How will grad schools see my double-major?

College Majors
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<p>I'm a high school senior. I'll enter college with 9 math credits (Calc I, Calc II, Linear Algebra), 8 computer science credits, and 12 english credits, as well as a dozen or so others from APs.</p>

<p>I'm planning on attending the University of Arizona. I have a friend up there pursuing two degrees, a bachelor's in systems engineering and a bachelor's in math. I've planned on pursuing two degrees (bs in mathematics, bs in computer science) and a minor (computer engineering) for about a year now, and I still love the idea.</p>

<p>However, the College of Science at UA does not. Quoted from a UA web page:</p>

<p>The College of Science (CoS) will not award two degrees with the same degree title within the CoS.</p>

<p>They'll award one degree, listing it as a double major in mathematics and computer science. That is, "Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics" as opposed to "Bachelor of Science in Computer Science" and "Bachelor of Science in Mathematics".</p>

<p>I think (at least right now) that I really want to go to a top 10 (preferably top 5!) grad school for computer science. I love theoretical computer science and the mathematics behind it. In high school, I've not done enough to set myself apart from other students to earn admission to a much better school for computer science (or, rather, to afford it). I really don't want to repeat this mistake in college.</p>

<p>I guess what I'm asking is this: Will grad schools that I apply to be able to tell the difference between my degree in "Computer Science and Mathematics" and the degrees that other students will have such as these:
Math/CS</a> - Computer Science BA, BS, Computer Science/Mathematics BS
Math/CS</a> Coursework | Undergraduate Education | Computer Science | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</p>

<p>Neither of these require as much math as I plan on doing; I truly love math. I want to do research into theoretical computational computer science and algorithm design in grad school, or before. Will the grad schools that I apply to be able to see the skillset that I'll acquire in my undergraduate years? Will that, a high GPA, and some undergrad teaching/research experience even begin to make up for the lack of name value my undergraduate institution will hold?</p>

<p>Sometimes I get kind of discouraged that maybe my dreams of getting my Ph D from a school that will change my life were shot when i didn't do much outside of class in the first few years of high school.</p>

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<p>"I guess what I'm asking is this: Will grad schools that I apply to be able to tell the difference between my degree in "Computer Science and Mathematics" and the degrees that other students will have such as these:"</p>

<p>I'm not sure what you are talking about and why you think your'e going to be better than those.
But anyway, I'm sure they will see exactly what you have done when they look at your transcript.</p>

<p>"Sometimes I get kind of discouraged that maybe my dreams of getting my Ph D from a school that will change my life were shot when i didn't do much outside of class in the first few years of high school."</p>

<p>Extracurriculars?</p>

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<p>I think I'm going to do better than those because I've looked through the course requirements of those degrees, and they require both fewer math and fewer computer science credits than a BS in either.</p>

<p>"Extracurriculars?"</p>

<p>Good job. Not everyone enters high school knowing, or having parts that know, how to play the college admissions game. My ECs are lacking. I just want to do better this time around.</p>

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<p>"Good job. Not everyone enters high school knowing, or having parts that know, how to play the college admissions game. My ECs are lacking. I just want to do better this time around."</p>

<p>Hey man, you'll be fine. I guarantee it. I hope you applied to Berkeley...our graduate departments in math and CS are both amazingly top ranked, and we're arguably the best around in CS theory. As a bonus, you seem to have math credentials well beyond a traditional high schooler.</p>

<p>I was just like you -- was a very good student, didn't do EC's, and has a passion for mathematics. Your passion for math will show when you do a ton of it in your university.</p>

<p>You are heading in the right direction for grad school, sir. They don't CARE about EC's. They want you to be passionate about your subject area.</p>

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<p>But my heart goes with you. We need more people like you who're just all out interested in their subject areas. While I am not against people doing EC's, I feel it has become something of a crazy to be <em>really good at an EC for four years of high school</em> to get into college. I really dislike this, and know for a fact that people like you will make it to grad school if you maintain your passion.</p>

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<p>Thanks so much, mathboy. Private message me if you'd like to chat via email or aim or something else. I'd love the chance (:</p>

<p>Thanks for the encouragement.</p>

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<p>mathboy98, are you an undergraduate at Berkeley?</p>

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<p>Hey, I'm in almost exactly the same situation as you (except I'm, what, three years down the line?)</p>

<p>I am double majoring in Computer Science and Physics, and may possibly end up with a minor in Math on accident. I hope to go to graduate school and study computational science (theoretical issues, applications, and software engineering issues).</p>

<p>I'm not going to that "great" of a University (Auburn's good, and I love it, but it's not very highly ranked, compared to some of the more prestigious Universities out there) but I'm not too worried about that. Because of a particular situation I found myself in, I was unable to procure interesting employment in high school and there were no extracurriculars to speak of. Also, these circumstances served to (artificially?) lower my high school GPA by half a point. Finally, taking AP tests was prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. (Trust me on all this... message me for details regarding my specific circumstances).</p>

<p>Anyway, what I can recommend to you is this: get involved in teaching / tutoring AND research. Both are available to undergraduates and can pay very well.</p>

<p>I have tutored over 400 hours already, and will be doing more. I am an undergraduate teaching assistant in the Math department here, and I can only assume that will look good on a CV. Plus, it's very rewarding. If you're going for a doctoral degree, especially, teaching will be something you'll be expected to do in graduate school and afterwards. It's also a great way to learn more about your subject (different teachers assign different problems, sections, etc.) and meet people (develop interpersonal skills).</p>

<p>Undergraduate research will be open to you by your second semester, if not sooner. Just ask around the department, ask professors you like, ask anybody. Be shameless. I sort of had something fall into my lap, but you can go out and look for it if you want. Read what sort of research professors do and tell the ones who are doing research you're interested in that you would be interested in helping out in any way you can. I got a sweet job doing research in computational physics (specifically, in modeling massively nonlinear systems in the area of electrodynamics) and worked there for four semesters. My work resulted in one published paper (Positron</a> and electron collisions with anti-protons in strong magnetic fields) and another on the way. I also assume this can only look good on a CV.</p>

<p>If you can get some undergraduate research, some tutoring / teaching, a good one-two punch like math-comp.sci. and a GPA above 3.0, you should be pretty good. Take opportunities when they come to you, and stay focused. Don't worry about the "prestige" of your undergraduate institution. The only thing that makes prestigious universities better is that more smart people per capita go there. If you're smart, and you work hard, you are the one who decides how much you learn.</p>

<p>P.S. I respect theoretical CS people. I really like that area, too, and maybe in graduate school I'll take some more theory classes. In fact, that would be lovely.</p>