<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I got wait listed at SCS, but I got into a bunch of majors in CIT including Mech, Chem. Not ECE mind you. I've also been accepted to Berkeley EECS. Do you think it will be a good option to risk giving my spot up at Berkeley, coming to CMU CIT as a Mech major, and then somehow try to switch to SCS? Please give me honest unbiased advice!</p>
<p>Thank you!
:)</p>
<p>Actually, it is risky- -how much so I cannot quantify, depends on your performance and also whether others bomb/elect to leave SCS to open a spot. You should contact the undergrad dean at scs and get a frank answer on how many spots are actually there after a year and then determine if that is risk you can live with.</p>
<p>Getting into ECE is more likely than SCS, since you already have a spot in CIT. If you take Intro to ECE and Concepts of Math - and do well (mind you neither is an easy class), you can seek a spot in ECE (since some students will leave). To get into SCS you need to take a few more courses, also including 127, but also very difficult.
(the guidelines for internal transfers are on the SCS webpage - so take the right classes during your first year)</p>
<p>You have to live with the fact that you may not be able to major in SCS. At least 3-5 people leave the program each year-- maybe more-- perhaps some others can chime in. You have to earn solid grades in the SCS weeder classes. So you are sitting on uncertainty for at least a full year.</p>
<p>You aren’t admitted to MechE, CivE or ChemE - you simply have an open spot in CIT and you declare majors in the middle of the second semester. If none of those majors are something you would consider - you should probably take the Berk spot.
Were you rejected from ECE or did you not actually apply to ECE, but just CIT?</p>
<p>By way of comparison you already have a spot in an outstanding program. Something wrong with Berkie?</p>
<p>Understand that either you will have what it takes for CS, and get into SCS, or you will flounder in the same caliber classes (but in a much larger pond) at berkeley, and probably switch majors.</p>
<p>If you legitimately want to major in CS at cmu, and are qualified, you will get in.</p>
<p>Thank you for the replies. My reason for asking the question was to see whether transferring was a piece of cake. Since it’s not, I really don’t think I’ll be risking CMU now, unless they take me off the SCS wait list, which I know is very unlikely. Anyhow more replies which might offer a different insight are most welcome.
Scott Fahlman FTW</p>
<p>Oh, and I was wait listed at ECE and SCS. So no priority wait list for me</p>
<p>How much detail or depth do you want in SCS?</p>
<p>DS has a ME and does well enough to build webs, embeddeds, applications, dbs. You’ll learn a good handful of programs in CIT plus mechanics. Some programming you will never use, some you’ll use more.</p>
<p>You never clarified whether you wanted to be a computer scientist or a computer engineer-- which as you know are two different yet related fields/curricula.</p>
<p>Ideally, look at both at CMU and Berk-- which set of courses appeals to you most? Of course, recognize it’s very likely you will feel differently in a few semesters.</p>