CS major - how do I transfer in 2 years?

  1. No APs, I'm a non traditional student in my late 30s.
  2. No matter how I slice it, with 15 units per semester I could only graduate with all major preps done in 3 years. I'm worried about course overload that leads to a lower GPA, so I try not to take too many technical courses per semester.
  3. I'm also gunning for an associate degree from my CC. That takes up an additional 8 units that could be used for prep work.
  4. I also try not to take technical courses during the summer, since that is 4 months of study material cramped into 1 month. Again, the GPA factor worries me.
  5. Since I'm out of school for a long time, I'm not overly confident in my precalculus and comprehension skills. I tried to self-study at Khan Academy and got stuck at trigonometry, and realized I probably could not place directly in college writing and reading without some intermediate college writing/reading classes.

So, from people who are roughly in my shoes before, how did you manage it? Any advice to share on acing those CS prerequisites (calculus, college physics, R&C requirements) and getting an AS-T in 2 years?

Have you met with the Transfer Advisor at your CC? That person is likely to have worked with other students just like you in the past, and can give you a hand with your course planning.

There is no point to get an AS degree if you plan to transfer to a 4 year college.
For CS major you probably need 2-3 CS courses to meet transfer requirement.

California resident?

If so, have you been using http://www.assist.org to map courses from your community college to the UCs and CSUs that you have been targeting?

The following math placement exams can help you determine which precalculus topics you need to review before taking calculus:

https://math.berkeley.edu/courses/choosing/placement-exam
http://math.tntech.edu/e-math/placement/index.html

@happymomof1: I am still in the middle of enrolling, so I don’t think I have access to a CC transfer counselor at this stage. I’m just trying to get as much information as possible before executing these college plans. ^

@coolweather, well the thing is as CS/EECS majors clear the lower division prerequisites at a CC, we are just missing 1 or 2 more courses to wrap up the requirements for an AS. UCs however, don’t give admission guarantee for having one so that’s something I need to weigh carefully.

@ucbalumnus: thanks for posting the math placement questions! I definitely need to work on my precalculus and those questions help me narrow down the focus.

I am out of state. I have used ASSIST to look through target schools for CS/EECS. The short version of it is we need at least one college writing course (Berkeley will ask for 2), a crap ton of math classes (about 6 in total) and for EECS, at least 2 college level physics classes. That’s on top of the programming languages we need to take.

If you are not a California resident, are you able to afford a California public university without financial aid? Or are you a veteran with GI Bill?

@ucbalumnus for q1, my finances are enough (just barely!) for college without taking out a loan. And for q2, no.

I don’t think you’ll be able to afford the UCs. At $55K per year, this will be expensive.
There is no financial aid for non-residents.

@aunt bea, yeah if the finances do not work out, I’m heading back to work after an AS. That will mean I might have to consider putting the bachelor’s goals on hold for a while.

The bachelor’s goals may work for you now if you stay instate.
Going OOS for a California public school, which are all impacted in CS, and paying full fees is really not a good idea. Your loans would put you in the hole for $250K. That doesn’t make any financial sense.

Actually, not all CA publics are impacted for CS. CSUEB is not, for example.

Since the OP will transfer, the cost will be less than $250k (and CSUs cost less than UCs). But whether the added cost is worth it over an in state public is another matter.

To the OP, what is your state of residency?

I’m from Florida.

Don’t worry too much about my financials though. As you folks can probably tell, my road map to major in CS has a couple of options marked.

Why not the various Florida public universities?

@ucbalumnus: the 2 same reasons that almost everyone who is serious about CS do so: i.) proximity to Silicon Valley for the networking opportunities and ii.) UCs give admission priority to CCs in California.

You are a FL resident attending a CA community college?

The enrollment counselors can give you a solid plan for your studies. Start with them if you can’t speak with the transfer adcisor just yet.