<p>If you're an engineering student or have some experience with engineering program admissions, I'd really appreciate any input you can provide!</p>
<p>I want to apply to engineering programs (Berkeley, Cornell, Princeton ORFE, Waterloo) but I don't have any previous engineering background. </p>
<p>The closest engineering qualification I have is AP Computer Science. My extracurricular activities involve business, community outreach, and music--including some state/national awards...but no engineering experience.</p>
<p>My math/science-related qualifications are AP Chem, AP Calc BC, and Multivariable Calc. SAT Subjects include 800s in Math II and Chemistry.</p>
<p>I'm concerned for two main reasons: [ul]
[li] Would I be able to survive/excel in a college engineering program without previous engineering experience? </p>[/li]
<p>[li] Would I be significantly disadvantaged in the admissions process without any prior experience?[/ul][/li]I'm always open to exciting challenges, and after taking APCS, I became interested in a career in computer science/engineering. But I'm worried that I'd have to sacrifice my sanity to achieve a decent GPA in engineering. </p>
<p>Thank you so much for helping out a young CCer! If you have any personal experiences to share, I'd love to know as well.</p>
<p>Few high school students have significant engineering experience. Some computer programming experience is more likely, though.</p>
<p>Strong performance in high school math and science is obviously a benefit for those entering university majoring in engineering. If you did well in calculus and multivariable calculus, then you will likely be able to start math in the middle of the sophomore level courses (except at the super-elite science and engineering schools whose calculus courses include a lot more theory).</p>
<p>Since you mention Berkeley and computer science, you can apply to either the College of Engineering as an Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) major, or the College of Letters and Science (L&S) as undeclared (as all freshmen entering L&S are), intending to declare the Computer Science (L&S CS) major when eligible. EECS gives wider latitude to focus on various EE and CS subareas, but requires more physics and introductory electronics courses, while L&S CS focuses mainly on the CS subareas; they also have different breadth requirements. However, difficulty getting admitted differs between the two.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus - Thanks for bringing up Berkeley’s L&S CS option. That was exactly the possibility I was considering. Can you elaborate a bit more on the differences between L&S CS and EECS, specifically the subsequent career options? What do you mean by “CS subareas”? </p>
<p>you<em>of</em>eh - Yes, I’m a high school student. I guess I was referring more to computer programming experience, as ucb pointed out.</p>
<p>CS subareas: software (operating systems, languages / compilers, graphics, databases, etc.), theory (very much like math – complexity, computability, etc.), hardware (computer architecture, digital design, etc.)
EE subareas: electronics, signals and communications, control systems, power, computer hardware and architecture (overlaps with CS)</p>
<p>AP Computer Science A, while it gives no subject credit at Berkeley, is probably a reasonable high school level course that should have you ready to take the introductory computer science courses at Berkeley. (But don’t be surprised if you meet classmates who, during their high school years, did recreational computer programming of various sorts.)</p>