u/Steaker144449

I heard it’s a very hard class. Anyone got anyone tips/tricks/suggestions on how I can get an A? Any specific teacher I should try to get for this class, etc? All help is appreciated.

Also, is the material online or is there a way to study the course on khan academy or something?

I struggled with physics in HS, so I want to do better in college.

Thanks!

I’m an incoming CS student planning to get the PHYS 2211 requirement out of the way through my local community college, so I’m trying to figure out the easiest/most manageable EAS sequence for the remaining lab science requirement at GT.

From what I understand, two of the three lab sciences need to be a sequence, so I’m looking specifically for EAS courses that people have used as a valid sequence, not just random individual lab sciences.

For anyone who has taken EAS lab sciences, what sequence would you recommend for the lowest workload, easiest grading, and most manageable experience? I’ve seen people mention EAS 2600 and EAS 1601 as really easy, but I’m not sure what it pairs well with for the sequence requirement. Can I do those 2 and skip EAS 1600?

Would appreciate any advice on professors to look for/avoid, workload compared to PHYS/CHEM/BIOL lab sciences, and any common mistakes when planning the lab science requirement.

I’ll confirm with my advisor and all before finalizing anything, but I’m trying to get student perspectives before planning my first-year schedule.

I’m deciding between UC Berkeley CS in CDSS and Georgia Tech CS for undergrad, and I’d really appreciate advice from people who know the schools well, especially when it comes to internships/recruiting, stress culture, grade deflation, academic environment, social life, and overall value.

Here’s my situation:

• Cost: Berkeley would be about $80k/year and GT about $50k/year (OOS for both), so Berkeley is roughly $30k more per year
• I'm blessed enough to be in a position where I can afford both, so this is not a case where I simply cannot go if it costs more
• That said, I do not want to spend an extra ~$30k/year on Berkeley unless it gives me a meaningful advantage
• Career goals: FAANG / top SWE roles, maybe quant dev, maybe startups
• I care much more about job outcomes, recruiting strength, and value than prestige by itself
• I am not currently planning on grad school
• I care a lot about internships during undergrad
• I want a school that gives me the resources to succeed, while still letting me keep some level of balance and sanity

What I’m really trying to figure out is this:

Is Berkeley actually worth the extra money for someone like me, or is Georgia Tech the smarter choice if my main goal is strong recruiting, high earning potential, and decent quality of life?

My biggest fear is choosing GT to save money, then finding out that it’s still just as mentally and academically intense as Berkeley, while also losing out on real opportunities or a meaningful edge in recruiting.

At the same time, I also do not want to choose Berkeley, pay a lot more, and then realize the difference in outcomes was too small to justify the cost.

Things I’d especially love input on:

1. Internship recruiting: Is Berkeley meaningfully better than GT for top internships/jobs, or are they basically in the same tier?
2. Quant/startup access: Does Berkeley have a noticeable edge here?
3. Stress culture / mental health: Which one is more manageable day to day?
4. Grade deflation / competition: How different are they really?
5. Resources: Access to classes, professors, clubs, recruiting pipelines, etc.
6. Culture differences: How do the academic culture, student culture, and social environment actually differ between Berkeley and GT?
7. Overall vibe: Which school feels more collaborative vs competitive? More stressful vs balanced?
8. ROI: If you were in my shoes, would you pay the extra money?

I’d especially appreciate responses from:

• people in Berkeley CS/CDSS or GT CS
• people who recruited for SWE/quant
• people who seriously considered both schools and chose one over the other

Please be as honest as possible. I’m looking for real tradeoffs, especially around recruiting, culture, and whether Berkeley’s upside in name value is actually large enough to justify the extra cost.

Thanks!

TLDR: I'm deciding between GT and UC Berkeley for CS. GT is 30k/year less. My biggest fear is choosing GT to save money, then finding out that it’s still just as mentally and academically intense as Berkeley, while also losing out on real opportunities or a meaningful edge in recruiting.

At the same time, I also do not want to choose Berkeley, pay a lot more, and then realize the difference in outcomes/name value was too small to justify the cost.

Which should I choose?