fairs every so often in the CS department, inviting companies from Silicon Valley to attend. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I haven't utilized the alumni network much, though I've personally met many people that went to Berkeley outside of school in the workplace. |
California Polytechnic State University • San Luis Obispo, CA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 1993)
• 8/4/2011
"I learned a lot of useful things at school. Although I was well prepared, I still wish I had been able to take a few more classes that interested me."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The program gives one a good foundation to prepare for a career in software development. They also have a good reputation and many companies hire directly from the school, so job prospects are good by going there. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | At the time I was there, the school was one of the top rated public universities for engineering. When I joined the workforce after graduating, I heard positive comments from companies that hired graduates of the school. |
| Program Quality | 9 | They did a good job of preparing me for the work that I do. The only downside was that there was limited ability for independent studies outside of the required program. |
| Instruction | 8 | The professors were generally good teachers and knew their subjects. However, I did have to take a couple of courses that weren't very useful, such as mainframe assembly language and fortran. |
| How Difficult | 7 | There were some challenges, and a big part of the difficulty depended on the professor. A reasonably intelligent and diligent student should have no problem finishing the program. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Within my major, pretty much all of the classes required some programming work. There would be textbooks for the class, but there was definitely a strong focus on doing the work as opposed to discussing it. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | For general education classes, there were a lot of options: night classes, summer classes, etc. More specialized classes related to my major were limited in availability. In the end, I had to choose between a class in animation or a class in graphics, even though I wanted to take both. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | They had plenty of text terminals for all students with 24 hour availability. PCs, Macs, and workstations were often limited to specific classes. Professors would be available outside of class, but only for short periods of time. |
| Social Life | 9 | They had a very active group of social organizations, from fraternities and sororities, to competitive sports, to interest based clubs. Unfortunately, while I was there some parties got out of control during an open house, and the event was shut down for several years. |
| Placement Services | 9 | They did a good job of bringing companies to the school to interview potential hires, and a high percentage of graduates went directly to a new job. I happened to have a job already lined up before graduation, so I didn't make full use of the job placement services. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I still receive information from the school, even though it has been nearly twenty years. On the other hand, I haven't needed to use their support, so I can't say how good it is. |
University Of Southern California • Los Angeles, CA
Studying Mechanical Engineering (completion in 2004)
• 9/8/2011
"Other than the ultra expensive tuition, I am overall satisfied with the experience. The quality of the courses, and the availability of helpful resources, definitely helped me learn during the time I was there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | If I had to do it all over again, I would not go through the program, mostly because the cost does not justify the experience. I can do much more with the money I spent on tuition. Most of all, it did not help me AT ALL with finding a job afterward. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I think it delivers what it promised. I did receive a much better understanding of the course curriculum, and the overall school environment at USC was great. I met a lot of friends that I still have contact with. |
| Program Quality | 3 | Since the job I work at has no direct relation with my major, other than general problem solving skills, I can say that the degree has almost no benefit to me. |
| Instruction | 2 | School taught little to prepare me for my job. Most of the curriculum focused on theory and formula, which proves to be of little use in the real world. I wish more courses were available to help people communicate effectively and efficiently. |
| How Difficult | 7 | Although not extremely difficult, the homework, projects, and exams do require a lot of time, preparation, and effort. But most of the time, there are ample resources (books, teacher's assistant, and office hours) for you to understand and finish the assignments. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Without a doubt, most of the courses focused heavily on theory and formula. Most of what I learned will never show up again in the real world. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | The program I attended was targeted mostly for people who are also working part time, and therefore the classes took place at night. Also, most of the courses are offered with video streaming so you are not required to be there physically. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The resources are great. There is a lot of equipment and computer labs for you to use and most of the professors and teaching assistants have long office hours; this means if you are willing to put in the effort, you can always find help to finish your assignments. |
| Social Life | 5 | I participated very little in school activities/events, mostly because I was not there during the day. Also, school activities are targeted at undergraduate students. |
| Placement Services | 2 | Again, it was not helpful at all. I attended at least 10 job fairs and company seminars. Most of the time, the speakers have little passion for what they do, and the resume you drop off seldom gets any feedback. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | Contrary to general opinion, I have found little alumni help when I came out of school. A lot of alumni participated in job fairs, but that's about it. |
UC Berkeley • Berkeley, CA
Studying Electrical Engineering And Computer Science (completion in 2002)
• 8/30/2011
"If I could do it all over again, I'd still go to Berkeley. The school has shaped me into the person I am today."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Definitely anyone who can get into berkeley for EECS should consider it. It is challenging, but at the same time it is so rewarding. The cost of education is affordable as well. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | We are perennially ranked amongst the top engineering schools in the nation. Several notable graduates went to Berkeley for EECS. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I chose my school because they had one of the best reputations for computer science. It is also very close to silicon valley so recruiters are everywhere. |
| Instruction | 10 | UC Berkeley's quality of instruction is top notch. They don't teach you how to do things, but they teach you how to think and break down a problem on a high level of abstraction. Berkeley students may not be the fastest contributors straight out of college, but our developers eventually surpass other students through our rigorous problem solving skills. |
| How Difficult | 10 | Only students who demonstrate extremely strong analytical skills are admitted into the program. This is necessary for the courses to be so fast paced. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Our program was definitely more theoretical. This would attract students who are abstract thinkers. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Schedules are not flexible in that you can't choose your own hours. But for full time students that live on or near campus, this is not a big deal. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Berkeley has lots of academics resources. The most effective resources for me though were my GSI's. |
| Social Life | 10 | The social experience was also awesome. The greek life at this school is really well established. I got to attend lots of fun parties. |
| Placement Services | 10 | Even when the bubble burst, Berkeley did better than most other schools. We never have a shortage of recruiters for good students at berkeley. All of my friends eventually got placed at prestigious job opportunities. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | My alumni network includes some very influential people who share opportunities with me. I cant really compare this network with other schools, but I'm very pleased. |
University Of California At Berkeley • Berkeley, CA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2010)
• 9/14/2011
"I couldn't have ever asked for anything better. UC Berkeley was the best thing to ever happened to me."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I definitely recommend UC Berkeley to all, it's a different matter that it's very selective for Master's in CS programs and doesn't admit too many. Selection rate is below 4%. So if you are that good at what you do, you probably know very well where you want to be. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | It's been ranked the first in CS for more than five years in a row. |
| Program Quality | 10 | UC Berkeley (Cal) is no doubt the best place to pursue graduate studies in EECS dept. It's near San Francisco and every other professor you talk to was the inventor of something or other. Also the students you compete with are all world-class. |
| Instruction | 10 | No question ever goes unanswered and professional life seems like a walk in the park after they grill you at school. |
| How Difficult | 10 | Computer Science at UC Berkeley is very competitive, which is why it's ranked 1st in the world (along with Stanford). The incoming class is just too good and almost everyone had only "A+" in all their under-grad courses. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The CS department is very hands-on. We need to code every paper we read. When you are out of UC Berkeley, you are a coding machine. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | There are a ton of courses offered every semester and sometimes if you want to take up cross-department classes, they'll probably clash. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | World-class facilities and funding from government, alumni and industry. Nothing to complain about. |
| Social Life | 10 | It's a huge school and you meet tons of international people in the Master's course. |
| Placement Services | 10 | We have tons of companies coming to UC Berkeley for CS graduates. We have a lot of options to choose from. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | The alumni network is elaborate and great. I would be surprised if we didn't have at least one Cal alumni in a top position at any of the silicon valley companies. |
Loyola Marymount University • Los Angeles, CA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 1986)
• 9/11/2011
"I feel that the program prepared me for work. Specifically, I felt prepared to solve the problems that I encounter every day."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | At Loyola you will be prepared for your career in Computer Science in a traditional as well as novel manner. You will learn theory but also learn to apply that theory in praxis. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | My school is a small, liberal-arts university. It does not have the clout that say Carnegie-Mellon does. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I would say that the program provided me with a sound theoretical basis in the field. The quality of instruction was good. |
| Instruction | 8 | Professors had field experience that they brought to the classroom. They also were able to connect this experience to the theory they taught. |
| How Difficult | 8 | I would say that the program was challenging. By that I mean that it was hard enough to hold my interest. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There is ample opportunity in the program to apply book learning. Much of the coursework is group project based. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | The school and its schedule are designed for residential day students. There are few course offerings other than the school day/week. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | My school was on the crest of the tech wave at the time. The campus has a tech refresh every year. |
| Social Life | 10 | There is a vibrant social scene on campus. This includes both school-sponsored activities as well as those sponsored by individual students/groups. |
| Placement Services | 10 | The school is very well-connected to employers in the region. Specifically, they work closely with many of the defense contractors in the area. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The alumni network was limited to the number of students taking a degree in the field. When I attended, my graduating class--in the program--was less than twenty people. |
University Of The Pacific • Stockton, CA
Studying Computer Engineering (completion in 2006)
• 10/1/2011
"I was accepted to larger schools that are more well-known but I have absolutely no regrets about choosing Pacific. With the financial aid I received, I graduated owing less money than I would have attending a state school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Pacific offers great programs taught by professors who really care about you. You're not one of three hundred in a class, it's far more personal. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Year after year Pacific scores as one of the best value universities. Their Engineering programs have been rated in the top 10 amongst schools without a graduate program. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The Engineering program at Pacific is spectacular. There's a great faculty to student ratio, and students are able to get the necessary face time to properly tackle subjects. |
| Instruction | 10 | The staff is truly able to get to know their students. Because of that they develop personal connections and invest in their students; they want to see you learn and succeed. |
| How Difficult | 7 | |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most Engineering classes have some sort of lab component where hands-on learning is required. All Engineering students are required to complete a senior project. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The Engineering program guarantees students will make it out within five years if they pass their classes. I once sat through a semester-long class that had a total of four students enrolled in it. The class was required for us to graduate, so they made sure that it was held. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | While Pacific is not a large school and has limited funding, they make very good use of what they have. Each school has several computer labs dedicated to their students. The library is full of computers open to any student. Professors are required to hold office hours. And there is free tutoring available. |
| Social Life | 7 | Stockton is a small town, and definitely not a party one. But the students at Pacific all show a large amount of School Spirit. Students rally behind the Men's basketball team and the Women's Volleyball team is consistently one of the best in the nation. Greek organizations are also very active on campus. |
| Placement Services | 6 | Pacific often has job fairs on campus. The Career Resource Center offers resume critiquing, mock interviews, and a website with job postings. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | Pacific's alumni network is very active. I receive a phone call at least once a month from the University. |
University Of California • Irvine, CA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2011)
• 9/28/2011
"It's a great place and I gained a lot in my time there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It's a good research university with great facilities and faculty. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | It's known as an up-and-coming, young school. |
| Program Quality | 10 | It was a well-rounded program with passionate professors and quality research. |
| Instruction | 9 | Very well-planned courses. Passionate instructors and researchers. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It was quite an intense course. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most classes had projects and/or coding assignments rather than plain theory. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | There weren't too many options for when to take classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Very cohesive student-centered department. In spite of the cutbacks, it was well-run. |
| Social Life | 3 | It's a commuter school without much sense of pride or spirit. |
| Placement Services | 2 | Career fairs were terrible. Few good employers make a visit, nor does the university try to bring good employers over. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | It's a new university. There's not much in terms of alumni, or I haven't spent enough time outside to learn more about the alumni reach. |
University Of California, Santa Cruz • Santa Cruz, CA
Studying Information Systems Management (completion in 2011)
• 10/14/2011
"I believe attending this school was the best choice I have ever made in my life. My school is a complete mix of good quality education and amazing preservation of nature."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would definitely recommend UCSC to others pursuing my career field. The program at my school is one of the best. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | UCSC has been building a very good reputation for its quality education. The quality of instruction is very high given that the school of engineering is only 11 years old. |
| Program Quality | 10 | My school is definitely one of the best schools for this major. UCSC is has top quality instructors in the field. |
| How Difficult | 10 | During my studies there was a lot of classes with a high level of difficulty. It was a challenging experience, yet a very rewarding one as well. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I believe the teaching process at my institution is the perfect mix between hands-on and book learning. Most classes during instruction go back and forth between hands-on and theory. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Over the last few years the schedule of classes has expanded to provide more options for students during summer as well as during the academic year. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | UCSC is always being remodeled. The classrooms and other facilities are top notch. |
| Social Life | 10 | My school is very multicultural with many activities to be part of all the time. Social events are often organized to bring students with similar interests together. |
| Placement Services | 10 | Given that UCSC is located very close to Silicon Valley, job placement is top notch. UCSC has very strong networks with big tech companies given the school's location. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | I believe the alumni network at UCSC is very strong. Alumni always stays in touch with current instructors as well as aspiring graduates. |
California State University Sacramento • Sacramento, CA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 1997)
• 10/21/2011
"It was affordable and taught me well. It landed me a decent job with a good salary, especially for an entry-level position. I'm glad I went to CSUS."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | There were very few drawbacks to my college years. Although for the most part it was average, it was still a good school and a good value for the money. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | I'm not sure how much their reputation has changed since the 90s, but if it's anything like it used to be, it's pretty good as far as Computer Science goes. It wasn't the most popular area of study but I think the instruction was above average compared to other schools. |
| Program Quality | 5 | I learned what I needed to learn and I'm not weighed down with any debt. Also, there weren't a lot of distractions at CSUS so I could learn more easily. |
| Instruction | 7 | Most of the professors were very good. I did have one though who didn't do much. He basically just gave us the book and said 'Go' while the other professor who taught the same course was apparently very good. |
| How Difficult | 5 | It wasn't super hard, but it wasn't super easy either. It was a bit like high school in that way. Some of the classes were easy for me while I had to retake a couple others. The ones I retook were all math based. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Text books were definitely a major part of the coursework, but since I majored in Computer Science, there was also a lot of hands-on parts of classes. It's nearly impossible to learn about computers without using one, so usually we just had the book open as we used the computers, like a supplement. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | As far as I know, there were no online options, but other than that, flexibility was decent. I never had any problems and I was able to schedule my classes so I could also work and not have to change my work schedule every semester. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | CSUS had (has) a great library and pretty good everything else. Accessibility of professors is the only thing below average, but that's only because the class sizes were so large. There were rarely classes with fewer than 15 students. |
| Social Life | 3 | It wasn't really a party school so there weren't a whole lot of social events or parties. There were considerable sports events and some school spirit. I never had any school spirit though, so I never really paid attention to other people's. |
| Placement Services | 10 | I got a good job with relatively good pay immediately after graduation because of job placement services. I also got an internship while I was still earning my degree which helped a lot in getting that first post-college job. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | It was nothing special, but it wasn't terrible. I never participated much in any alumni events and I never bothered with anything related to alumni support. It just never really applied to my life. |
De Anza College • Cupertino, CA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 1993)
• 11/3/2011
"The school provided me with the training that I needed to get into the field I desired. They also provided various surveys to help me decide which specific area I should pursue. With my associate's degree from De Anza, I was able to move up, performing work in my field typically associated with bachelor degrees or higher."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Typically, in this field, you want to have at least a bachelor's degree. Since this is a two-year college, that is not an option. However, I was able to take the education that I did receive and apply it in a way that enabled me to further my career. This would be a good college to begin a 4-year degree program. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | De Anza College was well know for its computer science program. They offered two different tracks specializing in different areas of software development. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Given the time frame, the equipment available was reasonably up to date and the program was administered well. The school had a desire to fully support the program and provided an adequate number of terminals. |
| Instruction | 9 | The teachers generally worked in the field and so understood how implementation was best performed. Sometimes they were not available since they had day jobs (I primarily attended in the evening). |
| How Difficult | 7 | The software development classes generally came fairly easy to me. Some of the advanced math classes required a bit more time for study. The time and difficulty involved was appropriate for the degree. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | A lot of computer science is based on developing software. A hands-on approach works best in this area. The college also has multiple labs in various academic areas (physics, chemistry, etc.). Even some of the math classes provided access to computers (a big deal at the time). | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I primarily attended in the evening. I was able to complete my degree by just attending the evening classes. I did also attend a summer offering. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The onsite library was well stocked with the needed materials. The hardware needed to support the program requirements was generally available on weekends and at other odd hours. |
| Social Life | 2 | There were no social events that I was aware of or attended. My interest was to obtain the education that I desired. The college supported that. |
| Placement Services | 10 | The career services department was very supportive of my job search. They went to great lengths and were able to help me secure my first professional job in the field. As a respected college in the area, companies were interested in hiring from the college. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I have not been in touch with the alumni network. Attending in the evening typically does not generate the same amount of loyalty as a full time student would have. |
San Diego State University • San Diego, CA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 1981)
• 11/7/2011
"I was able to get very good jobs with my education. I learned the correct areas of study to get these jobs."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The school has a great software program. The person will get a well rounded education. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The reputation of the computer programs at SDSU has improved. They have more research being done and are pulling in more well versed professors. |
| Program Quality | 8 | My school needed to provide more computer engineering in addition to software. It has a reputation as a party school which sometimes does not look good on my resume. |
| Instruction | 9 | My professors were up to date with their skills. They provided real experience along with theory. |
| How Difficult | 9 | Software engineering is difficult and involves a good deal of math and logic. It also requires time spent in labs writing software. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The software area of SDSU provided hands on and book theory about equally. This has worked out well for my positions. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I chose SDSU so that I could work and attend school at the same time. Compared to other schools they had more afternoon, evening, and extension courses. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | SDSU has excellent labs and a great library. The computer labs are state of the art. |
| Social Life | 10 | SDSU is known for its social atmosphere more than its academics. The alumni association is also very involved. |
| Placement Services | 8 | SDSU provides excellent job placement assistance. Also, they provide access to the library and a network of those in similar careers. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | The SDSU Alumni association provides excellent job placement assistance. Also, they provide access to the library and a network of those in similar careers. |
UC Irvine • Irvine, CA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2011)
• 11/27/2011
"It's a good institution, though it's quite pricey. A UC degree is wonderful to have."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It's a great institution with good teaching and research facilities. It also has access to very good resources to learn from and rely on. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | It rates around 19-21 in the US News ratings, but if it was an older institution, it would have rated higher. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The program is geared towards software development, with lots of project-oriented courses. There is a focus on programming, with courses oriented to teaching various languages. |
| Instruction | 9 | Professors are very motivated and driven. They also work in close collaboration with the industry, hence the curriculum they set is very relevant. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Quarter system - everything crammed in 10 weeks. Also, project-oriented courses are very demanding. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We are taught a lot of good concepts. We are expected to implement them in projects for the class. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | The good courses are all during the day, if you are enrolled full time/part time. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | We have access to the UC Libraries, which are the best. The campus is big and sprawling, and there is no shortage of classrooms or lab space. |
| Social Life | 5 | Everyone goes home during the weekends. Plus, Irvine isn't a great city. |
| Placement Services | 4 | There aren't that many companies coming to the job fairs. The quality of companies that do come isn't that great. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | It is a rather young institution, so there are not that many alumni, and they don't have a great network like older institutions have. |
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo • San Luis Obispo, CA
Studying Computer Engineering (completion in 2009)
• 12/14/2011
"I owe much of where I am today to my choice in schools. I think that my school has a great program and much to offer."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend this school to others. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Cal Poly is well known for its great engineering programs. Computer Engineering at Cal Poly is one of the best public Computer Engineering programs in the nation. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Cal Poly has a very hands-on approach to teaching and it has a very knowledgeable staff. The curriculum is also very rigorous. |
| Instruction | 8 | The teachers all had previous experience in industry and had much knowledge of good practice and relevance to the real world. Almost all of the curriculum focused on real-world application. |
| How Difficult | 9 | I spent about 30 hours a week outside of class doing projects or studying. The computer programming classes were very intensive and took much time. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Almost every major and support class had a lab associated with it. Lab classes were entirely project based and emphasized real-world programming applications. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | Due to budget cuts, it became extremely difficult to get classes, and many staff members were forced to leave. Planning classes became difficult for the school, and scheduling was always a pain. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The computer science department had many resources for its students. There were many computer labs on campus with free printing and tons of space. |
| Social Life | 6 | The school is widely known for its academics and not necessarily for school spirit or parties. The party scene exists mostly within the Greek system. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The school website has a portal set up to help students find jobs. I had a job lined up for me since my sophomore year in college. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | The alumni have a presence on campus, but do not play a large role in the campus. Many companies hire extensively form my school due to the alumni at their companies, but alumni are not extremely active around the community. |
UCSC • Santa Clara, CA
Studying Computer Engineering (completion in 1989)
• 12/19/2011
"Good facilities. Tuition costs going up. "
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Needs more job-related programs. More training. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The school has a decent reputation. However, if more alumni took part, it could have a better reputation. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Good baseline. Needs work on more job-related programs. |
| Instruction | 8 | Good faculty. Needs more people from industry teaching. |
| How Difficult | 9 | Intense studying. Thorough course evaluation. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | Not flexible. Classes need attending in person. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Decent facilities. |
| Social Life | 9 | Lots of social groups. Multicultural and diverse. |
| Placement Services | 7 | Needs more job-related training courses. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | Decent alumni network. Not much facility to network. |
UC Berkeley • Berkeley, CA
Studying EECS (completion in 2005)
• 12/22/2011
"Overall I enjoyed my college years. It was challenging but I learned a lot and I think it was useful for my career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I'd recommend it if you want to be a software engineer as Berkeley is one of the best schools in the world. However, it is not that easy to get in. When I applied in 2001 the acceptance rate was about 20%. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Berkeley engineering is consistently ranked at the top in the United States and in the world. Here in the Silicon Valley people always want to hire Berkeley or Stanford engineers. |
| Program Quality | 9 | My school had a very challenging program. The difficult part was that it was a very big school. |
| Instruction | 6 | There wasn't much career preparation in the school, but a lot of the projects given were useful when I was applying for internships and jobs later. The fundamentals taught were also very useful. |
| How Difficult | 9 | There were a lot of problem sets and coding projects. Also the tests determined quite a bit of your grades. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It really depends on what classes you choose. You can choose project classes or theory classes. The theory classes are mostly problem sets and book learning. The project classes are more hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | You can pick your own classes but you're not guaranteed to get them since it is a public school. If you're a lower-classmen it's hard to get the class you want. Once you're a junior and above you can get classes fairly easily. You can also watch lectures online. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The computer labs are kind of old, but you can always work on your own computers. The electric engineering labs aren't very good either. However, it's been a while since I visited so it might have improved. |
| Social Life | 4 | There was too much work to do a lot of socializing. Most of socializing is done with lab partners. There are also engineer clubs you can join. I didn't really care much about the athletics and parties. |
| Placement Services | 3 | The career center wasn't very good. I had to find job leads through other classmates or Craigslist. However, employers do come to the school of engineering specifically to do info-sessions and take resumes. Basically you have to seek out opportunities yourself and not hope that the school will somehow magically place you somewhere. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | After I graduated it was pretty easy to get in the door of companies with a Berkeley degree. Also in the Silicon valley there are a lot of Berkeley alumni in all the different tech companies. |
California Polytechnic State University • San Luis Obispo, CA
Studying (completion in 1998)
• 1/11/2012
"I got my degree from an actual university and instead of a diploma mill. I got a good balance of major and elective courses, and liked my professors for the most part."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Absolutely. I've never regretted the time I spent at school. The classes were relevant, the city is beautiful, and the last time I visited the campus, they had built a lot of great facilities for Computer Science, EE, and Aerospace engineers. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | As stated above, it's well regarded in the industry. Cal Poly works hard to get at the top of the US News rankings, and I think they've been at the top spot for 12 years running in their category. It's no Stanford or Cal, though, but it's a decent place to get a bachelor's. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Very good education, and well regarded in the industry. Other than theory, algorithms, C, Unix, and data structures, I think everything I learned is now obsolete. |
| Instruction | 7 | The rigor of the CSC program started to slip towards my last couple of years. Compilers changed to optional requirements, and more of the professors were adjunct rather than tenured, and were working part time at the local JC on the side. The theoretical and algorithms courses were well taught. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It was really tough at the time. Cal Poly is on a quarter system, and the first midterms were during the 4th week of the quarter. You really couldn't skip anything, or you were going to fail. I recently looked over Stanford's machine learning class material, and it was way beyond the difficulty of what I learned at Cal Poly. Workload was intense, the challenge was pretty great, but compared to Stanford's Machine Learning material, Cal Poly seems remedial in comparison. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school's motto is learn by doing. In my major, there was a lot of lab time expected, but in support classes like Calculus and Physics, it was mostly book work with a weekly lab in Physics. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | Predominantly daytime classes for major and support courses, though a few electives were offered in the evenings. Summer offerings are subject to the state's budget in any given year. If you don't register first, you're at the mercy of whatever classes remain. I crashed a lot of classes before I graduated. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | I went there in the 90s, and everything in place is now considered an antique. The library was good, there were enough computer labs around campus even around crunch time, and the tenured professors held regular office hours. Chemistry labs were new, but general science labs were outdated. They're building a new Science building in the middle of campus, so that's going to change in a few years. I never found any tutors or study groups. |
| Social Life | 7 | I never really got into hanging out with people in my major. I did get involved with the orientation club, however, which was my main social outlet. School spirit was good, and I partied like a rock star. |
| Placement Services | 3 | They provided a number of on-campus recruiting events. After graduation, however, the assistance disappeared. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I never got any career counseling after graduation. The only time I hear from Alumni is when they're asking for donations. |
UC Berkeley • Berkeley, CA
Studying EECS (completion in 2005)
• 12/22/2011
"Overall I enjoyed my college years. It was challenging but I learned a lot and I think it was useful for my career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes. If you want to be a software engineer Berkeley is one of the best schools in the world. However, it is not that easy to get in. When I applied in 2001 the acceptance rate was about 20%. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Berkeley engineering is consistently ranked at the top in the United States and in the world. Here in the Silicon Valley people always want to hire Berkeley or Stanford engineers. |
| Program Quality | 9 | My school had a very challenging program. The difficult part was that it was a very big school. |
| Instruction | 6 | There wasn't much career preparation in the school, but a lot of the projects given were useful when I was applying for internships and jobs later. The fundamentals taught were also very useful. |
| How Difficult | 9 | There were a lot of problem sets and coding projects. Also, the tests determined quite a bit of your grades. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It really depends on what classes you choose. You can choose project classes or theory classes. The theory classes are mostly problem sets and book learning. The project classes are more hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | You can pick your own classes but you're not guaranteed to get them since it is a public school. If you're a lower classman, it's hard to get the classes you want. Once you're a junior and above you can get classes fairly easily. You can also watch lectures online. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The computer labs are kind of old, but you can always work on your own computer. The electric engineering labs aren't very good either. However, it's been a while since I visited, so it might have improved. |
| Social Life | 4 | There was way too much work to do a lot of socializing. Most socializing is done with lab partners. There are also engineering clubs you can join. I didn't really care much about the athletics and parties. |
| Placement Services | 3 | The career center wasn't very good. I had to find job leads through other classmates or craigslist. However, employers do come to the school of engineering specifically to do infosessions and take resumes. Basically you have to seek out opportunities yourself and not hope that the school will somehow magically place you somewhere. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | After I graduated it was pretty easy to get into the door of companies with a Berkeley degree. Also, in the Silicon valley there are a lot of Berkeley alumni in all the different tech companies. |
University Of California Berkeley • Berkeley, CA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 1986)
• 1/29/2012
"Being a commuter student versus living on campus modified the experience, but not necessarily the quality of the education. Breadth of life experiences available around town made for a better awareness about issues that effect people outside of your comfort zone."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Still an exceptional school in the field. Still an interesting city to live in for a few years. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | The school is always rated highly. Whenever I mention that I attended the school in my major, one gets a feeling of acknowledgment. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The university provides two different tracks, an engineering track and an arts/science track, that makes customizing your experience easier. The quality of instruction and the range of expertise makes it easy to find a specific area of interest. |
| Instruction | 9 | Quality of instructors and range of topics is exemplary. Ability to take graduate level courses enhances the experience. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The major was very popular at the time I was enrolled, and thus many of the entry level classes were exceptionally time consuming in order to cull the class. Work varied, but was heavier than that of my friends in other demanding majors like physics and mathematics. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Lessons typically required a lot of experimentation to solve assignments. Individual study was readily available. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Weekends and evenings classes were almost nonexistent, except for low level classes. Online was not available at the time, but individual study was useful. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | All physical resources were top notch, but a little spread out (this was later solved with a special CS building.) People resources were at least helpful and often exceptional. |
| Social Life | 4 | Was too busy with classwork to have social time to fill. More of a do your own thing versus a planned environment. |
| Placement Services | I never used these services. I was recruited directly by employers resulting from contacts with professors. | |
| Alumni Network | Have never really taken advantage of alumni services. Wasn't important at the time, but I could imagine that it would be more useful today. |
CSU Sacramento • Sacramento, CA
Studying Business Administration - MIS (completion in 1998)
• 3/5/2012
"I have been very lucky in my career that I've had steady employment opportunities. Although it wasn't reputed as having the best program for MIS majors, it did provide opportunities to work in the IT industry. It was really good that they had career placement services to assist us with getting jobs right after college."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If the future student wants to get more into programming work, then I would recommend they go for the CIS degree, instead of the MIS. It is a science degree that prepares the student programming (for example, C, C++, etc). If the future student wants to get into the business analysis type of work, then MIS is a good program for them to apply for. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | I never hear my colleagues or future college students get excited about the MIS program at Sac State. I just happened to pick this major, knowing that I've always wanted to be involved with computers after graduation. But honestly, I just picked this since I had to choose a minor in Business Administration. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The MIS program provided fundamentals for my degree, and my business training prepared me for the amount of writing and analysis in my role. It would be better if this program had more than two required programming courses. At that time we were only required to take COBOL. It would be better if more classes these days provide web-based programming (Java, HTML, etc). |
| Instruction | 7 | It felt like the instructors just covered the minimum requirements to get us through the courses. If we had more labs or projects that emulated the real business world, I think it would have better prepared us. |
| How Difficult | 8 | In addition to the business major degree, we had to choose a concentration. For MIS, it included programming courses and networking. The programming took a lot of time to do the labs, but I felt there should have been more programming courses offered. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It wasn't until the senior level that we had projects that went outside the classroom. If there were more projects that involved the business community from at least sophomore year, that would have been more useful. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | MIS courses offered during the year were not flexible. As a junior I didn't have the first pick at classes and had to be on waiting lists on several rosters before I was able to get into class. In some cases only 2 of the same courses were offered for the year, so if we couldn't get in we'd have to wait for the following semester. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The labs were good. They always had the PCs up and running. They were open pretty late as well. The professors were pretty good at responding to emails and questions asked in class. |
| Social Life | 6 | I felt that Sac State was a commuter school, so there's no sense of school spirit among my peers. The school had a good mixture of all ages, and I felt that if everyone were in my age group it would have been different. |
| Placement Services | 9 | At the time I attended school, the career services center helped me with finding my first job after college. In fact, they set up an interview for me while I was in school and I was offered a job even before graduation! |
| Alumni Network | 5 | After graduation, I don't feel they really tried to reach out to graduates to get them to participate in alumni activities. I just felt that it was a school that I went to, and I don't have any particular loyalty to them. |
San Francisco State University • San Francisco, CA
Studying Recreation And Leisure (completion in 2005)
• 3/7/2012
"I was happy while in the program. However, it ultimately didn't set me up for a viable career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Compared to other schools, the program is small and not very innovative. However, if someone just needed to get a degree quickly, SF State is a fine choice. |
| Program Reputation | I have no idea what the current reputation is. I haven't had contact since I graduated. | |
| Program Quality | 5 | I didn't end up working in the field I studied, but I can't completely blame the school for that. |
| Instruction | 6 | The teachers were mostly enthusiastic about their fields. However, the work we did often seemed more like busywork than productive work. |
| How Difficult | 3 | It was not very difficult. Playing games and writing papers on how to play games is about as easy as it gets. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We played lots of games, went on hikes, and led class activities. We also got to utilize special equipment, like wheelchairs and other adaptive sports equipment. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | The required courses were only offered once every semester, or sometimes every other semester. You really had to follow a strict schedule from the beginning to the end of the program. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | We didn't rely much on on-campus resources. We did however, utilize off-campus resources that were unique to the school's location, such as outdoor recreation areas and local institutions. |
| Social Life | 7 | I enjoyed working closely with the people in my program. Because we all were on the same strict schedule, we became a close group. However, the school is a commuter school, which really limits the amount of cohesion possible when everyone lives far away. |
| Placement Services | 8 | Had I chosen to pursue a career in recreation and leisure, there were excellent options for me that were provided by the school. The teachers and counselors were very linked in to local institutions and often placed students in good jobs or internships. |
| Alumni Network | I haven't personally reached out for support, as I haven't had the need. |
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