<p>So I'm an incoming freshman, and after doing some research and talking to some people, I've realized that I'm particularly interested in the field of Operations Research. I see that there are two main ways to study the subject at Berkeley: the Operations Research and Management Science (ORMS) major in L/S, and the Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR) major in COE. I understand that the curriculum for each is different, as ORMS requires Econ 1 and UGBA 10, while IEOR is more structured and requires physics and other engineering-specific classes. </p>
<p>I know that both programs are quite difficult to get into. On one hand, ORMS is heavily capped, as their website says that they only take something like 25 students. If I wanted to apply for that major, I would take Math 53 and Econ 1 my first semester, followed by Math 54 and UGBA 10 my second semester, before applying at the end of my first year at Berkeley. On the other hand, IEOR is not THE most popular major in the College of Engineering, but the fact it is in COE automatically makes it harder to switch into. Anyways, so my question is: Which one of the two programs would it be easier for an incoming L/S student to get into? That is, assuming I get all A's or mostly A's my first year, which of the programs would most likely reject me despite those good grades? I don't really have a preference as to which one I would enter, because all of the classes listed on the course guidelines of both majors seem interesting to me.</p>
<p>Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to say that you’re not smart or anything, but you can’t really assume you’ll get all A’s or mostly A’s first semester. I mean, getting into Cal is great, congrats, but looking at the four classes you just listed, 53, 54, Econ 1, and UGBA 10, those aren’t exactly easy A’s. </p>
<p>If you try to switch into CoE, that’d make things a lot harder, because you’d need your Physics 7A, 7B, Chem 1A, and a bunch of other technical classes that would make getting a stellar GPA even more difficult. </p>
<p>Given all that, I’d say pick one or the other, but don’t work towards both. I don’t know much about either department, but I’d say trying to add Econ 1 and UGBA 10 to the IEOR curriculum and maintaining a good GPA would require a lot of time and effort that would deter from the entire college experience. If you choose to shoot for one or the other, I think you would bolster your chances of successfully applying.</p>
<p>On the other hand, UGBA and Econ classes count towards humanities requirements… so you wouldn’t be going too far out of the way to apply for IEOR. But taking those as your humanities is more work than say taking an Ethnic Studies or ESPM class. </p>
<p>Lastly, good luck. Congrats on getting into Cal. :]</p>
<p>Sorry, I’m really confused and I am wondering if you guys can help me. If you get into the ORMS, you have to maintain an average of 3.2 for the first year for you to continue that major the second year? What if you don’t have a 3.2 GPA? are you kick off the school then?</p>
<p>A student with the lower division ORMS prerequisites can declare the statistics major. Adding Math 55 allows declaring the math (pure or applied) major. Both majors are not capped.</p>