<p>Hi all,
My son will be applying next year for the Computer Science at the U of M. Apparently they have 2 different programs, one through Engineering College (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) and a separate program through LSA.
Is there any difference in quality or objectives of these program/ Is one easier to get in to? Are 2 different applications and documents need to be submitted? Can one apply both programs simultaneously?
Any other information, suggestion and observation is requested.</p>
<p>There are different general requirements, for instance in CoE he has to take Chemistry and Physics, in LSA he has to take English and has some other requirements. In terms of the computer science requirements, they are exactly the same. LSA might be easier to get into but it’s not as simple as that and if his Math scores far exceed his English and Writing scores then it may be easier to get into CoE. </p>
<p>You only need to apply to one. Note that for LSA, when he declares CS he will have to start paying CoE tuition, but before that he only has to pay LSA tuition. In CoE he has to pay CoE tuition as soon as he enrolls.</p>
<p>Ignoring tuition as a factor, it makes more sense to apply to CoE if he thinks that if he were to do something other than CS he’d do an Engineering major. LSA otherwise.</p>
<p>LSA also has another similar major called Informatics which he might find interesting. It blends computer science with statistics and social sciences.
[url=<a href=“Major in Informatics | U-M LSA Department of Statistics”>http://informatics.umich.edu/]Informatics[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Thank you Valdenschlutte, for the detailed explanation.
Re: you comment, “You only need to apply to one”, Does U of M admission policy prohibits applying simultaneously to both (to improve ones chance of acceptance)?</p>
<p>I’m almost certain that you can only apply to one college out of high school. If your son finds out he doesn’t like whichever college (LSA/CoE) he’s in during freshman year, it is not difficult to apply for a transfer to the other college.</p>
<p>I will actually be going into CoE for Computer science this fall and I might as well share with you what I learned while I was applying.
[ul]
[li]The programs are nearly the same. The upper level electives, major design experience, and the core computer science requirements are identical. There is a small difference with regards to the flexible technical electives (LS&A only requires 21 credit hours where CoE requires 30).</p>[/li]
<p>[li]If you get your degree from the College of Engineering, you will need 128 credit hours to graduate. If you go down the LS&A route, you will need 120. </p>[/li]
<p>[li]The names of the degrees are different. If you do it through College of Engineering you will get a B.S.E in computer science, where LS&A will give you a B.S in computer science.</p>[/li]
<p>[li]Generally, the degree from CoE is considered more prestigious. </p>[/li]
<p>[li]You cannot apply to both LS&A and CoE. You must chose.</p>[/li]
<p>[li]It is tougher to get into CoE than it is to get into LS&A.[/li][/ul]</p>
<p>One thing to consider, a friend of my son applied CoE, but had only gotten as far as Pre-Calc in high school. He got deferred and is still waiting to hear. If he had applied LSA, he more likely would have gotten in. CoE is a harder school to get accepted to because it is so much smaller. So, my advice is if your son doesn’t have the strong math/science stats to get accepted to CoE, apply LSA. It’s easier to transfer to CoE once in the school. If, however, he has the stats to make CoE, it’s easier to transfer from CoE to LSA, than vice-versa.</p>
<p>Thank you to: umich8790, KronOmega, and nubswitstubs, for your extremely helpful information and suggestions.
My son has an excellent math record, (14 credit hours in Math from University) but significantly poor HS GPA, therefore will have to apply LSA, to have a somewhat better chance of acceptance.</p>