Are LSA-Computer Science pre-declaration courses weeders?

@busymd:

My older D is doing CS degree (along with Anthropology) at LSA at Michigan, and my younger D just got into Ross.

Both are very rigorous, difficult degrees. The weed out classes for CS are no joke (the projects are near impossible and you are graded by a robot that has no sympathy… the dreaded “auto-grader”) and Ross is becoming more and more competitive every year. To do them both means no break. That is probably why it seems like they are discourage them as double majors.

My younger D wants to “learn a skill”, not just do the business degree. My response is to do that, but to find something that is fun and can offset the Ross classes which she can expect to be very difficult. The cool thing about Ross is that 1/2 the credits are in LSA and are very open ended and likely easier (outside of CS).

Like your Son, she is looking into the School of Information as minor. They have very marketable programs in User Experience and also Social Media. They also create online portfolios to showcase their work which appeal to employers. This type of work is also more in line with what many would want to do v. a typically hard core coding job. Also, it may match Business better.

The only issue is that the School of Information is NOT in LSA. It is a separate school. Not positive the plan this plan will work. We are going to talk with someone.

One other option for your son is to do CS as a major, than do a MIM Business “year 5” degree. If you are going to do both, you should probably do it in 5 years and actually have somewhat of a college experience too (where extracurricular activities are realistic). MIM Is considered a Master Degree (basically a 1/2 MBA) and would be better than two undergrad degrees from a marketability standpoint, IMO.

@busymd The LSA requirements aspect is precisely what makes it so difficult to do. Even without these requirements, the major would barely have fit into a regular schedule. It’s great to hear that you already have this understanding before son arrives to campus.

@UMICHBHG I agree with your points as well. The auto-grader is certainly quite the adversary. You will work harder in those CS classes then you ever have in any other class, but with dedication it is doable. I would like to say that I am fairly certain the School of Information does not carry a minor…only a BSI. I would definitely have pursued a minor myself from the School of Information if there was one. Maybe this is changing in the future? I know the option for a School of Information minor was not available to me.

My S was recently able to declare. The course he is in now is very time consuming and tough. I have not heard any weeder complaints though.

People who want to double, it just gets harder and harder in the later semesters. Not a great idea to take 2 difficult majors together. Major/minor seems enough.

@umichbhg … son is already admitted to Ross… no way is he not doing that, so changing to LSA and doing computer science not an option. Are there programs or minors in Information Science? I did not see anything other than a major listed. Also, do you know if other students can take information science classes if they are not in the school of information science. If you find something out, can you post please? Thanks!!

I agree that 2 majors in different schools is tough at MIchigan. But like I said, other than Michigan, I think having a double major in CS and business is doable. I dont understand why Michigan makes you fulfill the gen-ed requirements of 2 schools. Seriously… what does 2 undergraduate degrees get you that a double major in other schools would not!!!

I too am interested in pursuing some business courses along with CS.

UPenn has a fantastic path in their SEAS that not only includes the CS major but also a minor in Engineering Entrepreneurship. This minor is offered by the School of Engineering and Applied Science—not Wharton— but all six courses are taught by Wharton professors. This is the dual path that was recommended to me by the UPenn SEAS advisor. If only UPenn weren’t in Philadelphia…

@busymd Just to clarify, it is my understanding is that it is not an issue to switch from Ross to LSA at any point to pursue a CS degree. Any LSA degree is still a “fall back” option.

School of Information appears to be trickier as you have to apply and get in Junior year. My D is likely going to take classes that line her up to get into SI while taking the Ross curriculum. If she gets into SI she can make a decision to make Business her minor if she wants and get an SI degree… Or if possible, do the reverse.

@UMICHBHG but is there an SI minor and can you take classes in that school ( Other than the prerequisites for admission) if you are not in the SI school as a junior or senior ? I didn’t see any minor listed

Am 95% certain there is no SI minor.

Ross with a good techical minor is a good way to go. My son is a Ross Junior and will have a Math minor. This wasn’t overly difficult to accomplish especially coming in with some math credits. Now with proper planning from day 1, he may have able to complete the dual major in four years. But he then certainly would have had to give up a couple Finance electives he likes a lot.