<p>I would like to know how CS is at UCLA. I hear many people say that it is killer and time-consuming. How is it in relation to other engineering majors?</p>
<p>Others have had much to say on this topic; search the forum for “computer science.” I’m a first year CS major, though, so I’ll give you my 2 cents anyway: If you feel like a large public research university is right for you, then UCLA and its CS department are very good to consider.</p>
<p>Most importantly, if you can make the upcoming HSSEAS Open House on Sunday, April 11 (and if you got an invitation to it), <em>GO</em>. This event pretty much solidified my decision to attend UCLA. You’ll get to see the beautiful campus and listen to various speakers. In the CS department presentation last year, two of the great speakers, Profs. Smallberg and Nachenberg, are now my teachers. There’s also the luncheon, where you can talk to faculty, alumni, and students from the department. The third year student I sat next to at the lunch was extremely nice; she answered all my questions (in a realistic, non-cheerleading way) and told me to Facebook her if I had any more questions. If you can attend this, it will very much help you get a feel for the CS department here at UCLA.</p>
<p>As far as the “killer” and “time-consuming” aspects go, I’m sure that the dozens of freshmen who have already switched out of CS would say it’s “killer”. But if you know that you want to study CS, then you should be fine, especially if you have done a little bit of it already and are reasonably confident that you won’t struggle too much in understanding the material. Regardless of your aptitude, however, it is definitely very time-consuming. It’s at least on par with other engineering majors, and from what I’ve heard and seen, I’d say it’s one of the more time-consuming engineering majors. But if you’re like me, you’ll hate the math and physics requirements but enjoy (almost) every minute you spend coding :)</p>
<p>thanks a lot man! that was actually really useful.
I actuallywas admitted as a Materials Engineering major and might be switching into that. </p>
<p>I do enjoy calculus for the most part…but I can’t stand physics lol. How do you find physics for engineers at LA?</p>
<p>For those of you are attending the CS Open House, I’ll be a part of the student panel so look out for me :)</p>
<p>^Will your name tag have your username on it?</p>
<p>My experience with CS has been very pleasant so far and I have no experience at all in the field.</p>
<p>CS is not a killer, although Prof. Smallberg does point out that there is a 1/3rd attrition rate. As a first year who came in with no previous programming knowledge, I did not find the classes difficult, just really time-consuming. CS is one of the most time-consuming engineering majors, but if you really like coding, it isn’t too bad.</p>
<p>I haven’t finished the required physics classes myself, but we only have to take 2 classes and 2 labs. I found my first physics class to be difficult, especially because most of my classmates took AP Physics in high school and I didn’t. Don’t worry about it too much though. Just pass those classes and then you can get to the more fun stuff. :P</p>
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<p>:rolleyes:</p>
<p>thank you guys! that actually sounds pretty reassuring.</p>
<p>One grave regret I have about my undergraduate education at UCLA is that I failed to overcome the initial overwhelming barrier when I took the CS 10 (it was a C++ class).</p>
<p>I had intended to major in Business Econ with Specialization (like a minor) in Computing. This was my grandiose goal, and I have seen many of my classmates who did so going to some of the finest tech-related invement banking firms.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I was too unfocused and too unmotivated, and I eventually dropped the class.</p>
<p>THis is the one regret I still have to this day, and for those of you curious enough to open the catalog for some serious inspection of many specialization programs, I strongly urge each of you to consider the prospect of “SPECIALIZING IN COMPUTING OR IN MATH”.</p>
<p>This wont let you down - both intellectually and job prospect-wise.</p>
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<p>I think you meant PIC 10a, which doesn’t even compare to the classes CS majors have to take.</p>
<p>Oh, I can imagine. I did not find Pic 10A that difficult, but just time consuming. I said what I said previously in a way to show my personal regret of not having endured enough. Had I really forced myself to finish the coursework, I would have learned so much, so much more from the specialization in computing program.</p>
<p>It is sad, indeed. That is the only one regret I have about my UCLA undergraduate experience.</p>