I’m planning on majoring in computer science next year, but I don’t know whether I should apply for Berkeley EECS or CS. If I go into EECS, I will most likely focus on CS, because I don’t think I will be that interested in EE and hardware. EECS is much more competitive to get into (idk if I will be able to get in), but it also has some perks, since it is a BS instead of a BA. What are the pros and cons of each major and which one do you think I should apply to? What do you think my chances of getting in as an EECS major are, and if any of you are in Berkeley EECS, can you post your stats?
General stats:
GPA: 4.0 (uw), 4.3 (uc capped), 4.6 (uncapped weighted)
taking most challenging STEM classes offered at my school (AP Physics C, APCS, AP Calc BC, Multivariable Calc)
ACT: 36 (new ACT: 36 M, 36 S, 35 R, 35 W, 24 essay)
SAT: 2260 (800 M, 760 W (9 essay), 700 R) (also should I submit this score to colleges because I got a 36 ACT)
SAT Math 2 (800), SAT Physics (800)
Extracurriculars: math club, tutoring, soccer team (2 years jv, 2 years varsity)
300 service hours
AIME qualifier
Attending SUMaC this summer (prestigious math program at Stanford)
California Resident
Female
Berkeley is reach for everybody.
EECS is definitely much harder to get in than L&S CS.
If your emphasis is CS, I personally don’t think there’s any difference between BS and BA.
Please note that if you apply to L&S CS, you are not in the major yet.
You need to obtain 3.3 GPA in CS 61A, 61B, and 70 to petition to the major.
@StevenToCollege does the 3.3 GPA requirement change from year to year? since CS is becoming more popular. And also how hard is getting a 3.3 (approximately what percent of people get over the required GPA)?
also idk if this makes a difference, but my school is a competitive school, ranked top 15 in the state, and generally admits ~50/500 students to cal each year
You might want to read admitted students stats for EECS. My D16 got into L&S in January with Regents. She regretted not applying EECS and did not consider attending UCB mainly for this reason. EECS has a single digits admission rate.
For a software engineer, my understanding is that it doesn’t matter if you have a BS in Computer Science from EECS or a BA in Computer Science from the College of Letters & Sciences. It would matter if you are interested in hardware. If you are at all interested in a second major, it is far more doable in the College of L&S, EECS has more required courses.
As far as whether the 3.3 GPA requirement changes from year to year, it was a 3.0 requirement until Fall 2015. The requirement is set to whatever Berkeley needs to limit the amount of students entering the major so classes are not overloaded. As CS is an extremely popular major at this time, it could always change again.
They just implemented 3.3 GPA starting in Fall 2015.
Before that, it was 3.0. And few decades ago, it was 2.0.
How hard is it to get 3.3?
Well, that depends on if you are good with CS, and if you are willing to work hard.
Based on your stat, I don’t think it’s an issue for you.
“generally admits ~50/500 students to cal each year”
This is a good news. But you want to check if there are also other students from your high school who are interested in EECS. Since there are only about 300+ EECS spots available, with yield rate of about 45%, they just can’t take too many students from each school.
For most purposes other than qualifying for the patent exam or where Professional Engineer licensing is desired, BS versus BA should not be significant. (The BS in EECS has ABET accreditation, while the BA in L&S CS does not.)
EECS is harder to get in for frosh admission than L&S. However, if admitted to EECS, you are in the major. If admitted to L&S, you must earn a high enough GPA (currently 3.3) in the prerequisite courses CS 61A, 61B, and 70 (see http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/csugrad/#petitioning ). The EECS major has additional non-CS science and math requirements (e.g. Physics 7A, 7B, another science of your choice, Math 53). It also allows more choice of upper division EE courses if that is you interest. Since EECS is in CoE, the breadth requirements are different. L&S CS has more free electives after counting all of the major and breadth requirements.
Hi guys,
I am an incoming senior in high school who really wants to go to UC Berkeley for L&S Computer Science next year. So far, I have a 4.0 Unweighted GPA and a 4.5 Weighted GPA. However, what bugs me is my SAT score. I have a 2200 composite score (650 English, 770 Math, 780 Writing). Will my score be good enough?
@johnlimster I had very similar stats as you, with 4.0 GPA and a 2210 SAT, but my breakdown was different: 710 Reading, 710 Math, 790 Writing). It is beneficial to score above 700 on every section and if you have a chance, I would retake the SAT and focus on the Reading section. Also, maybe attempt the ACT. After failing to break into the 2300 range, I decided to take the ACT and scored a 34 (36W, 34M, 34R, 32S). If you take the ACT, I would recommend aiming for a score of 32 or better in every section. Also you might want to consider the Math II exam.
@lshaynal I think what it boils down to is that you would rather just do CS, but the way Berkeley is set up, it is a gamble because you have to count on having good grades to get into CS after two years, and, from what I hear, Berkeley students compete hard for their grades. In my opinion, you do have the stats to be accepted into EECS. It is just a matter of whether you want to go with the uncertainty of getting your major in L&S, or having to take EE and hardware classes that may not interest you. On the other hand, maybe once you were in those classes, you might find an interest in them. From your high school stats, I predict that you would make the grades to get into CS, if you decide to go that route. Good luck! I bet you will end up with multiple great offers from colleges.
If you are interested in software and a double major, the L&S CS is tailored for someone like you. As mentioned, however, you will need to meet the major requirements. I think it’s great that a young woman with your credentials is looking closely at Cal. They have various programs supporting women in CS. And the job opportunities with either EECS or CS are tremendous in the Silicon Valley. You will work hard, but the rewards are great for the right students.
Letters & Sciences requires you to take more electives and language based courses that may not necessarily correspond with the CS courses. If the intent is to go towards the creative/artistic/visual side, then this may be the way to go as it offers some flexibility towards what kind of Arts/Science courses you can take in it. This may be beneficial for someone going into web design/ UI etc where not a lot of math/logic based computation is required. Certainly, when applying for jobs, the general connotation with an L&S CS degree is that you’re leaning towards designing, UI, interfaces, GUI, Game development, Tool development etc. People can certainly take advanced technical courses being in an L&S degree to prove otherwise but the connotation still remains in the market. A lot of Game Design majors are known to take this route …
Engineering on the other hand requires a bunch of technical knowledge. Basic physics, chemistry, math, some intro to engineering courses etc are needed. Choice of electives is fewer in this if you want to branch out but usually, the number of electives that are required to be taken outside the major is sufficient. This is the more technical choice: compilers, AI, image processing, OS, networks etc is what people concentrate in this. Math requirement is a little bit more here too. Companies do tend to look at what are the basic courses you’ve taken and what general theme you have in your CS electives when making their choice (as I’ve observed), so this is the way to go for hardcore CS concentrations.
As some one mentioned L&S degree at CAL is not ABET certified, so if you want to go in to patent law or some other field that requires a license, L&S degree would not work in that case. I am not sure how many L&S degree holders apply or able to switch successfully in to the engineering school for a masters /Phd in top CS programs in the country. Does any body have any statistics on that.
Actually, both L&S CS and EECS majors select from the same CS courses. The courses you list are available to students in both majors, so there is no real difference in this respect other than student interest.
It is true that these majors differ in non-CS course requirements and options (including EE).
With appropriate selection of CS course work and participation in undergraduate research, both L&S CS and EECS majors can go to graduate study in CS. For 2015 graduates:
L&S CS: 330 graduates; 7 to CS graduate study; 4 at UCB, 2 at Stanford, 1 at JHU
EECS: 374 graduates; 13 to CS graduate study; 7 at UCB, 2 at Washington, 1 each at Cornell, Georgia Tech, MIT, Stanford