<p>I can't decide whether to apply for engineering or L&S and then Haas, I'm unsure what I want to do- either business or engineering or both. </p>
<p>can someone who's in Cal engineering describe to me what's it like to major in engineering at Cal? Is it so hard that I won't have anytime to go out to have fun or go abroad for a semester or do internship? Do I need to spend all my four years in the library?</p>
<p>any insight would be appreciated</p>
<p>I thought I might do Haas and engineering, but after getting here, I'd say its damn near impossible. Even with just engineering you'll have to devote a lot of time to school. In order to Double in Haas and Eng you'd probably be taking upwards of 19-20 units per semester, which is insane for engineering. I'm taking 17 units, and am really regretting it. I'm sure its possible, and I've heard of people doing it, but you would basically have no time for anything whatsover if you hope to get decent grades in all you engineering/haas breadth.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman (EECS) in my first semester so maybe I'm not in a position to comment - but I'm taking 17 units and find the difficulty level highly overrated..</p>
<p>Well, come back and comment once you reach the upper division. :)</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>I'm a BioE major and I when I first entered I wanted to go on the business/engineering track as well. Turns out it's way to hard to do it in 4 years (your first two years will be crammed as hell trying to get in all the pre-reqs/breadths for haas, then your last 2 years will be crammed taking upper divs for both colleges) So I have decided to leave the option open for applying to Haas my 3rd year. It makes the workload SO much easier, and I personally would not mind staying a 5th year to finish the degree. The only negative side to this is that you have to keep your grades up all the way through your 1st semester of your 3rd year - and I heard when BioE turns to upper division, it gets pretty tough. EECS majors on the other hand, i've heard is more possible to do EECS+HAAS in 4 years - the first two years will be hell but since eecs only has 20 upper div units, the schedule is less packed.</p>
<p>I would also add that, speaking of double-majors/double-degrees, I am fairly lukewarm about their value. The fact is, it's a pretty low-yield activity. It's not going to give you much of a boost either in terms of getting a job or in terms of getting into grad school, relative to the amount of extra work you have to pull off in getting the double. I know a number of people who've pulled off doubles in engineering + business at MIT, and STILL lost out to the job they wanted or the grad school they wanted to another MIT student who completed just a single-major. In fact, I know one of them who lost out on the job he wanted (a tech management job) to somebody who just had a single Sloan degree who bitterly said that he should have spent less time studying to get the double and more time in just practicing his interview skills and in doing more networking.</p>
<p>Personally, I think a better use of your time would be spent either doing the above (interview practice or networking), getting more work experience (i.e. internship/co-oop work), or just getting a master's degree. Any of these alternatives would probably be a more marketable use of your time than getting a double. You should get a double only because you are genuinely interested in both fields. Don't do it because you think you will actually impress anybody, because the truth is, the only person who you will probably be able to impress is yourself.</p>
<p>This is slightly off topic, but when talking to my advisor, he was telling me about a student he had who refused to take more than 12 units semester. Every year he took the minimum # of units. He didn't go for any doubles or minors. Turns out, he got into MIT for grad school. I think the key is, focus on what you like, and do well in it. Dont overload or stretch yourself too thin. I'm an ME right now, but may switch to IEOR if I decide I want to move into something more bussiness related. Haas has too many requirements, and is so strict at getting people out in two years.</p>
<p>I'm with Sakky on this one. The only time a double major is beneficial is if one of the majors is for your career and the other major simply interests you (a lot).</p>
<p>I've heard the same from many people - that double majoring really isn't THAT useful. My ultimate goal is to find a job right after I graduate, (ideally Health Care Investment, or something of that nature.) I still have much to learn about different career opportunities and paths (still a freshman). I want to possibly consulting/investment banking after I graduate to a my foot into the business world, and possibly later go into management in the biotech industry. I am most interested in bioengineering (hence my major), but career-wise I would not want to become a bio-engineer, or get a PhD to become a professor! What are some other ways of obtaining the opportunities Haas allows you (recruiting, an easier time getting a startup job) without going that path?</p>
<p>Thank you all for your advices, I guess I'll give up the idea of double majoring.
I still need to decide a major: undeclared business in L&S or engineering.
any suggestion on the degree of difficulty for either option?
and how hard is it to get into Haas from L&S?</p>
<p>
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This is slightly off topic, but when talking to my advisor, he was telling me about a student he had who refused to take more than 12 units semester. Every year he took the minimum # of units. He didn't go for any doubles or minors. Turns out, he got into MIT for grad school.
[/quote]
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<p>I presume you're talking about one of the MIT MS/PhD programs (not, say, the Sloan MBA program or the MCP program in the School of Architecture, etc.) </p>
<p>You have to consider the fact that MS/PhD programs, and the ones at MIT in particular, key heavily on research potential, as evidenced by publication or prof rec's, to determine admissions. For example, you can have rather middling grades (i.e. a low 3.0), have taken relatively few classes, but if you've gotten yourself published in a major journal and have strong prof rec's attesting to your research ability, you'll probably get in - or at least, you're more likely to get in than somebody who has a 4.0 and did a triple-major, but has no research potential to speak of. MS/PhD admissions are far more weighted towards research than about how well you did in your classes, because the fact is, the life of a MS/PhD student revolves around conducting research and writing articles. </p>
<p>
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What are some other ways of obtaining the opportunities Haas allows you (recruiting, an easier time getting a startup job) without going that path?
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</p>
<p>Do your own independent networking and garnering work experience through internships/co-ops. It means showing up to the biotech social functions and schmoozing, it means networking with former alumni in the biotech space, talking to profs who do biotech to perhaps get some leads or get onto a research project, and so forth.</p>