Hello, so I recently got accepted to UCSD as ICAM (Interdisciplinary Computing and Arts) and I want to change my major to Computer science…
I know that it’s really hard to change my major to CS since it’s an impacted major, but do you think there is a chance for me to change the major before I register to the university?
I don’t think my parents will let me go to UCSD unless I change my major to “non art” major that will get me decent jobs. Also I have heard that ICAM really is a kind of bad major to get jobs… and I want to be realistic here.
My GPA was 4.07, my SAT was 1950 and I had a lot of extracurriculars (NHS president, founder of a movie club, participated in many school plays and blah blah). Do you think they will let me change my major? and if I’m able to change my major, do I have to take the initial major during the first year and change it next year, or is it possible for me to change the major before I start the uni in September?
I’m really worried because I haven’t heard from other universities and I really want to go to UCSD. Everyone is telling me that ICAM is terrible and I don’t want to waste my money and years for studying a major that won’t get me any job.
Thank you folks
In short, no. CS is extremely difficult to get into and even harder to switch into. You will not be able to switch before you enroll. I believe you can apply for a change once you have taken some credits, but that’s basically Russian roulette. I’d look seriously at your other options. Good luck!
As @Katecat27 stated, do not count on switching. I copied this information from another thread on this forum about switching into CS:
You can try to transfer into Computer Science at the end of each quarter at UCSD. Admission is based solely on GPA. Prior to applying, you need to pass four courses: CSE 8B or 11, CSE 12, CSE 15L, and CSE 20 or Math 15A. The odds of getting in vary from quarter to quarter; it’s difficult, but not impossible. Other engineering departments have a similar process with different prerequisite courses. Many students also consider majoring in Mathematics-Computer Science or other related disciplines.
@whatisthis98 what they said^. however, if you’re asking about transferring into a non-impacted major, the answer is that you can change to any non-impacted major (i.e. math-CS or another non-art) whenever you like, including over the summer
Thank you guys… do you think I should switch my major to Mathematics - Computer Science since it’s not an impacted major? But what’s the difference between them?
It seems like all majors under mathematics department are also capped majors… Is it that hard to change my major even after I enroll? I feel miserable right now. Why did I even choose ICAM in the first place? :’(
@whatisthis98 Where did you hear that mathematics is capped? See https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/advising/majors-minors/capped-majors.html
The difference is explained very well here. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-san-diego/1143030-official-ucsd-mathematics-advising-thread.html
No, it’s really easy to change your major. You literally click one button and can do so as soon as summer. You can change it every two weeks, as long as it’s not impacted.
Guys I just got into NYU Tisch School of Arts as Cinema Studies… which was my dream school.
But I feel like computer science is still a better deal for the future jobs… But I’m planning to work in movie or media industry even if I study computer science in uni. Should I just go with NYU or try to change my major in UCSD?
@DoctorP I sent the admission an email but they said mathematics is also capped…
@whatisthis98 You’re right, they updated it on the website too
Just saw a thread “CSE major change request results are out!” on Reddit/UCSD. They are saying that only those with a 4.0 in their CSE major courses were accepted into CS this quarter. I think this is particularly difficult to achieve because UCSD has a grading system with plus/minus, so an A- brings your GPA down. One of the courses listed in #2 above, CSE 20, is Discrete Mathematics, which is a stumbling block for a lot of kids.