Transfer to L&S CS from UCLA/SD CS/CSE?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

Just want to get your take here on the pros and cons of transferring to UCB L&S trying to declare BA in CS from BS CS/CSE programs from the likes of UCLA or UCSD, both of which also have very strong CS programs, top 15 in the country. But we all know UCB is in top 4. I will start with cons as there seem to be more (at least in quantity):

Cons:

  1. You are not transferred to CS directly (while you are already at UCLA and UCSD) and still have to use CS61A/B and 70’s 3.3+ GPA to declare.
  2. Even if you already took OOP/DS/DM equivalent courses at LA/SD UCB CS site says can only accept your DS (61B) at most (is that right?), and so you still have to take 61A and 70 ‘again’ and earn your GPA to declare. This sort of delays your progress to more advanced CS courses you otherwise can take at LA/SD, not to mention added-on uncertainty and repeated studies.
  3. UCB CS is probably more competitive and stressful overall.
  4. Undergrad research opportunity at any UC is probably limited anyway, but at UCB I’d think EECS folks will get priority over L&S CS if there’s any. Is that correct? At LA/SD you are in core CS already (there’s no such thing as L&S CS there).
  5. UCB CS class sizes seem to be even bigger than UCLA or UCSD.
  6. Last but probably least also, you’d get a BA not BS in CS.

Pros:

  1. You’d get a Berkeley badge/bragging right at least, if not also access to some of the top minds in CS fields.
  2. Potential boost to the placement of grad school and tech industry, although a CS degree from LA/SD seems to work already quite well already in that regard.

Am I about right or mis-informed? Does it make much sense to transfer to L&S when one’s already in CS/CSE at UCLA/SD? Here I am leaving location/campus/culture/social/weather… out of it as that stuff is more subjective.

2

Does not seem to be worth the risk for a student who is already in the CS(E) major at UCLA or UCSD.

Now, it may be worth it for an undeclared UCLA or UCSD student who is denied admission to the CS(E) major there with a 3.9 college GPA or some such.

3

I was admitted for CS at UCSD and CSE at UCSB, waitlisted by UCB for EECS. Don’t know which to choose…

4

Choose UCSD or UCSB. You can stay on the waitlist at UCB and then decide later whether you want to switch if you get an admission offer off the waitlist.