<p>Hey guys! First and foremost I want to say that I have looked around for an answer to this question, but I do think it is unique.</p>
<p>I am currently a Mechanical Engineering major at UCD with 4 classes left before I graduate, however I recently started programming and have taken 3 CS courses which I have really enjoyed. I have decided(after half a year of talking to people about my interests and learning CS on my own) that I want to pursue Computer Science in Grad school at UC Berkeley(proximity to home), but I'm not quite sure what the best thing to do is. I have a couple choices:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Finish my Mech E. Degree(4 classes), take the important CS courses, apply for Grad school in CS at UCB</p></li>
<li><p>Give up the Mech E. Degree, Finish a BS in CS at UCD(10 classes), apply for Grad School in CS at UCB</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Of course, I also would like to optimize my chances for getting into the CS Graduate program at Cal as well as save time/money. Your thoughts? If there's anything I missed, feel free to let me know.</p>
<p>It is not typical that you can take the CS classes all at once, so you probably need to take them in order which would draw out your graduation. I would recommend that you finish your current degree if you can do that quickly, then apply for grad school. If you have room in your schedule, maybe you can get a CS minor. Your grad school classes in CS will have some overlap with undergrad anyway.</p>
<p>Wow, you are very right about that. I need to look at the course listings to see how I can lay this out to finish quickly. Thanks for the insight on how the Masters and Bachelors programs will have some overlap. I have one more question. How will each choice(1 and 2) affect my chances of getting into the Masters Program? I know that noone really knows what goes on in the admissions process, so any input would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Absolutely finish the ME degree and add in as many elective CS courses are practical. You don’t say if you are seeking a Ph.D. or a Masters degree in CS. If the latter, it should be no problem to get into a program (maybe not UCB, depending on your grades and test scores). At my university, Illinois Tech, we see a lot of students applying to our professional Masters in CS from other engineering disciplines. We have a “boot camp” course which prepares the students for graduate courses. Given the interest in the field, i would expect that other universities do the same.</p>
<p>I vote: Finish your ME degree and minor in CS.</p>