<p>How bad does it look if you want to be a comp sci major but have only taken a intro comp sci course at school and are currently taking AP Comp Sci AB senior year?</p>
<p>I mean, I know other applicants have developed websites and all that jazz.</p>
<p>You'll be fine. Some students come in with less preparation; some come in with more.</p>
<p>I mean, I have good ecs and grades and scores but I emphatically said I wanted to take Computer Science as a major and even wrote an essay about how much I loved it but I don't have the greatest amount of experience.</p>
<p>A lot of schools don't even have real computer science classes. Like, at my school, computer science is just learning how to use Word, so the fact that you even took the classes should be pretty good.</p>
<p>But this is like MIT, u know? I feel like there should be a huge standard.</p>
<p>No. There shouldn't be a standard for the incoming students for that. MOST schools don't have classes in computer science or engineering, don't go past AP Calculus BC (and a lot only have AB) and at most have the intro class and then maybe an AP for the sciences and since MIT is quite diverse, I'm sure most people don't come from the few schools that actually do go in depth into those things. The point of college is to go to learn your major. If you already know everything, what's the point of going :P. All schools including MIT know this. While being a pro at it won't hurt, there's no way they make their decisions on how well you already know the major.</p>
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But this is like MIT, u know? I feel like there should be a huge standard.
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<p>Like Balaylay said, no. You go to college to learn things, not to show off how much you already know.</p>
<p>How many nuclear engineering majors come in already having taken a class on quantum mechanics? How many BCS majors already have brain research under their belt when they first enter MIT?</p>
<p>Every major here is prerequisite-less.</p>
<p>There is no standard of that. I mean, first of all, intended major is not going to get you accepted or rejected (unless you say you want to be a major that MIT doesn't have, or something like that...). And even if you DO intend to be a CS major, you don't get placement for AP Comp Sci; you'd still have to take the intro CS class with people (like me!) who didn't start programming until just before the class (yay for IAP!). You've taken some computer science classes, which is definitely more than a lot of people I know here who want to be CS majors.</p>
<p>EDIT: 900th post! Woot!</p>
<p>thanks for the encouragements!</p>
<p>Your intended major is not used as a basis for admission at MIT. MIT admits students who they believe will succeed at MIT without regard to filling programs. MIT students are free to change their major at any time, although nominally declare a major after the first year.</p>
<p>@misterlotus,</p>
<p>If you haven't seen this yet, read</p>
<p>MIT</a> EECS - UG Primer for Potential Students</p>
<p>There is some commentary on undergraduate preparation.</p>
<p>OTOH, while intro EECS classes don't have formal prerequisites, certain types of prior background can be helpful. I'd suggest going to OCW, reading through the pages for the intro classes, and asking more questions if you have them.</p>