Transfering from Music to Computer Science

<p>Hi there,</p>

<p>So today I heard that I had gotten into Carnegie Mellon's school of music. I didn't really academically have the grades to get into the Computer Science school so I applied for music hoping I could get in and then potentially transfer / double major.</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon seems to have a more complicated system for double majoring or transferring however :/</p>

<p>Is it possible to transfer to the school of computer science from music? </p>

<p>The scenario I'm seeing is me going into the school as a music major, taking classes both for music and for computer science, then applying for a transfer as soon as possible.</p>

<p>Would I still have to take all the music classes or could I take some music classes and some Computer Science classes? What kind of grades would I need if I intended to transfer? When is the earliest I could transfer programs?</p>

<p>Thanks for the help!</p>

<p>This is also something I am interested in finding out about.</p>

<p>The only school I am interested in is SCS, but was not admitted. I have the opportunity to go to one of the other schools in Carnegie Mellon, but was wondering whether or not it would be possible to transfer to SCS.</p>

<p>I would love for someone to give their input on the situation.</p>

<p>I think they make it clear that you should not assume you can transfer in. There is limited space, and depends somewhat on what admitted and current students do. I do not recommend going to CMU unless you will be happy graduating from the school you were accepted into. I have heard it cane hard/nearly impossible to transfer.</p>

<p>If you’re sure you want to major in CS, you should NOT count on being able to transfer. Go to a school with a CS program that better matches your abilities.</p>

<p>When I visited CMU, the admissions officer made it sound like it is basically impossible to transfer between schools. That was probably a little bit of an exaggeration, but like others have said, don’t count on being able to - especially to SCS.</p>

<p>Transferring between schools is entirely reasonable if you’re actually a good fit for both programs and just happened to pick the wrong one. If you were rejected from an extremely competitive program, though (or not confident enough in your abilities to even apply), it’s a really bad idea to go into a different, largely unrelated program and count on switching later.</p>

<p>If you go on the CMU SCS website, you’ll see a line that says “It is IMPOSSIBLE to transfer into CS. There is no space. DONT BOTHER.”</p>

<p>That tells you everything you need to know.</p>

<p>^ where does it say that? This is what I found:
How to Apply for an Internal Transfer into the School of Computer Science
Students may submit an internal transfer request no earlier than the end of the freshman year and once they have successfully completed 15-122, 15-150 and have a mid-semester grade in at least one 200-level core course (15-210, 213, 251). Potential transfers will be evaluated based on their CS course grades, overall QPA, and available space in the class (sophomore/junior/senior) they are applying for. Prior to submitting a transfer request, students should first make an appointment with our Assistant Dean, Tom Cortina, <a href=“mailto:tcortina@cs.cmu.edu”>tcortina@cs.cmu.edu</a>, for an initial evaluation.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.csd.cs.cmu.edu/education/bscs/transfer.html[/url]”>http://www.csd.cs.cmu.edu/education/bscs/transfer.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Generally, transferring between schools which are not SCS is not very difficult if your grades are decent. Transferring into SCS can be extremely difficult. You will have to take difficult computer science classes and prove yourself in them before you can get accepted. I imagine transferring out of CFA is even harder due to the relatively lower academic standards required for admission as compared to the other CMU colleges.</p>

<p>Majoring in music is very hard at CMU. Majoring in computer science is very hard at CMU. The two programs have virtually no overlap. If you try to major in both, you will almost surely die. You will need to take a lot more courses than most students, and the courses you do take will all be very hard. If you are unsure about your abilities to compete in the very competitive computer science major, I would not recommend trying to do it while also trying to complete an extremely difficult music major.</p>

<p>Edit: Now, to actually answer your questions. Because you’re in the school of music, you will be asked to take a lot of courses right off the bat. You will not have much, if any room at all to take computer science courses unless you want to take an extreme courseload. I cannot speak to specific grades, but historically I have heard that earning a “B” in 15-211 (which isn’t required for CS anymore, but is basically the same as the new 15-210) would get you into SCS. Most SCS students take 15-210 in their sophomore years. You might not get around to until your junior year if you’re trying to juggle a music major.</p>

<p>All-in-all, I think this is a very bad idea. If you go in as a music major, you should probably not expect to come out as a CS major.</p>

<p>To re-open this thread, I have some new questions.</p>

<p>There’s a degree offered called “Bachelor of Arts and Computer Science” which is available to students in both the music and scs schools. The degree basically mixes CS and Music classes together. </p>

<p>If I told my advisor this was the degree I wanted to pursue I would start of my freshman year in both music and computer science classes.</p>

<p>This degree sounds extremely appealing to me. If I don’t end up being able to transfer into the SCS, I could always graduate with this degree and still have a degree in computer science (and arts, which is something that I would like to have a degree in as well.)</p>

<p>Overall, I still would prefer to just transfer into the SCS, but it sounds as if pursuing this degree will defeat the notion that I won’t be able to fit computer science classes into my schedule as those classes would be come required for my major.</p>

<p>Does anyone see any problems with this? Is the information I have correct?</p>

<p>Here’s a link to the specifics of the degree [BXA</a> Intercollege Degree Programs - BCSA Program](<a href=“BCSA Program - BXA Intercollege Degree Programs - Carnegie Mellon University”>BCSA Program - BXA Intercollege Degree Programs - Carnegie Mellon University)</p>

<p>Thank you</p>

<p>Search this forum for previous posts about this program. I believe you have to be accepted by both schools to pursue this degree.</p>

<p>JZMOM2 is right. Unless something has changed you have to be admitted to both CFA and SCS. In addition I believe you have to be invited into the program.</p>

<p>From what I’ve heard generally to transfer into SCS you need something along the lines of:
-Strong cumulative GPA
-A in 15-127 (Concepts of Mathematics, difficult if you’re new to proof-based math)
-A in 21-112 (Difficult if new to CS)
-A in 21-122 (Less difficult in relative terms since you’ve presumably survived 21-112)
-B/A in 21-251 (Good luck, hope you don’t enjoy sleeping on Thursday (?) nights since you’ll be pulling all nighters in clusters)</p>

<p>That’s the hearsay. TL;DR: It’s difficult, don’t bank on it. Even if you’re super motivated, your mind might not be made for/ready for 127/112/251.</p>

<p>CFA admits students based on talent, not academics. As a result, you should not expect for a transfer that easily. It will be rare as other kids from CIT or SCS or Dietrich will most likely get first dibs. You’ll need to take some intro classes in CS before they can even begin to consider you.</p>

<p>Is it easier to transfer from Tepper to SCS or try to double major. Just curious because I might want to transfer or double major.</p>