Pitzer College CS major

Hi, My son wants to apply to Pitzer College. He has not decided yet on his major : either biochemistry or computer science.
The problem about CS is that Pitzer does not offer CS as a major but it is possible through an off campus major either at Harvey Mudd or Pomona. My concern is that I heard that CS majoring at Harvey Mudd takes more than 4 years and is very tough and also that HM or Pomona majoring students might get priority on Pitzer students in courses registration. In there any Pitzer student in this situation or anybody else who can share his/her views on my concerns?

http://pitweb.pitzer.edu/admission/frequently-asked-questions/ describes the limitations on cross-registration:

You will need to check the catalogs and schedules to see if the requirements for an off-campus CS major at Pomona or Harvey Mudd can be completed within these cross-registration limitations.

I can’t speak to your specific concern. But I do know this…(I have 2 kids at the 5 C’s)

First the good news: Registration happens at the same time for everyone at all 5 C’s . Seniors, then juniors, and so forth down the line.

Now the bad news, I do know that for some classes, spaces are held specifically for students from that particular school.

FWIW my D hasn’t had any problems getting classes on other campus’s (and she’s taken many). (My S hasn’t taken off campus classes yet). But then again she’s not trying to major at another school.

If you don’t get answers here you might try speaking to someone at the school.

I have a sophomore D at Pitzer. I can’t speak to the specifics of being a CS Pitzer student (though my D does have a friend who’s doing exactly that), and I suggest that your son contact the admissions office and ask if he could speak with a Pitzer student who is a CS major to find out more. CS is certainly a difficult major in general (older D had that experience), but I’d be very surprised to learn that it takes more than four years at the 5C’s.

Cross-enrolling in general is very straightforward and simple. By this point, my Pitzer D has taken courses at every one of the 5C’s. The campuses are very close together, so going “off campus” requires no more time than going between buildings at a large university. My D had one class freshman year at Pomona followed by another at Pitzer, so she rode her bike to be able to get from one to the other quickly rather than by walking (15 minutes).

From the Pitzer Academic Advising Handbook:
“Students who plan to major in computer science can do so through either Pomona or Harvey Mudd. Prospective majors are encouraged to speak with the department chairs at either Pomona (Prof. Tzu-Yi Chen, tzuyi.chen@pomona.edu ) or Harvey Mudd (Prof. Ran Libeskind-Hadas, hadas@cs.hmc.edu) to help plan their paths through the major… "
…While (the) schools are making efforts to accommodate students in these courses, they are typically oversubscribed…” (link to handbook:http://pitweb.pitzer.edu/academics/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2014/09/Student-Academic-Advising-Handbook.pdf)

And, this from HMC’s CS Dept re: Computer Science courses and major programs at Harvey Mudd for students at the other Claremont Colleges: https://www.cs.hmc.edu/off-campus-students

Pomona D has taken courses at all the 5Cs except HMC, and has never had any problem getting into any of them. And, according to its latest CDS, only 13 students in HMC’s entire 2009 cohort took more than 4 years to graduate, so it doesn’t appear that folks are having too much trouble getting out of there on time.

And just to emphasize something buried in that HMC link: “A student (from CMC, Scripps, and Pitzer) who chooses to major in CS at HMC will be considered identical to a HMC CS major with respect to advising and access to HMC CS courses.”