<p>Should I tag/not tag to San Diego/Davis?
Major: Computer Science
GPA: ~3.73
Units: Will have 70 units finished by the end of Fall
Prereqs: All math. Missing Object Oriented Programming, Discrete Math, and Second course of calc-based Physics, Java(SD requires)
IGETC: Will be done by the end of Fall</p>
<p>I live in the bay area and I always have a dream of going to Cal Berekely. Yet, my gpa may not be as competitive as some other applicants for Computer Science, so I may apply for a different major and try to switch back to the College of L&S(CS Department). I go to DVC which has classes exactly equivalent to CS61B and CS61C to Berkeley and I will have them completed by this end of Fall. However, as I have mentioned above, if I tag to Davis/San Diego I will be expected to finish those missing pre-req for the school in the Spring. These classes are not easy and I'm not confident enough of getting a 3.5 or higher in Spring 2014 if Berkeley accepts me. This is a hard decision for me to make if I choose to take only one/two easy classes or challenge myself to take those aforementioned tough pre-reqs. I want to find an intern in the spring and I want to have a life... PLEASE HELPPPPP. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>There’s literally no reason not to TAG… if you meet the requirements and you plan to apply there, you might as well submit it. It doesn’t force you to attend there, nor can it hurt your chances.</p>
<p>Berkeley: L&S doesn’t admit by major. If your intent is CS, and your coursework is for CS, just apply as CS. EECS (in College of Engineering) does admit by major and is impacted, and when people talk about CS being hard to get into that’s generally what they’re referring to. L&S raised their CS requirements recently too… after you get in, you need to declare (because L&S admits everyone undeclared), and you’ll need a 3.0 in the pre-reqs now, which is still easier than EECS.</p>
<p>Also, I don’t know if this is true for L&S, but when I got in (EECS, I’m just starting my senior/second year) transfers only had to get a 3.0 for Winter/Spring/Summer, not a 3.5. But you should probably aim to finish your pre-reqs either way. Berkeley admissions are weird and generally unpredictable, so you really want to have a backup, and if you need pre-reqs for those you should be taking pre-reqs. (Also, classes here aren’t easy… you shouldn’t take/avoid classes because of difficulty, you should choose based on interest/usefulness.)</p>
<p>Thank you for your info failure622. Do you think I have a chance of getting into Berkeley with this GPA? Like you have mentioned, I want to apply as CS major but I do not have a relevant job or employment that would allow me to write a good personal statement. I hope finishing COMPSCI61B and COMSCI61C in the Fall will slightly increase my chance of acceptance.</p>
<p>I’d say you’ve got a pretty good chance. (My GPA was around 3.7-3.8, but I’m EECS and it was a different year. But honestly your GPA isn’t as bad as you’re making it out to be.) Berkeley is really really really hard to predict though and you should still have a backup plan because who knows what the admissions folk are looking for.</p>
<p>Also, you don’t need relevant work experience to write a good personal statement… from what I remember, the questions were along the lines of why you chose your major and something you’re proud of.</p>