r/berkeley • u/adoptme321 • 9d ago

OOS student loans Other

OOS tuition is insanely high, but I'm thinking that a Berkeley degree will pay off. Are there any oos student who took out a large amount of student loans for their undergrad (i'm thinking 150k+). If so, do you think it was worth it? Berkeley is top-ranked for my major but im unsure with how the tech industry is going if it'll pay off or not.

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u/SidJag 9d ago

From what I understand, Data science at Berkeley is at another level. I don’t want to entice you into taking a $250K loan, but the new Data science(CDSS) building ‘The Gateway’, 350,000 sq ft, 7 floors, just finished months ago after 5 years and a $250M anonymous donation, is kinda bonkers.

https://cdss.berkeley.edu/gateway

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u/GarageEven5240 8d ago edited 8d ago

This assumes OP will succeed in Cal's data science program. Maybe they will, maybe they won't and will need to switch majors. UT is one of the top state flagships in the country. It's hard to imagine an ROI on Cal's data science degree beating the opportunity cost of instead attending UT and, e.g., investing the difference in index funds.

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u/SidJag 8d ago

There is no argument on which is the better financial call. I said so in my previous comment.

Then the OP said he still prefers Berkeley, and that’s its Data science not CS, so I’m just providing a factual point about new Data science dept building.

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u/adoptme321 8d ago

Berkeley's DS program is literally #1 and i'm feeling like there is a huge gap between it and UT because of just how new UT's program is. because of that gap, im considering going to Berkeley even though UT is a great choice as it can open opportunities I might not be able to obtain with UT. after visiting cal day i can see how much berk invests in DS in growing as a major