Please HELP! UC Berkeley CS Major questions!

<p>Hello everybody,
I have a lot of questions and I need some help with deciding how I should proceed next year.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I'm going to a community college, If I want to transfer to Berkeley and major in computer science with a 3.4 GPA, what do you think are my chances?</p></li>
<li><p>I heard that there are two different ways to major in CS, one where you get a Bachelor of Arts (from L&S) and one where you get a Bachelor of Science (From its engineering school)is that true? And what really is the difference? </p></li>
<li><p>I really want to major in CS but almost ALL of the major prerequisites (except the math classes) are unavailable at my community college (no equivalents), does berkeley let you take those after transferring?</p></li>
<li><p>Does the fact that I am female (and an international student?) increase my chances of getting in? I personally doubt it, but I have heard rumors that there are barely any female CS majors so they try to admit more.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>In the same boat with you on #3. The fact that there are no CS courses that articulate to UCs at my CCC worries me when looking at all the CS prereqs.</p>

<p>Unless you have amazing ECs and a flawless PS, I think your chances are low. Work on getting your GPA up to 3.8 if you can.</p>

<p>lol it is true that female programmers are highly welcome, but for getting into UCB cs program finishing at least most of the prereqs is like another minimum requirement. Because not only UCB cs program is highly selective, but for engineering major like cs whether finishing prereqs or not before transfer is the most important factor for them to consider you, it even more important than finishing GE requirement or IGETC or anything else. So if you really cannot get most of the prereqs in your cc then you can either go to another school or choose another major :)</p>

<ol>
<li><p>3.4? Chances aren’t great, honestly. Get your GPA up, if you can. (And always have a safety school.)</p></li>
<li><p>EECS includes the electrical side of things, and is in the college of engineering. The two have slightly different requirements, and you’ll need different breadth requirements. They also have different pre-requisites. I think most people say EECS is more science/math, and L&S is a bit more humanities. Exactly what’s required for each major: <a href=“http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Programs/Notes/12-13ugradhandbook.pdf[/url]”>http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Programs/Notes/12-13ugradhandbook.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
<li><p>CS70, CS61A, CS61C, EE20N, and EE40 are all very hard to find. If you search on here, you can find lists of which CCCs offer those, but honestly they’re hard to get. There’s maybe 3 schools that have an equivalent 61A, iirc. The good news is that means others will be missing those courses as well. Even if you can’t find a class that articulates to a UCB requirement, you should still take CS courses at your school. You’ll probably need them for other schools anyways (always have a safety). Alternatively, if you happen to be nearby you could take summer classes at Berkeley and be a bit less behind when you transfer.</p></li>
<li><p>Supposedly no. But it certainly doesn’t hurt. :P</p></li>
</ol>

<p>failure622 - Thank you for all the information, definitely very helpful, detailed info! </p>

<p>So about #3- are you saying that there is still a chance for me to get admitted even if I don’t fulfill all of those requirements by the time they need to make a decision? As in, they can admit you and then allow you to take those courses after transferring, and you would basically just take a semester longer before getting your B.A.? </p>

<p>again, thank you so much for the information!</p>

<p>Being an international student will lower your chances. They can’t see your gender on the app but I think writing a PS about being a women in a male dominated field would definitely help you.</p>

<p>Shannon, thank you so much for your input.
Oh no, that’s awful. Why does it lower my chances to be an international student?</p>

<p>You can definitely get in with some of the lower division courses missing. Your biggest problem is going to be your GPA, honestly. I transferred in this fall, took 61A and 61BL over the summer, and have 61C, 20N, and 70 now. A lot of transfers have similar schedules. That’s also why in the undergrad notes (that long thing I linked to last post) the sample curricula for transfers has the lower division courses in it.</p>

<p>I don’t know the L&S policies, but I’m pretty sure the College of Engineering automatically allows a 5th semester if you’re missing a certain number of pre-reqs when you transfer in. That said, you should still do your best to complete things before you transfer, credits are cheaper at CC than at a UC. :P</p>

<p>With a 3.4 I assure you it would take a miracles to get in… but good luck.</p>

<p>UC Berkeley ALWAYS torturing to INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ! How can I destroy my destiny ? I spoke with them for HAAS they said " Every year we admitting 90 transfer students. 19 of them are international student"</p>

<p>What is that ? This is HORRIBLE ! If I go to UCB, I will pay $36.000 per year with additional fees because of i am international student BUT I have lower changes than CA students ! </p>

<p>I do not want to be rude but ***** that s**t !!!</p>

<p>^^^well you haven’t paid ca taxes your entire life…that’s the whole point of a public university.</p>

<p>dude all the UCs do torturing international student</p>

<p>Shannon, you still haven’t answered my question why being international lowers your chances</p>

<p>The UC system is a public university. It was founded to serve residents. We pay taxes to support this system. So, the UCs are required by law to give CA residents priority. The public university isn’t focused on supporting its people if it doesn’t differentiate between CA residents, OOS, or international. This is also why CA residents get discounted tuition. It isn’t that the international students have to pay <em>more,</em> they are just paying full price. CA residents get a discount because we pay taxes to support the system that was created for us.</p>

<p>@dude23 is that a serious post? LOL. OF COURSE THEY WILL! They give priority to the students who reside in CA because they are in CA! Why would you feel entitled to get priority over someone who has lived in CA and payed hefty taxes which contributes to the school? Let me put this in a simple scenario for you to understand:</p>

<p>Your household has 1 computer and everybody in your family and neighborhood wants to use it. Okay, she rents out time to use it. However, there is a limited slots she can rent it out to. Everyone turns in an application from your house and various households in your neighborhood. Who do you think will have priority? People who live in the same household or random people? </p>

<p>That’s why CA students have priority…</p>

<p>I don’t want to be rude but if you dont see that something is wrong with you.</p>

<p>

Hi, i was wondering what’s difference between 61BL and just regular 61B ? How hard is it to handle those classes at the same time in a short semester? Do you think taking CS61A and Cs70 in summer would be easier than taking CS61BL and CS61A?</p>

<p>Ashkan: 61BL is the lab based version of 61B. For my class, we had 3 hours of lab four days a week, and an hour of lecture twice a week. 61A’s schedule (ie non-lab based summer CS) was an hour and a half of lecture four days a week, and an hour and a half (I think?) each of lab and discussion twice a week. So basically, lots of lab. And, because it’s summer, it’s generally easier material/assignments, though the course moves twice as fast.</p>

<p>If you already know Java and/or Data Structures, 61BL is pretty easy. For me, 61A was a bit trickier to keep up with, given the fast pace, constant changes in topic/paradigms, etc. If you don’t already have a handle on CS, you really don’t want to take A and B together. CS70, I’m not sure how it is over the summer, as I didn’t take the summer version. (I also had a pretty good teacher for Discrete math before I got to UCB, so I’m a bit biased on it.) I’d suggest going for whichever combination you’re most confident with. And remember that if you get in, your conditions of acceptance are going to require an average GPA of 3.0 or better in any summer classes you take.</p>

<p>Also, jkjkjk1: Yes, she should work on getting her GPA up. But, given that she’s just asking now about pre-reqs, I assume she’s still pretty early on in school, and has another year before applying. If that 3.4 is from one semester, it could easily be a 3.8 by application time.</p>