<p>My son wants to be a computer science major at a UC. He makes all A's except for Calculus and also for his Physics class that has a lot of math involved and is geared for engineers. It must be really difficult because 40% of the students withdrew but he is still in there plowing ahead with his 77 scores (and he studies for hours). It seems a shame to be penalized in the GPA area for attempting really difficult course work. He does really well with the computer programming classes and has an A in the two he has taken. </p>
<p>If he was in an easier major he would have a 4.0. Now I know why there are no engineers in this country. It's so hard to make an A (or even a B) in some of these classes and the kids are all trained to play the GPA game above all else. </p>
<p>So the question: how will this impact him for admissions to UC's? Is Berkeley hopeless? Santa Cruz? USC? Cal Poly San Luis Obispo? Any suggestions</p>
<p>Before feeling like your son’s gpa will hinder him because of his major, remember that UCs accept transfers by major. The applicants he is against will have taken mostly the same prereqs. Try not to worry about what is or isn’t “fair.” </p>
<p>Engineering is very math extensive, so if your strong point isn’t math, then you should consider a different major. When you commented on how its a “shame” to penalize in the gpa area for attempting difficult coursework, how else are colleges suppose to weed out outstanding students with just average students? GPA is incredibly important to indicate how successful a student in his or her field of study. tts hard to get an A for physics or for calculus, but it is definitely possible to achieve. </p>
<p>2 significant factors for admissions would include GPA and major requirements finished. If he has cumulative gpa under a 3.4, it would be incredibly tough to get into Cal or USC. However UCSC and cal poly slo both seem reachable. </p>
<p>4 A’s and 2 C’s, suppose that were all 5 unit classes, he would have a 3.3 gpa. Which is definitely not good enough for Cal or USC for a major like comp sci. </p>
<p>By the way, why are you doing his research for him? He’s an adult, let him make his own decisions and do his own research. Never quite understood why parents post on these forums so much.</p>
<p>Dropping the course and retaking is better than getting a c in my opinion. Just don’t make it a habit because grad schools will question the w’s on his transcript. I suggest getting him a tutor, watch lectures online, and encouraging him to go to his professors office hours and take advantage of the usually free resources that his school will probably offer. If he still struggles, I think he should maybe reconsider his major because it only gets harder from here on out-- especially at a 4 year university level.</p>
<p>The schools you listed are still possible if he decides to shape up from here on out. Considering he only took 6 classes, I’m assuming he was only at the cc for a year, which leaves him another whole year minimum to get his act together. Good luck.</p>
<p>Dear Stephen91: I know this an open forum but I find your comments very unkind. It is very difficult to have a child who is working toward a dream and experiencing great difficulty. I am not “doing it for him”. He does not know I post on this site. But I care deeply about his well being and want him to be happy. He has not found a proper mentor at this point so I was looking for a little advice. No one has ever made such an insensitive remark to me on this site.</p>
<p>By you saying that remark about what a parent should or shouldn’t do proves you’re still an immature child yourself. Grow up, don’t think just cause you’re sitting safely behind a monitor screen you can pass judgement on others whenever you want you internet ■■■■■.</p>
<p>Edit: It’s funny, I actually just finished reading another thread and what do you know, posting another negative comment assuming what a person can do or can’t do. LOL</p>
<p>I was in a similar situation. I would recommend dropping and retaking them to at least a B. I had all A’s 2 B’s and C’s in math (2 class) and chem (2 classes) and I didn’t waste my time applying as a science to UCLA and applied as psych and still got denied.</p>
<p>I recommend speaking with one of the admissions representatives. I have spent many hours talking to them about the admission decision process. Whether or not physics matters, is really dependent on the field he wants to go into. Your major GPA is factored separately from the rest of your GPA. If he intends to write game engines, physics is very important. A C in his math classes and physics classes means he really didn’t understand the material. Math builds on itself. If he struggles now, he will be in deep trouble later… </p>
<p>What is a lot of studying? As a Computer Science major, he should not have a social life if he wants to go to top tier schools. Just look at all the people who got denied this year… Here is my week…
Mon-fri
8AM Wake Up
10AM Physics 3
11AM Physics 2 Electricity and Magnetism
12PM Data Structures MW
2PM Calculus 2</p>
<p>5PM to 11PM/Midnight Study No Video Games, No TV, No Friends (save for study groups)
Saturday 11AM Study
Saturday Night, friends
Sunday Study</p>
<p>That is how you get A’s. I study at least 40 hours per week. My remaining time I spend programming and learning concepts I will need later. </p>
<p>The essay is the most important part of his application. GPA is a prerequisite. Having an excellent essay and hooks that set him apart from his competition are what will get him into the school of his choosing.</p>
<p>@Popularmom
I did not mean any harm with my comments, I’m sorry you found it “unkind”. I am simply pointing out that you’re not doing him any favors by this research for him. He is an adult and should be able to seek out help or advice for himself by himself. Are you still going to be posting on forums seeking advice for him when he’s applying for grad school? when he’s applying for a job? I’m just encouraging you to tell him that he needs to be more independent and seek help on his own.</p>
<p>I know this doesn’t help much, but I know that UCLA’s HSSEAS average GPA admit for comp sci & engineering is something like a 3.8… he COULD have a decent chance with an upward trend and very, very strong extracurricular activities like a PT job and honor societies and clubs, etc. Oh, and a really good personal statement essay.</p>
<p>BTW, I have two friends who are programmers. One went to ASU (on a full regent scholarship) and the other went to CSUN – both CS majors at state schools. One is working as a programmer for a defense contractor making $100K a year, not including bonuses. The other is contracting a web developer for one company, making about $130K a year… so if he does not get into Cal Poly or a UC, it’s not the end of the world. He can still be successful!!</p>
<p>If your son wants to be a programmer after college, it truly doesn’t matter where he earns his degree. The most important thing for your son to learn in college is to PROGRAM. There are so many Computer Science majors that can’t code simple programs. These kids rely on their fancy diplomas for getting jobs, and it simply doesn’t work that way. Unless your son is applying to Google or some other giant tech company, most employers won’t even ask to look your son’s transcript. They’ll want to see his portfolio of projects and contributions to the hacker culture. It is programming skill that gets the job, not a college GPA/degree.</p>
<p>^ I find this to be true. Google is the only company I really know of where a big name is pretty much mandatory. Other huge successful companies rely much more on individual capability though.</p>
<p>@popularmom Unfortunately, the competition between students has enlarged dramatically. For your son, I would tell him to look for a tutor or to talk to his professors during office hours. If he wants to be at least competitive, he should not be getting any grades lower than a B. I’ve been in classes where 40 of 50 students dropped, and of the last 10 students, only 5 passed (including myself.) It just goes to show you who is willing to put in the hard work involved. Usually professors will curve grades but there will be some who won’t. Reading the chapters before lecture also helps me pay attention and learn during the lecture. </p>
<p>I know this is a very tough situation for a mother who can’t do much. You are doing everything you can so I think you are a spectacular mother.</p>