B.S. Math going for B.S CompSci

<p>I would like some feedback on whether my plan to seek an additional B.S. in Computer Science would be effective for future employment and possible entrance to respectable graduate programs in the future. I will provide some background information to have a better idea of what my motives are.</p>

<p>I am currently in my last semester of a B.S. in Applied Math at the University of Arizona and feel uncomfortable as to the generality of jobs I am eligible for. My performance as an undergrad has been mediocre with the conclusion of approximately a 3.1 GPA. Unfortunately, as many immature college kids have done, I let the first two years slip by with minimal effort. Incidentally, I started out strong with A's in Calc 1 and 2 which allowed me to enroll in Honors Linear Algebra and Calc 3 during my 3rd semester. I underperformed in those courses receiving a C in each one. </p>

<p>Just from memory, I have around 4 Cs, 1 D, and an F on my transcript. The failing grade came from a course that I had never attended or dropped. Regardless, the D was the only terrible grade in which I feel that I had put effort into. This grade came from Real Analysis after a semester of spending countless hours receiving help from the TA and time on my own reading the textbook. </p>

<p>Now I am wanting to start somewhat fresh and more focused on my coursework with a computer science degree. I have ambitions to eventually get into a top 20 graduate program for computer science. I realize this isn't feasible with my current GPA and lack of coursework, which is why I would like to improve my standings. </p>

<p>If I do decide to attain a B.S. in Computer Science, this would take 3 - 4 semesters. What kind of things should I focus on in improving my strength as a computer science student? Since I can't reset my cumulative GPA, would the C.S. GPA be looked at more specifically for grad school admission?</p>

<p>Thanks for the help.</p>

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<p>Applied math majors who took a selection of courses in computer science, economics, finance, and/or statistics are often well prepared to seek jobs in several well paying areas, such as software development, quantitative finance, and actuarial science. Have you taken many such courses?</p>

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<p>I took an Introduction to Econometrics course last semester and am currently taking Micro and Macro Economics. As far as computer science, I have only taken one semester of Java programming. I’ve done some self studying of Python through MIT Open Courseware. Lastly, I have taking Theory of Statistics and Theory of Probability which had me use R and MATLAB in a few courses. </p>

<p>I have looked into actuarial science and don’t have enough interest in it. I also lack the coursework for software development and I believe quantitative finance usually requires a more advanced degree. Thanks for the suggestions though.</p>

<p>If you are looking to maximize career utility in software development, the following computer science courses are likely to be the most useful (at the very least, try to take the first four after completing the introductory prerequisites):</p>

<p>Software Engineering
Algorithms and Complexity
Operating Systems
Computer Networks
Databases
User Interfaces
Security</p>