Male applying from Washington State for Computer Science/Computer Engineering
3.9 UW GPA
1550 SAT (800 Math, 750 RW)
800 Math II 800 Chemistry Subject Tests
Extracurriculars: 3 varsity sports, coding internship, made multiple apps on the app store and two websites, some volunteering, retail job
I visited the campus over the summer and I really loved it, but considering I’m out of state I’m not sure to gauge my chances, especially considering that Wisconsin’s engineering program is top notch.
Cost is no issue
My son had a lower GPA and SAT and was accepted for engineering two years ago. You look like a great candidate for engineering. I can’t speak for computer science.
Also. my son was out of state.
Likely admission without postponement of the decision. Remember, you are admitted to the university as a whole. There are no space restrictions on the computer science major or CS engineering major to date, unlike some schools. Just looked at the two UW sites. My son was an Honors math major who added CS as a second major. He now works in Seattle. Since you are unsure of your software/hardware goals it is likely best to not try for a direct admit to Engineering in my opinion, but that is something you should research. Your freshman courses could be the same and you should be able to meet admission requirements to either major.
Important- it’s U-dub in WA and U-double U in WI. Good luck.
@wheatonmom thank you!
@wis75 so would you suggest I just apply to CS instead of computer engineering?
Not necessarily. You apply to UW as a whole and state your preferred major. You need to figure out which you think you prefer. You can change your mind once you are at UW but need a focus to start with. Your intended major will determine your SOAR (summer advising)- L&S or Engineering advisor.
The two fields are different. You need to ask yourself which aspect of working with computers most interests you. Hardware or software? You likely can handle either major so it becomes which courses you most want to take. Spend some time looking at the degree requirements and courses needed/suggested for each major. You should do this for all schools you might apply to. Theory or hands on? None of us can tell you which one is best for you. The good thing is that you can change your major whenever you want- as long as you meet criteria to be admitted to a major. Check the website for those- college gpa and courses taken matter. Those should not be a problem.
You will learn a lot about how things work once you are in college. For now it is good to be focused on one general area- it makes it much easier to plan. Stay flexible.
@wis75 thank you for the information! As of right now I think that I’ll apply to CS just because I have a lot of experience on the software side (for a high schooler anyways) and I really enjoy that but I’ll definitely keep an open mind about hardware as well.
No experience needed to choose any major. Prior knowledge/experience can make a course easier but they will teach what is needed in the college courses. You may want to look at requirements for courses in both majors and along with those needed for both majors add in the one(s) for the one major not needed for the other. Taking an intro to engineering type course comes to mind that I have seen as part of the preengineering freshman courses to take list. That could clarify your decision early on as you may love/hate it.
If you are at all interested in engineering you should put that as your first choice. The school of engineering has changed their admissions in the past few years, almost all students are admitted as freshman, it is challenging to transfer to engineering once you are admitted to a different college on campus. It’s much easier to start in engineering and then decide it isn’t for you.