Can you do well in Berkeley's CS program with ZERO experience?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I feel like the majority applying to EECS and CS already know how to code, and that the professors might teach the class as if everyone was already familiar with the material. Math has always been my strongsuit, and I always score the highest on math portions of tests (compares to the verbal sections). I hope to get into Cal because I do have a relatively high UC GPA and my SAT score is decent. I also have a few leadership positions and community service. I'm in ELC and in-state. I'm probably going to apply into L&S; how difficult is it to change into EECS during the year?</p>

<p>Yeah, so my point: I know zilch about computer science. Can I pull off a high (3.5+) GPA if I apply myself?</p>

2

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<p>[Change</a> of College FAQ — UC Berkeley College of Engineering](<a href=“http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/prospective-students/admissions/change-of-college/change-of-college-faq.html]Change”>http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/prospective-students/admissions/change-of-college/change-of-college-faq.html)</p>

<p>However, there is no real point to switching to EECS when you can just declare L&S CS, unless you want to emphasize EE or do a joint or double major with another engineering major and take fewer than 6 junior/senior level CS courses.</p>

3

<p>Thanks! Will an employer choose a BS in CS over a BA in CS, though? </p>

<p>Also, do you think I will be able to do well with zero familiarity with computer science?</p>

4

<p>The majority DO know how to code beforehand, but if you have a strong interest you can pull off a decent GPA. Just make sure you work really hard your first year to learn the “computer programming” part as quickly as possible, so that you can focus on the “computer science” part after that.</p>

5

<p>Well they teach the classes in a way that assumes you do not have previous knowledge of programming. However the first few introductory classes may seem a little challenging since it will require to think in ways you probably aren’t used to. Once you get passed that point you should be ok. </p>

<p>My recommendation is to pick up a book on C++ or Java and practice a bit. You dont have to become a wizard or anything just understand the basics and how to program simple little applications or games.</p>

6

<p>I recommend this book: [Amazon.com:</a> Learn to Program with C++ (0783254040458): John Smiley: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Program-C-John-Smiley/dp/0072225351]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Program-C-John-Smiley/dp/0072225351)
and these ebooks:
[Mastering</a> C++ - Google Books](<a href=“Mastering C++ - K. R. Venugopal - Google Books”>Mastering C++ - K. R. Venugopal - Google Books)
[Teach</a> Yourself C++ in 21 Days](<a href=“http://newdata.box.sk/bx/c/]Teach”>http://newdata.box.sk/bx/c/)</p>

<p>And you can go to iTunesU and watch the Stanford’s lectures.</p>

<p>[‪StanfordUniversity's</a> Channel‬‏ - YouTube](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/user/StanfordUniversity#g/p]‪StanfordUniversity’s”>Stanford - YouTube)</p>

<p>Programming Abstractions:
[‪StanfordUniversity's</a> Channel‬‏ - YouTube](<a href=“Stanford - YouTube”>Stanford - YouTube)</p>

<p>Programming Methodology:
[‪StanfordUniversity's</a> Channel‬‏ - YouTube](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/user/StanfordUniversity#grid/user/84A56BC7F4A1F852]‪StanfordUniversity’s”>Stanford - YouTube)</p>

<p>Programming Paradigms:
[‪StanfordUniversity's</a> Channel‬‏ - YouTube](<a href=“Stanford - YouTube”>Stanford - YouTube)</p>

<p>There are other Computer related classes on there, but mostly practical for toward robotics. </p>

<p>MIT Classes:
[‪MIT's</a> Channel‬‏ - YouTube](<a href=“MIT OpenCourseWare - YouTube”>MIT OpenCourseWare - YouTube)</p>

<p>Intro to Computer Science & Programming:
[‪MIT's</a> Channel‬‏ - YouTube](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/user/MIT#grid/user/4C4720A6F225E074]‪MIT’s”>http://www.youtube.com/user/MIT#grid/user/4C4720A6F225E074)</p>

7

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<p>These career survey results do not make an exact comparison, since there are some EECS majors emphasizing EE, though CS is a popular emphasis within EECS. But it may be the best you can find that is Berkeley-specific:</p>

<p>BA CS: <a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/CompSci.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/CompSci.stm&lt;/a&gt;
BS EECS: <a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/EECS.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/EECS.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>And you can preview Berkeley CS courses here:</p>

<p>[EECS</a> Course WEB Sites](<a href=“http://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/classes-eecs.html]EECS”>CAS - Central Authentication Service)</p>

<p>Note that the CS 61A books and language interpreters are free.</p>

8

<p>Wow, thanks! Great info :slight_smile: looks like a BA works just as well, if not better haha :)</p>