Chance a CA student with a strange pathway [4.0 college GPA, computer science]

Chance Me / Match Me!
,
1

Demographics: Male, Asian/White, Went to decently high ranking public HS (#300-400 in US, idk if that helps my chances)

Intended major: CS

ACT 36: 36 Math/Reading, 35 Science/English

UW HS GPA: 3.96

W HS GPA: 4.6

College GPA: 4.0

AP Scores:

AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Calc BC, AP CSP, AP Chinese: 5

AP USH, AP Eng Lang: 4

Important courses taken/taking: Calc 3, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra (taken at CMU)

Awards:

Qualified for AIME 4 years in a row, (8th grade - 11th grade). Highest AIME score: 8 (top 600 in US).

ECs:

Attended Summer Session at CMU and took 15-122 (Highest level CS class offered) and 21-241 (Linear Algebra) and got A’s in both classes. These classes count for college credit at CMU.

Played piano in both Junior High and HS Jazz Band, played as first chair piano for a year there.

Teaching Calculus to 20-30 students at a fairly large Non-Profit organization. Also VP of the organization.

Some more smaller EC’s

LOR: I’m getting a letter of rec from my professor of the 21-241 course at CMU. I really liked the class and was very attentive throughout lecture. I also attended all of the office hours and could tell that the professor thought I had good ideas and intuition.

Important Context: I took the CHSPE to graduate from HS after 11th grade and am instead spending a year at CC before applying to colleges. I’ve taken enough dual enrollment credits at this CC to transfer as a junior after one year.

College Apps list: CMU (dream school), UC’s (UCLA and UCB especially), USC (double legacy), Rice, Purdue, University of Washington, UIUC, Georgia Tech, Cal Tech, U Chicago

(I know all of my schools are hard to get into, I’m planning on doing another year at my CC and adding some more EC projects if I don’t get into where I want)

2

If you took the CHSPE and have since taken a year of classes at a community college, then you are applying as a transfer student, not a freshman. Is that also your understanding?

3

You need a safety or two you’d be happy with. You can’t CC your way all the way to your dream school. If you land at one of them…GREAT! If not, you’ll have a path into your desired career.

1 Like
4

It sounds like you are a very strong candidate but I wanted to make you aware that Purdue CS is typically a closed out major for transfer students. CS is already listed as closed for transfers for Fall of '24":

3 Likes
5

CC transfer can increase chances at some UCs, but less often at privates.

6

Oh, I agree. Still, they are highly competitive. The foundation of ANY college plan is a sure thing. Anything beyond that is gravy.

2 Likes
7

yup

1 Like
8

Yes, and my other concern is that there are often specific course requirements for transfer students. Although OP states that he has enough credits for junior standing upon transfer, we don’t know if these credits cover the specified course load that UCs look for in transfer students. So I think we still need more info from the OP.

But, yes, totally agree on the safety. If we knew more, we could think about TAG which wouldn’t help with UCB or UCLA, but could make UC Davis, for example, a sure thing.

2 Likes
9

I’ve checked my course plan against the assist. org agreements and IGETC requirements and I satisfy all of the courses needed.

2 Likes
10

Transfers by major | University of California can give you an idea of how selective each UC is for CS (25th-75th percentile college GPA ranges, admission rates).

1 Like
11

That’s great. Hopefully @Gumbymom will find her way here soon. She’ll likely be able to tell you the admission rates for various UCs for CS transfer students. Have you considered any CSUs?

What about budget? How much is your family willing/able to spend?

1 Like
12

The only UC campuses that accept TAG for CS are UC Riverside and UC Merced. The rest of the TAG campuses have excluded CS.

3 Likes
13

Would it be possible to TAG as applied math and add a second degree in CS?

14

Yes, at some campuses it may be possible to TAG for Math and add a CS major. This scenario would have to researched at each of the UC campuses. A CS minor as a Transfer would be more feasible.

1 Like
15

You have to check each campus to see if adding a CS major or changing to CS is possible after entering as a transfer student.

16

At UCSB, you cannot TAG to Math and then add CS as a major after matriculating as a Transfer.

Students admitted to UCSB as a transfer student are only permitted to major in a College of Engineering major if they were directly admitted into that specific major when they matriculated as a transfer student. Transfer students may NOT petition to change or to add an engineering major, and therefore are not eligible for the CS change of major application process.

For UCI and UCD, it looks possible to double major in Math and CS but not guaranteed.

The Computer Science program is impacted, meaning that there are more students in our majors, minors, or who want to take our classes than there are spaces available. This makes it harder to get classes and transfer into our department than in non-impacted majors. We, therefore, encourage you to use the Internship and Career Center for exploring interests, majors, and career areas to make an informed decision about the major that is right for you, so you can create an interdisciplinary skill set for your future endeavors. Pursuing a CS major will likely result in an extended time to degree.

UCSC information for Double major:

To declare a double major or major/minor program, declare your first major (if it’s not already declared) through the process listed here. Once your first major is approved and declared, add your second major or minor using the process on the same page. Be sure to let your advisors know that you’re planning a double major or major/ minor program! You must file a quarter-by-quarter academic plan showing that you are able to complete the program within the maximum number of quarters of enrollment available to you at UCSC. Students who enter as junior transfer students are expected to complete their degree requirements in two years of enrollment (and are allowed a maximum of three years.

1 Like
17

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.