UC San Diego Transfer Questions

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

<p>Bonjour, I hope you're all doing well. It's mid October already and it's almost Halloween, which means discount prices on junk food. I think I like Christmas season better, actually I like Christmas season more than the actual day of Christmas. Nonetheless, I hope you're doing good and if not, we can talk about it.</p>

<p>I am currently a freshman at Irvine Valley College. I have four classes as of right now (Writing 201, Math 253, Humanities, and Drawing Fundamentals which I think I should withdraw because I have missed five sessions and I don't think I will be able to get a B at best, what do you guys think?). Is that even grammatically correct '?).' I don't think so. I plan to transfer to UC San Diego as a Computer Science major. I understand I have to do a lot in the math aspect in order to transfer. I am going to apply fall 2015, so I thought it would be best to start early understanding everything about the process. </p>

<p>I took a UC counseling class for two weeks and it was only four sessions. The counselor there suggested I take the seven course breadth pattern to transfer to UC San Diego as a computer science major. </p>

<p>Here is my academic plan, bare with me please but keep in mind this not set and stone: </p>

<p>Fall 2014 (Currently):
Art 80 (Drawing Fundamentals)
Hum 1 (Humanities 1)
Math 253 (Intermediate Algebra)
WR 201 (Writing 201)</p>

<p>Spring 2015:
Chem 1A (General Chemistry I)
CS 36 (C Programming)
Math 124 (Trigonometry)
WR 1 (College Writing 1)</p>

<p>Summer 2015:
Bio 1 (The Life Sciences)
Math 2 (Pre-Calculus)</p>

<p>Fall 2015:
CS 37 (C++ Programming)
CS 38 (Java Programming)
CS 40A (Computer Organization and Assembly Language I)
Math 3A (Analytic Geometry and Calculus I)
WR 2 (Critical Thinking/Writing)</p>

<p>Spring 2016:
Chem 1B (General Chemistry II)
CS 40B (Computer Oragnization and Assembly Language II)
CS 41 (Data Structures)
Math 3B (Analytic Geometry and Calculus II)</p>

<p>Summer 2016:
If possible.</p>

<p>The total sum of credits is exactly 60 transferable units which frightens me. Also I did three years of Spanish in high school if that matters.</p>

<p>I plan to aim my GPA at around 3.5 and above. I work around 27 hours at a grocery store which is overwhelming but I am asking for less hours or taking some time off later to focus on my studies. I am also a part of Film club and English club and the Christian club. I will be on the Honors Program next semester and so on if I can. I also have prior knowledge to coding/programming, I am a member of Codecademy and it's been one of my hobbies for the past couple months. I am really excited about programming and anything related to computer science. One of the best feelings in the entire universe for me is finishing an application in code and having other people use it. </p>

<p>Now I have been very curious and seem to know little bit about this process. Do you guys have any suggestions or thoughts on my situation? Should I approach this differently? IGETC? Is the computer science major impacted at San Diego? Can I TAG with a seven course breadth? Do you think I would have a chance at Berkeley as well? May I take a course during the summer before transferring? Do you suggest taking courses online to get my units up for example a journalism course? Do you guys think I should quit my job or get less hours in term of juggling work and school? Is my extracurricular actives okay or should I possibly participate in more clubs? I always thought in order for a successful transfer you need a good GPA, good extracurricular actives, major prep, and good personal statement and such. </p>

<p>Thank you all very much. I know this was a lot of information and possibly to long to read. And thanks a bunch to you who read up till here. Good luck with everything and I hope to be hearing from you guys. </p>

2

<p>CS 36 (C Programming)
CS 37 (C++ Programming)
CS 38 (Java Programming)</p>

<p>It might be a little redundant to take all three of these classes. Assuming they’re all called “Intro to __” they’ll probably be pretty similar. Once you learn one programming language, it’s pretty easy to pick up others. If there were other classes you wanted to take, you may be better off taking your CC’s main language (whatever DS is in) and putting off the others til later. I would suggest planning for multiple UCs if you can, if you can fit pre-reqs for multiple schools then you’ll have a plan B if your first choice rejects you.</p>

<p>I’m pretty sure IGETC is recommended for UCSD. I got accepted without it, so if you don’t finish it you don’t need to abandon all hope. For CS I think there tends to be more emphasis on pre-reqs than on GE classes.</p>

<p>Do you think I would have a chance at Berkeley as well?
For Cal, I’m guessing you’re aiming for L&S (the BA) and not EECS (BS)? Cal’s admissions are always a little unpredictable honestly, and it’s really hard to give you chances when you haven’t actually taken anything yet. Rely heavily on assist.org to make sure you’re on track with pre-reqs, keep your GPA as high as you can, have good ECs, etc. Do that and sure, you’ve got a chance. Keep in mind that if you do apply for L&S CS, you’ll be admitted undeclared. Then you’ll have to get a 3.0+ in the rest of the pre-reqs and petition for your major. Just… keep in mind that it might be tricky. If you apply EECS you’re admitted directly to the major, but it doesn’t look like you’re planning to take those pre-reqs (lots of math/physics).</p>

<p>Can I TAG with a seven course breadth?
I’m pretty sure this is the last year UCSD will allow students to TAG… so, no.</p>

<p>May I take a course during the summer before transferring?
Yes and no. For admissions purposes (pre-reqs, units), no. However, you can use summer to catch up. I transferred to Cal, so I took some of the CS classes I needed during the summer before I transferred. Those classes weren’t considered during decision time, but I wanted to clear up my schedule and get ahead a bit so I took classes. So, for what you’re asking… no, summer won’t really help you.</p>

<p>Do you suggest taking courses online to get my units up for example a journalism course?
Personally I would never suggest online courses. If your goal is units then it’d be okay. For any class you care about, online courses are generally less involved than normal classes, and you’ll probably get less out of it than you would from a traditional class. It might be a good idea to pick up a couple extra units just in case something else falls through (drop a class, or something not offered).</p>

<p>Do you guys think I should quit my job or get less hours in term of juggling work and school?
That’s a very personal choice, you’ll have to make it for yourself. Can you afford fewer hours? Will you have to take out loans if you don’t have a job? What will you do with your extra time, will it allow you to study more or just to play more video games? Try to think logically about what the best choice for you is, but I wouldn’t let the internet decide this one for you.</p>

3

<p>@failure622, glad to still see you around. I recall you responded to my other threads I created almost a year ago. How have you been? </p>

<p>Thanks for the response. It seems like there are so many courses to complete in terms of pre-requisites and major prep, I worry I won’t be able to complete it all. My first choice is UCSD because I want to get away from home and experience life on my own (plus the weather and environment) even UC Davis is an option at this point. I live in the Irvine area which is not bad, but I want to get away from my parents and my job which is quite funny. In terms of computer science, I always had this dream of working for a tech company. I am not sure that is what I want to pursue. I am just vastly interested in everything, it’s hard to dictate a single thing you want to do for the rest of your life.</p>

<p>This morning I withdrew from my Drawing Fundamentals class because I knew I was not going to get a B or higher and I can’t handle a C. I hope this was not a bad decision, it felt like it was the right thing to do. Do you think one withdrawn class in my transcript is horrible? </p>

<p>In the aspect of computer science, in assist, most colleges main points are science (General Chemistry or Biology or Physics), math, and computer science courses. Have you noticed Cal doesn’t require much as the other UC’s in assist for computer science? I am currently in, in a low math class and it almost seems impossible to get to a higher math before transferring. Also you’re right about the computer science courses of it being redundant if I took the introductory courses. I wish I could get a layout of what classes to take and not to take and have guaranteed admission if I complete those classes with above a 3.7 GPA. In terms of EC’s, like what would be best? I work so I have little to no time to participate in school activities. And computer science seems like a hectic topic to write about in my personal statement later on. </p>

<p>Once again, thanks for the response. I hope your day goes swell. </p>

4

<p>Yup, I’m still around. This place was really helpful back when I transferred, so now I hang out here when I can and try to help out others. :slight_smile: I’m graduated now, and still enjoying a bit of a break after all that school.</p>

<p>I don’t have much experience with W’s, but from what I’ve seen on here one or two isn’t too bad. Having a lot of them can hurt your chances or require an explanation, but if it’s just one it’s not going to kill you. Make sure you’ll still have enough units to transfer though, if that class was one of your 60 credits.</p>

<p>Planning can be tricky, especially if there’s a lot of pre-reqs. Prioritize classes that multiple UCs want, and pre-reqs for your first choice. If you’re missing a couple you can still get in, but the more you do the better your chances will be. It’s especially hard for STEM majors, since there are so many series to take. It’s not uncommon for students to take a third year at CC to get all their lower div requirements finished, and it lets classes be spread out some more too.</p>

<p>Cal has two different CS majors. EECS (Electrical Engineering & CS) is very tech heavy (the BS CS degree, in CoE) and that requires more math and physics than most UCs. L&S CS (the BA CS degree) has more humanities requirements, and doesn’t require as many technical classes. I went for EECS because it lined up better with the courses I had already completed, but if you’re on track for IGETC L&S CS probably makes more sense for you. But yes, it’s a little bit weird that there are two versions of the same major, though it is nice to have options.</p>

<p>ECs can help you in two ways. One way is to show leadership/involvement on campus, that you’re not just going to hide in your room and study, leadership skills, etc. The other is that it can show interest in your major. Techy ECs (CS club, robotics, pet projects, competitions) can help you show passion and achievements within your major, and that you’re not just doing CS because you heard there are good jobs. My advice would be to keep doing what you’re doing, and do things you enjoy. Don’t pick up ECs just because you think they’ll look good to the admissions folk.</p>

<p>By the way, different schools put more weight on different factors. Some schools don’t consider personal statements at all, some put a lot of emphasis on it. I think UCSD might be one of the schools that doesn’t put much weight on ECs/essays, but at Cal it can be the difference between accepted and rejected.</p>