Current CS/Physics Major at UIUC, Answering Questions.

From what I’ve heard, switching to another CS major from a CS major is still very difficult and not really any easier. Being in LAS instead of CoE is nice because LAS kids get more free elective hours, so they could take Linguistics classes on the side and maybe pick up a minor.

I don’t know a ton about PREP but I’ll try to answer as best as I can.

  1. You can take AP credit, just as any other student.
  2. No idea, I couldn't find any stats on students enrolled in PREP
  3. My guess is after the first year, but I can't find any info on that.
  4. Yes, I don't think you need to apply to engineering if you're in PREP.
  5. I'm not 100% sure what you mean. All courses you take are required for graduation since you need 128 hours to graduate. In PREP you take the foundation math/science courses (Calc, Chem/Physics), intro courses for your intended major, and then any gen eds. I know the university is big on having students get their Comp I gened done freshman year for example.

The nice thing about PREP is if you do well in your classes you’re guaranteed acceptance into a major (unless its the super competitive BioE,MechE, or CS).

https://dgs.illinois.edu/current-prep-students

@literallymarx I will be attending uiuc next fall as a stats and cs major… what operating system would you recommend? which os would be more convenient for the cs classes? tysm in advance

eh, I do most of my work in the computer labs at school. I use a windows computer for gaming and have an ubuntu dual-boot for programming.

Get whatever you like, you can always install a VM or dual-boot.

Hey marx,
I’m currently in pre engineering and deciding whether or not to double major in cs and physics. My biggest concern is I won’t have enough time and will not graduate on time. I’m coming in with a good amount of ap credit. If you could can you answer a couple questions for advice? What classes were you taking first semester? About how many credit hours did take each semester? And did you ever take classes in the summer or winter?

what gpa and act got u into uiuc for cs

@scooz11 I had about 50 or so AP/dual-enrollment credits coming in.

First semester I took CS125, 173; Chem 102+103, and a gen-ed. I didnt decide to do Physics as well til my 2nd year. CS125+CS173 isn’t a valid combination anymore though because they moved CS242 earlier into the curriculum recently and renamed it to CS126.

I never took any classes in the summer/winter except for Calc 3 at community college before coming in.

I had a semester with 17 and 18 credits, but generally I’ve been/will be taking 14-15 credits per semester (this semester is only 12 because I dropped a course.)

Engineering Physics has a computational physics concentration, and that goes really well with the CS major.

@diekuz89
GPA was around 3.8, ACT 36

How hard is taking Calc 3 at Oakton? I have an internship and can only take it at night 6-10PM twice a week, or online. In 7 weeks, I am wondering whether I am setting up myself for failure?

Dear @literallymarx How hard is taking Calc 3 at Oakton? I have an internship and can only take it at night 6-10PM twice a week, or online. In 7 weeks, I am wondering whether I am setting up myself for failure? I had a bad semester and I had to drop my calc 3 at my college; can you give me an idea of the difficulty of exams?

Hi, I haven’t read every single message on this thread so I’m sorry if I’m asking something previously answered, but I was accepted for the CS+Statistics major and I had a question about placement tests? Are we meant to take them before classes start, or after?

@psapienza it’s tough but manageable. I thought it was taught really well and set me up for the calc3 heavy Physics courseload.

@friedeggsandham you take them in the summer beforehand, they’re pretty easy and dont take too long.