Switching major to CS

College Majors Science Majors
1

<p>I'm having a sort of crisis and I would appreciate any opinions/admonishments.</p>

<p>Currently, I'm an English major starting the first semester of my senior year this fall. Long story short, I'm not enthralled with my current major and after experimenting with programming a bit, I found I have a passion for it (and I've always loved computers in general). </p>

<p>So, with a nice pile of debt already at my feet, I'm contemplating switching to Computer Science in my senior year. I've done the estimates and it would take me a minimum of three more years due to the fact that the only courses shared between a CS and English major are the school's core requirements. </p>

<p>Is my major switch too late and too drastic? I would feel absolutely crushed if I weren't able to switch to comp sci. but it does seem a bit like a pipe dream this late in the game. What do you guys think?</p>

2

<p>Have you even taken a CS course at all? There will be a lot of theoretical courses you’ll have to take that won’t resemble programming (discrete math, theory of computation, algorithms). You’ll also have to learn about hardware and low level things, i.e. boolean circuits, compilers, etc. You may not necessarily find these things to be enjoyable just because you like programming and “loved computers in general”.</p>

<p>A CS major is doable in 2 years with 3-4 courses per semester. However you would need a strong background in proof based math, which you could potentially study this summer. </p>

<p>But before you rush off to switch majors, take/sit in on an algorithm design and a computer architecture class. I think coursera has these classes online that you can preview now. See if you like them.</p>

<p>If you’re just interested in the programming side of CS, then there’s no reason to do the full CS major. You could easily just do a minor, do some projects, and become decent at programming.</p>

3

<p>Even if one is just interested in the programming side, that person still needs:</p>

<ul>
<li>Object-oriented Programming I & II</li>
<li>Data Structures</li>
<li>Algorithms</li>
<li>Operating Systems</li>
</ul>

<p>To get a decent position.</p>

4

<p>Maybe you could get a minor and then apply for an MS in CS (which you only need a minor for)</p>

<p>I’d say that switching majors senior year is not going to be pleasant…
I really do not know what you can do.</p>

5

<p>It’s doable in the sense that it will take those extra years of work. Financially, it’s probably more than worth it. The extra debt you take on will likely be offset by the extra earning potential (how much does school cost you per year, if you don’t mind my asking?). You could also do summer internships to further put a dent in that debt.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that several people join college late in their lives. Someone in my CS program will be 40 by the time he graduates. So it’s really up to you.</p>