Should I change my major?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Los Angeles
1

I applied to UCLA as a Computer Science major. My second choice major is electrical engineering. The acceptance rate for computer science is like 12%, but for electrical engineering it’s in the 30s. That’s why I want to change my major to Electrical engineering and choose the computer engineering option. Does anyone know how similar is this to Computer Science? And, will this look bad on my application? Will they reject me because they think I’m not sure about my major?

Just if anyone is wondering these are my stats:
I live in a rural part of California
UC GPA:4.3
ACT: 32(Eng:35 Math:35 Reading:25 Science:31)
SAT 2: Math 2 760
good ECs and essays

2

Some students aren’t sure until their Sophomore year in college. I don’t think that changing your mind during the application process is a problem if you justify it with a valid reason (not that the admission rate is higher).

3

Where are you finding the stats for admission rate by major? I’ve seen people talking about it on here, but the only admission rates by major statistics I can find are for transfer students.

Anyway, to answer your question, I’m not sure if UCs allow you to change your major during the admissions process. I’m pretty sure most other schools don’t let you, so I’d be surprised if the UCs let you. You should check the website to be sure though, as I could very well be wrong, and I suppose if you don’t find anything, it couldn’t hurt to email them.

Good luck!

4

@bosnian This is the link for admission rates by major in Engineering: http://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/seasoasa/2013-UCEE-Revised-Report-3_7_14.pdf. I don’t think it can be found for other majors. UCLA allows students to change their major. All I have to do is send them an email through the portal.

5

Ah, thanks! I’m not applying as an engineering major, but that’s interesting nonetheless.

I just checked the portal, and yep, you’re right. I guess it can’t hurt to change your major especially if one has a significantly higher acceptance rate.

Good luck!

6

All applicants that apply to Computer Science are applying for a major in the College of Letters and Sciences. Hence as a result, the major is not considered by admissions for these students while making decisions. However, students applying to any engineering major are admitted with regards to their major. Those students are expected to show not only eligibility but also potential interest in their major through their application. Computer Science focuses more on software and programming while Electrical Engineering focusses more on the hardware and devices — logic gates, data structures, control systems, etc… I advice you to think about your interest and how strong you feel in Mathematics and Physics classes if you want to do Engineering. If you have already done programming or have prior programming experience, then Computer Science should be good for you. CS uses less Physics, Chemistry, or science classes compared to Electrical Engineering.

7

That’s funny, ucla engineering has CS on its list of majors at http://engineering.ucla.edu/areas-of-study/

CS does not appear on the list of majors at https://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/Majors/lsmajor.htm

8

@kumar212 Then why is CS listed in engineering and not Letters and Sciences. Also, I found this on UCLA’s website http://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/seasoasa/2013-UCEE-Revised-Report-3_7_14.pdf?

9

So you want to change your major so that you will have a better chance of being admitted? That’s the only reason for the change?

10

No, I also feel like I would like EE more than CS.

11

http://cis.ucla.edu/studyArea/course.asp?type=MAJ&code=499

UC LA has Computer Science in both the College of Engineering and the college of Letters and Sciences I forgot to mention. I have placed the link for CS in the College of Letters and Sciences. Students who apply for this want to learn only about programming without much interest in hardware. Students who apply for CS in Henry Samueli College of Engineering have interest in both hardware and software. Applying to the one in Letters and Sciences is easier as your major does not impact your decision.

12

The UCLA Linguistics and CS degree requires 4 upper-division CS courses and 7 Linguistics classes. You can see where they place their emphasis. CS majors in engineering are required to take far more upper-division CS classes.