Great job @10s4life ?
@10s4life ??
@cowboysfan2001 congrats! My son is a freshmen EE major. Actually in the Fasttrack program. LMK if want more info.
@gratefulmama Sorry your daughter found some of the cs professors to not be the friendliest. Also a B in any CS course is great! The curve does get more generous in upper div classes. I think you’re referring to Prof Smallberg for CS31. He Def has an interesting sense of humor. Almost every cs and ee grad from the past 25 years has encountered him lol. This is getting way ahead but for reference to the new admits, Cs31-32 are the two intro cs courses that all cs, ce, and ee majors take. They are taught in C++ which is different than what most schools do which is python. They are known to be difficult but have very fair grading and actually cover 80% of what a typical software engineer needs to know for industry. The reason why c++ is taught first is because while it is a more difficult language, c++ is a better foundation because it is pretty general and there’s a lot of “manual” parts to it so picking up subsequent languages is a lot easier that are more user friendly. It is harder to start but pays off in the long run especially in later classes. The exposure to c (Just a little of that is taught in cs31) and c++ helps in the very next course CS33. For those who have zero coding experience there is a new course called cs30. Taking it won’t put you behind because there is overhead baked into the schedule for the four year plan. That is an intro course taught in python. It lays the foundation for cs31. Anyone with any sort of familiarity with cs or are able to put in the work are able to start with cs31 without any trouble.
For anyone curious about talking with actual cs majors there are CS engineering ambassadors that are able to talk with admits shoot me a PM if you’re interested.
@10s4life , My son got admitted for bioengineering . Can you provide with some information about the bioengineering department? Please guide . You seems to be very knowledgeable about UCLA. Thank you.
Here’s a Daily Bruin article about Python v. C++ from a couple of years ago:
The retort to this article is that they are trying to teach students how to build the doghouse correctly. Perhaps they could start the PIC courses with Python instead, because they aren’t getting the full dose of theory.
@10s4life - Thank you for the more detailed explanation. I am sure UCLA cs grads end up more prepared in the end but also think c++ weeds out others. I am not trying to discourage anyone but think it’s important to consider the programs of each school. (And yes, it was Smallberg!)
My D is very happy in CE and UCLA, however her experience in cs was unfortunate. UCLA is my younger D’s top choice but she applied for a non STEM major in L&S. No doubt UCLA is a great school but every department and program is different and applicants should consider all those factors when making a decision.
@gzza73 Thank you so much! What is the fasttrack program? I guess I’m just curious to his experiences in EE at UCLA, and if they are similar to @10s4life’s. I know everyone’s experience can vary greatly.
Like I told @10s4life, I am nervous about the rigor of the engineering program. I also was very social in high school, and I’m hoping I’ll have plenty of time to have fun in college. I want to rush, explore outside my major, etc. I always hear engineers have NO free time…
@livford My son is a CS major at UCLA (Junior) and has now taken 4 classes under Professor Smallberg’s instructions as he loves him as a professor. Here are the students’ reviews of Professor Smallberg. https://www.bruinwalk.com/professors/david-a-smallberg/com-sci-31/
Everyone’s experience can be different.
Are admitted students going to receive letters regarding their admission? I know USC is not sending out their packages until later because COVID-19 can live in the cardboard or something.
@10s4life Perfect, thank you so much for your time and help. I don’t have any more questions right now but I’m sure I will soon. Could you please give me the contact info for the Engineering Ambassador so I can ask them in the future?
@gratefulmama Thanks for the insight, I didn’t know they started with C++. I have some experience with it from an internship and AP CS, but I’ll definitely brush up. Luckily, I am adjusted to the extreme rigor from a highly competitive internship so I think I’ll hold up even though it will likely be challenging. I’m so relieved to hear you say that your daughter thinks it’s a nice group of people, I know some top schools can have a very toxic culture and I wasn’t sure where UCLA fell on that scale. Best of luck to your daughter on the waitlist! I hope to see her there!
I thought USC said that they are looking to send them out once they are back in the office. I didn’t think it had to do with cardboard. We have received mailings from other schools and receive boxes from Amazon, etc.
@livford - My D is also very active in a STEM sorority on campus, several of the girls are cs majors. It’s one of the smaller, perhaps less popular sororities but a great group of interesting, intelligent, supportive girls.
Eng majors may have less time but still manage to be involved and have fun.
@livford Shoot me a PM when you’re ready and I can connect you with one. Just so their personal info isn’t floating around.
@cowboysfan2001 https://www.ee.ucla.edu/fast-track-program/
It’s an honors program for EE majors, one great benefit is a paid summer internship at UCLA after freshmen year.
Good luck and go Bruins!
@Heyryan227 . . . just a little concerned about the 18.7% of the class who graded out at C- or lower. Are there any other majors in the class, or is this class purely CS and E?
@firmament2x That depends on the quarter. Fall CS31 is all CS and EE majors. Winter is usually people who started with CS30 or those who are retaking from fall. Spring is known to be the easiest time to take it and that is when all the people using it for their tech breadth take it. The assignments are actually different too depending on the quarter. It is hardest in the fall so CS majors are prepped correctly. Each quarter there are typically three 180 person lectures so its a large amount of people in that grade pool. Smallberg does all the grading for CS31-32 no matter the professor so its all equitable.
@10s4life . . . hope this helps those on this (now called) Engineering msg board who will be taking the class. 
Do you get to keep Regents scholarship if you transfer to a different college? Like from Engineering to L&S in UCLA?
@10s4life @firmament2x my son just finished CS32 with Smallberg, what a quarter it has been. Glad it’s over for him.