Hey I’ve been admitted to UCI undeclared, USF for computer science, and UCR for computer engineering. I want to major in cs so I’m wondering which school is worth going to. Also how hard would it be to change my major to cs at UCI and is it worth the trouble?
(P.s this is only in reference to the schools and majors, no need to take money into consideration.)
Change of major for CS at UCI but completing all the requirements does not guarantee a spot. I would contact the UCI CS department to determine how many students are able to successfully switch.
Computer Science”
Requirements:
Cumulative UC GPA Students must meet BOTH requirements:
Minimum of 2.7 GPA overall
Minimum GPA of 2.7 in the quarter immediately preceding the change of major
Course grades: A minimum GPA of 3.0 and no grade less than a C in ALL courses taken from those listed below. Completion of the following:
ICS 31 and ICS 32, or
ICS 32A and ICS 33, and
One or more of Math 2A, Math 2B, ICS 6B, ICS 6D, ICS 6N
https://changeofmajor.uci.edu/school-of-information-and-computer-sciences/
I would also look into changing from Computer Engineering to CS at UCR. Since you are already in the College of Engineering, it would probably be an easier switch than at UCI from Undeclared to CS.
So would you think it’s worth dealing with a major change at UCR or stick to USF since I’m already in cs
USF (assuming Univeristy of San Francisco?) is really not known for the CS program but you can compare UCR’s to USF’s CS programs. Also is there a cost difference between UCR and USF?
UCR’s CE program has several overlap classes with CS so it should be an easier transition.
Usually I promote direct admits, but UCR is a hidden gem and a well established CS program with plenty of technical electives.
If you are concerned about changing majors, I would contact the CS department and find out the probability of changing majors before committing.
So UCI just recently allowed me to switch into a Game Design major in the school of computer science so I assume it will be a lot easier for me to switch to a cs major. So now I’m only trying to decide between UCI and UCR. Also both schools aren’t allowing me to request a change in majors prior to enrollment, UCI just offered me the opportunity.
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That’s a good option since switching within the same college is easier than between colleges or undeclared. You still have to meet the pre-req course requirements and GPA to switch but should have easier access to those pre-req courses.
It will come down how risk averse you are and if CS is a must or would you be happy at UCI with the game design major?
Yeah cs is a must because I really don’t want to limit myself with a game design degree, but thank you for all your help !
I can’t speak to the difficulty of changing majors. UCI has more competitive admissions than UCR and my reaction is you should go with it (depending on every other factor like geography). Congratulations on getting accepted! I believe UCI also has a better CS department. At least, I recognize more names on the UCI CS department faculty than UCR (but I’m decades out of date).
I agree you’re taking a risk not getting into your preferred major, but you might discover that your preferences change.
What do you think about the software engineering department at UCI? I’ve decided that It’s better for me to change my major to se instead of cs because it’s not an impacted major and easier to switch to. Also, it has mostly the same classes as cs except for a few.
I can’t speak to that specifically. My own background is CS theory, and that’s how I’m comparing the two schools. I would still bet on UCI either way. On a more general note, I think that unless you have some other very compelling reason to pick UCR, you should not let your choice of major drive the decision. A lot can change.