Hey guys!
I am an international student and hence, I got into Pre-Science instead of Computer Science DA.
I have also been admitted to other good universities where I will be guaranteed a CS major (UCI, UWisconsin, Purdue etc.)
Is it worth the risk at UDub for me?
Or should I go with my other choices?
Thanks!
bump
Anything is worth the risk if you actually want to achieve it. Computer Science at UW is competitive, but it’s easily possible with a high GPA and good essay. Even if you don’t get into Computer Science you can focus on another major like Electrical Engineering with a focus in Computer Science.
I don’t know how much you know about major companies like Microsoft or Google, or even start ups, but these companies aren’t looking for people with certain degrees, they’re looking for smart people. They just want to see that you have the ability to achieve and pursue. So don’t let Pre-Science get you down. Go to the university that you really want to go to and work hard toward your dreams.
@Loganmr97 Well yeah but I could end up nothing getting the CS major because they only take half of all applicants and they do a holistic admissions thing, so it’s like freshman admissions all over again.
I just want to know to know if it’s worth going to UDub over UWisconsin for this, which also has an excellent CS program and I would get the CS major there for sure.
Past student experiences don’t give an accurate picture, as CS admissions is a moving target, becoming more competitive each year, despite the recent increase in the size of the dept – more students are admitted in absolute numbers, but fewer in relative numbers as the applicant pool continues to grow faster than the dept. A single bad quarter in a prereq class can really set you back in the CS admissions process – a 3.3 in honors intro physics is considered a “bad” grade by CS advisors, for example, and will keep you out of the program unless you repeat the class or take a harder physics class with a 3.6+ grade.
Moreover, all of the “backup” CS majors, such as Informatics, ACMS, EE, HCDE have seen increasing applicant pools due to spillover from CS rejects, and these majors have become very competitive as well. Even math, which was an open major until the current quarter, is now competitive.
So your decision to attend UW Seatle as undeclared vs another school with a firm CS spot depends on how strongly you feel about attending UW Seattle, your willingness to settle for a “backup” major rather than CS at UW Seattle, and how stressed you will be about the uncertainty of gaining admission to CS when you are in those weedout prereq classes at UW Seattle.
As far as a future career in CS, it won’t matter a bit which university you attend – once you have your first job, you will be evaluated according to your work experience and no one in the industry will care where you went to school. (I’m speaking as someone who has been working in the software development industry for 30 years.)
@triseradad I am definitely going to pick the University of Wisconsin, Madison over UDub if that’s the case! I really don’t want to ruin my college experience stressing over the extreme competitiveness and uncertainty.
I love computer science too much and I don’t think I will be giving it up for any University in the world!
Thank you for the info, it has been tremendously useful 