UC Berkeley Computer Science

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>Hello. I am a new user to the forums seeking some advice from all the wonderful people out there. I really should have done this months ago, but here I go!</p>

<p>I am currently attending a CCC with the intention of applying to UC Berkeley as a CS (BA) major. I thought about EECS, but I think I will stick with just a BA degree.</p>

<p>My plan is to follow UCLA's CS (BS) prerequisites and apply for UCLA, Berkeley, and Davis.
UCLA because... I am following their prereq's, Berkeley because that's my goal, and Davis because my sister is there at the moment.</p>

<p>By finishing all prereq's for the 3 schools mentioned above, and with a GPA of 3.80~4.00, what are my chances for admission? Has anyone been on this course and successfully transferred?</p>

<p>My ultimate goal is CAL, so if I was to be admitted to all 3 schools, I would choose CAL.</p>

<p>It is to my knowledge that Berkeley has a very different prereq's for CS compared to other UCs, and that by completing non-required classes, mainly Physics, it will increase my chance for admission to CAL. Is this true? I will be taking a full year of Physics in addition to IGETC, which is not required nor recommended for CAL. I will also be taking all possible CS classes offered at my CCC, which isn't very many.</p>

<p>Also, what kind of extracurricular activities should I complete? This is my first quarter at my CCC and all I have is 200+ hours of community service. For the CS major, what kind of activities should I look into, and where would I look for them?</p>

<p>I plan on finishing IGETC and, like mentioned above, the prereq's for UCLA's CS major, which pretty much covers the prereq's for CAL and UCD. Is this a good choice, considering CAL being my main goal and UCLA and UCD being my backup?</p>

<p>This post is getting so long, but please bear with me.</p>

<p>I am not the most talented person when it comes to math. I have little programming knowledge, as I am in my first quarter at my CCC, but I am very interested in the subject. Seeing that so many math classes are required for admission, will superior math skill and understanding be required for successful experience in a UC and later in life with a job?</p>

<p>Thank you for reading. I have more questions but I will be posting them later after I read some of your insightful advices. </p>

<p>Thank you again!</p>

2

<p>Hi, I have asked this question to the forums before and I have one thing to tell you. PLAN AHEAD. I was on the same boat as you were. Pretty much what I decided to do was to finish all of Cal’s requirements in 1 year along with the 60 unit requirement. I’m on track with that right now. If denied admission to Cal, I will then take the rest of the classes which is pretty much just Physics and maybe Discrete Math. No, taking Physics courses does not boost your chances if it is not listed in the prerequisite list. Instead of IGETC, you should consider the 7-course breadth at Cal because there are less courses you need to take and IGETC is mainly for completion of GE requirements in multiple schools. In your case since you are going into Engineering, you don’t need to complete IGETC. (The 7 course breadth has you covered for the GE breaths at Cal). Anyways that is my plan. Things may be different for you. If you are unable to complete all of that in 1 year, I suggest you complete the requirements for all of your schools and just apply like that. Try your best and things will be fine.</p>

3

<p>@xcaliberse</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice!
The reason I am doing IGETC is because I had 3 AP tests that covered math, english, and one of the other sections (it was AP World History) so following the breadth would have meant taking more classes than IGETC. I only need to take 5 courses in the IGETC that is not included in my major preparations.</p>

<p>It is amazing that you can finish all the requirements in 1 year of CCC! I have around 20 quarter units each quarter and I can barely finish in 2 years if I want to follow UCLA’s requirements as well as CAL’s, which will surely complete UCD’s requirements. </p>

<p>Hmm. I read somewhere that taking science classes that use calculus, like Physics, will increase my chance for CS at CAL, but I guess it was some false information?? I thought that logically it would increase my chances versus if I didn’t take any physics.</p>

<p>As for planning ahead, I have my next 6 quarters planned out and I just need to get a good GPA and get some experience in CS outside of school.</p>

<p>Thanks again xcaliberse!</p>

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<p>The reason why I am able to pull of Cal’s requirements in one year was because I was concurrently enrolled at a CC since my junior year of high school. I had completed Calc I, II, 3 CS classes, and a Physics class BEFORE the summer of my graduation. Well sure taking science classes that involve calculus (Physics) may look good and in all cases except for Cal, is a requirement for CS. What admission officers are looking for is completion of prereqs/breadth, and extracurriculars. If you wanted to use classes to “boost your chances”, your best bet is to take CS classes (as much as possible). I will have 4 semesters of CS programming classes and also a TA job with my CS professor to grade programming assignments. None of that was required for my major, but I thought that taking those classes would in a way demonstrate more preparation for my major. Just remember to never give up and when you feel like doing so, remember you’re doing this for Cal, which will affect the rest of your life and your career. Not worth slacking :). Luckily for me I only need to keep it up for 1 semester because of my 1 year transfer status. During high school, I told myself that I wanted to be a transfer, and I never gave up my CC transfer goal and maintained a 4.0. I had my transfer plan all prepared with the backup plan as well. If I can do it, so can you! Feel free to contact me via some instant messaging if you want, instead of replying back and forth in this forums :)</p>