Is UCSD the worth the 60k?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - San Diego
1

Hi!
I just got accepted to Muir college at UC San Diego. I had applied for CS as my major but because of it being ‘impacted’ I was admitted with an Undeclared major.
I wanted to know whether UCSD is worth the 60k a year I’ll be paying as an international.
What are my chances of graduating with a CS degree, and what are the likely placements after graduation? What is the average starting salary and how likely would I be to be picked up by a silicon valley giant like Google or Facebook.

2

Here is a link on how to change your major to CS:

http://cse.ucsd.edu/ImpactedMajor

If you plan to pursue your change of major for CS at UCSD, you would still need a plan B if you cannot get into the CS program. I am a cautious individual, so I would consider other schools were you got in as a direct admit for CS. There are many good CS programs out there which would be lower in cost and where you guaranteed the CS major. No, I do not think it is worth it.

3

I don’t want to misestimate your chances of graduating with a CS degree, because if you aren’t admitted as an engineering major it can be difficult to get into the programs. (You can still apply to Math:CS, though.) That said, many continuing students are able to transfer into impacted majors each year.

Any degree from UC San Diego, including a CS or engineering one, is highly respected by Silicon Valley companies. The behemoths usually send representatives and sponsors to Jacobs/UCSD job fairs, and according to Triton magazine, over 400 UCSD alumni currently work at Google! UCSD is also ranked 8th in the nation for salary earning potential; the median starting salary is around $50K, and the median mid-career salary approaches six figures.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

4

I found this on a UCSD site and while it pertains to MAE Engineering, I would assume it may be the same for someone wanting CS but getting in undeclared…so it basically says you have to want to be at UCSD more than wanting your major. Pretty blunt. I don’t know how many people want to attend a school so bad regardless of their major. Personally, if spending all that money and putting in all the time and effort, I would want my student to know they would be in the major they wanted, it is your future direction after all. Here is the page it came from:

http://maeweb.ucsd.edu/sites/mae.ucsd.edu/files/FAQs%20MAE%20Impaction.pdf

I only want to be an MAE major. I won’t be happy graduating without a degree in MAE (Mechanical, Aerospace, or Environmental). What should I do?

If you prioritize being in MAE over staying at UCSD, then look into transferring to another university. If you prioritize staying at UCSD, there are some MAE courses that you can are eligible to take if you are not in the major. You can get hands-on experience working in the lab of an MAE faculty even if you are not an MAE major. You can minor in Engineering Mechanics if you are not majoring in engineering. Finally, you can pursue an MAE graduate degree after your undergraduate degree, even if you didn’t major in MAE.