I transferred into Berkeley CS

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>I took classes at another reputable university and maintained perfect grades. I am nowhere near the top of my class at Berkeley.</p>

<p>Some advice for the CS majors:
1. Strongly consider retaking some of the lower division courses: 61B, CS70, and 61C. I didn't do this.
2. Don't take >3 technical classes during your first semester. I tried this and failed.</p>

<p>The same can probably be said for the other engineering majors.</p>

<p>The dilemma some of us--not just transfers--are forced to face is that is it significantly easier to maintain a good record, i.e. have good grades and participate in research, at another less reputable university and still get into an awesome graduate school. Keep this in mind.</p>

2

<p>The problem is, it can be difficult to fulfill both of your recommendations.</p>

<p>If you have to retake your lower division courses (or take them the first time because your previous college did not have them – a common situation for many community colleges), you will have to compress those courses and your seven or eight upper division technical courses into your four semesters, which would require taking a greater number of technical courses per semester.</p>

<p>For a community college transfer into L&S CS who was unable to take any of the lower division CS courses before transfer (but has completed the needed math courses and breadth or IGETC requirements), a possible schedule would be something like:</p>

<p>Summer: CS 61A, CS 70
Fall: CS 61B, EE 42, Math 116(a), elective
Spring: CS 61C, CS 170(b), EE 122(b), elective
Summer: internship
Fall: CS 162, 2 other CS courses, elective
Spring: 2 or 3 CS courses, 1 or 2 elective(s)</p>

<p>(a) Cryptography, requires only Math 55 which is similar to CS 70; counts as a technical elective.
(b) Requires CS 61B but does not require CS 61C, so can be taken before CS 61C is completed to reduce schedule pressure later. CS 170 is a theory course that does not involve programming.</p>

<p>Managing the workload may be more of a case of avoiding taking too many courses with programming, labs, or projects all at once.</p>

<p>Transfers into EECS need to also fit EE 20N and two upper division humanities and/or social studies breadth courses, as well as check the EECS upper division requirements, assuming that they have completed the lower division math, science, and breadth requirements.</p>

3

<p>Nevermind.</p>

4

<p>The technical electives can be taken over the summer and EE42 can be skipped with sufficient background (physics e&m + a circuits course). Unless one decides to take the lower level CS courses, I don’t think the material from EE42 ever comes up again.</p>

<p>Provided you already have experience programming (which you should anyway):</p>

<p>Summer: 61b, AC
Fall: 61c, CS70,
Spring: 61a, 2 upper div CS (I got into 2 upper division CS classes being undeclared)
Summer: elective, research or internship or another elective
Fall: 2 upper division CS
Spring: 2 upper division CS</p>

<p>Take the second elective whenever convenient.</p>

5

<p>I have a question.</p>

<p>Would it be feasible to take 61A&EE42&CS70 at the first Fall? Cuz those are the only courses I need to declare the major.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

6

<p>CS 61A has programming, so it may be a lot of work. You can preview the course and others at [EECS</a> Course WEB Sites](<a href=“http://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/classes-eecs.html]EECS”>CAS - Central Authentication Service) .</p>

<p>CS 70 is like a math course (discrete math).</p>

<p>EE 42 is an electronics course; lab is optional (EE 43).</p>

<p>Will you have CS 61B and CS 61C completed by then?</p>

7

<p>I’ve already finished them in CC.</p>

8

<p>Thank you I forgot to say. It sounds like these courses are not easy to get through right?</p>

9

<p>You may want to preview them on the web site to get an idea of how difficult they may be for you. However, since CS 70 and EE 42 are not lab, programming, or project courses, their workload should be relatively light compared to CS 61A or other CS courses with programming. A non-lab non-programming non-project course will likely be comparable to a math course in workload, although CS 70 and upper division CS theory and math courses will involve more proofs and derivations than typical calculus and linear algebra courses at the freshman and sophomore level.</p>