New to UCB CC. If applied to CS in the Letters and Science, does major matter?
Ranking wise, Cal is tied for the #1 comp sci program in the country and UCLA is ranked #12-14 depending on the source. Both have good programs based on what Iāve heard/read. Also, getting into one isnāt indicative of the other. For example I got into Cal but was waitlisted for UCLA.
Thatās what I did, applied CS to Cal in L&S (and was accepted last month (still in shock)!!!). By doing this, you are not admitted as a Comp sci major. Rather, you have to take specific courses and maintain a specific GPA to be able to enter the program whereas engineering admits are directly accepted to the comp sci major. Those GPA caps are also subject to change for the upcoming academic years according to some other comments Iāve read here.
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But if you are accepted for āintended CS majorā you are not like other candidate who is Economics major trying to get into CS, āintended major CSā folks are kind of guaranteed as long as they complete GPA requirement
Not necessarily from what Iāve read. Even though I was admitted as an intended CS Major, Iām technically admitted as an undeclared L&S major. Itās my understanding that any undeclared L&S student can do the same and get the necessary classes/grades. Now perhaps intended majors get priority if there were limited spots, but Iām not sure thatās the case. I think the āintendedā part of the application is more of a safeguard so that they can ensure they arenāt admitting an entire class of comp sci students, but the number is subject to change by the time people declare
Just a quick question, I applied as Engineering Physics, is there a way to switch my major to Mechanical Engineering? If so, how? Thanks
@jacky1: Here is a link on how to change majors: Change of college - Berkeley Engineering
Is anyone familiar with Berkeleyās reviewing of apps? Have an okay UC gpa, great extracurriculars and essays, but was totally rejected from UCSB and UCLA, so wondering if Berkeley happens to be more holistic
BERKELEY:
Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record
Important: Extracurricular activities, Volunteer work, Work experience
Considered: Character/personal qualities, First generation college student, State residency, AP/IBLH exam scores
- Note: Thorough review of academic performance; likely contribution to intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus; diversity in personal background and experience; demonstrated qualities in leadership, motivation, concern for others and community; non-academic achievement in the performing arts, athletics or employment; demonstrated interest in major.
LORās by invitation only as of 2017
Division (L&S, CNR, CoC, CED, CoE) matters for admission selectivity.
Within CoE (but not the other divisions), major matters for admission selectivity. Changing majors within the CoE after enrolling is not guaranteed, unless one is CoE undeclared.
Note that L&S admits students as undeclared; admission to capped majors (e.g. CS, economics, psychology, ORMS, statistics, art practice, and a few others) is by college GPA in prerequisite courses (and portfolio for art practice) after attending for a few semesters.
The business major is in a separate division and admits students in a competitive holistic process. Frosh intending business majors begin in another division (usually L&S), take the business major prerequisites, and apply (usually in their second years). They also need to take prerequisites for a backup major in case they are not admitted to the business major.
All students who apply to UC Berkeley and select a major within the College of Natural Resources are evaluated based on their application, not on the particular major they select.
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thank u! 3.8 UC gpa so not super hopeful but fingers crossedš„²
hii guys, is there any way i can send an update to ucb? about awards and research work? itās all at the national level and in the field of my intended major, please help out!
A. I donāt think there is any update option, so the best bet is with an email, but I am not sure if they consider those.
B. It is a bit too late to update since decisions are out in less than a week
fair, but i guess i want to try ://
could you perhaps tell me what email can i send it too
I get where youāre coming from. Send it directly to your AO for best results, and attach something like sorry to disturb you so late, but I had these major updates to share which I feel can make a major impact in my application. Do remember to make sure that the updates are strong. You can find your AO out here:Meet Your Admissions Officer - Office of Undergraduate Admissions
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thanks man, i really appreciate it :))
Sorry, but decisions will be out March 25 so it will have no impact. If you are waitlisted or denied, then you can submit the updated information .
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There were about 139k applications for UCLA this year. Do you know how many for UCB?
112,820 for UCB. https://www.ucop.edu/institutional-research-academic-planning/_files/factsheets/2021/table-1.1-freshman-applications-by-campus-and-residency.pdf
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Thank you! You rock!
I donāt think there is any guarantee that you can successfully declare L&S CS major no matter which major you āintendedā on your application. You have to take the required courses with minimum GPA 3.3 and anecdotal stories I have heard is that maybe roughly 50% successfully declared L&S CS. 3.3 may sound easy for high school kids used to straight Aās, but college is different, especially Cal which is known for grade deflation. Average grade in CS weed-out classes is easily a B. You are competing with least 1000+ other kids in these prerequisite CS classes for an above average grade. The good news is that there are similar majors to CS that students can turn to and students can always minor in CS as well.