<p>can I appeal saying I would prefer a different major? I've been thinking that I might prefer to major in applied mathematics rather than computer science under which I applied. I plan to try to get the major changed if accepted into UCLA. However, the acceptance rate for my current major is 12% but the new major has a 64% acceptance rate. Is this a valid reason for appeal? I have all prerequisites done for both majors (and clearly a much higher chance of getting in for the new major).</p>
<p>My friend said you cannot even appeal to UCs for transfer.</p>
<p>Well, your friend was definitely mistaken. <a href=“http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/appealstr.htm[/url]”>http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/appealstr.htm</a></p>
<p>Yes you can appeal and yes you can appeal and ask for a change of major, a successful UCLA student from the forums last year did so! </p>
<p>Hope it helps!</p>
<p>Yes this is a valid reason for appeal because I called Berkeley (I know different campus, but probably same type of rules) because I applied for Hass Business but realized my pre-reqs were good only for econ…it was too late to change major on the app so they said I would have to appeal. You should appeal for sure imo if you don’t get in! Good Luck!</p>
<p>yunie, who was that? can you give details?</p>
<p>Search the threads, sorry I can’t remember his full name on the top of my head…xD! Or go to the UCLA threads, he’s also active there too!</p>
<p>Awesome! Thanks guys, that’s really great news. I was feeling very stressed out that I had made the wrong choice, but I’m glad to know it’s not the end of the road if I don’t get in as a computer science major.</p>
<p>I remember someone did this last year. They got rejected because of the competitive major, and appealed to be considered for a less competitive major-one that has an acceptance rate of 50 pecent or higher. He got in, and I think attends now.</p>
<p>how does one “appeal?” i didn’t get in for film; i had comparative literature as my alternate major and i would not mind appealing for that major, respectively. </p>
<p>does it have to be the alternate major that you had put on the application? or can i appeal for a different major? i had my pre-req’s done for philosophy, too.</p>
<p>I don’t think it has to be on your application for you to appeal, at least if I remember, his didn’t.</p>
<p>Do you think my appeal should explain the reasons why I like the new major, or would it suffice to just say “I’ve decided I would prefer to major in this. Here is a list of your required courses and the grades I received in them.”</p>
<p>@ OP</p>
<p>in your case (realized that the applied major is no good for the prereqs) then yes you can try to use the “change of major excuse” for your appeal. but then again you should have been prepared and know exactly what you are trying to pursue.</p>
<p>but for example, someone did not get into the school he/she wanted. So in the appeal letter , he/she decides to write about changing majors jsut so he/she can get into that school. that is a no no lol.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure he just wants to get out of the UC he is currently at.</p>
<p>Nothing wrong with that.
I would suggest talking about applied math in the appeal letter and what you plan to do with that degree. Also mention finishing the pre-reqs but don’t list the grades and all the courses, I’m pretty sure they can just refer back to your UC app.</p>
<p>iluvpho: "
in your case (realized that the applied major is no good for the prereqs)"</p>
<p>I couldn’t figure out what you meant by this. As for prerequisites, I have completed all prerequisites for the new major.</p>
<p>Well, I’ve already been accepted to a few other UC’s so my desire to “just get out” has already been achieved, haha. I plan on switching to this major at whatever UC I end up at. It just happens to have a higher acceptance rate. </p>
<p>Ok, so I think I’ll spend the main page expressing why I want to change majors. The next page I’ll throw up the list of required courses. On the last page I’ll put in a letter of recommendation. This is all assuming I don’t get in for my initial major, in which case, I’ll just have to try to switch to the Letters and Science college.</p>
<p>I don’t know if you know this or not, but you may also want to look into Mathematics of Computation. It’s very similar to Applied Math but allows you to enroll in engineering-restricted computer science courses and furthermore requires 3 upper division computer science courses.</p>
<p><a href=“Undergraduate Program | UCLA Department of Mathematics”>Undergraduate Program | UCLA Department of Mathematics;
<p>rpiction: I saw that, and I definitely do want to continue taking computer science courses. I don’t like how it seems to pigeonhole me into “computing” though. That’s the same issue I had with computer science. I’m not 100% sure I want to end up with a career in that field, so I like the broader experience of applied math.</p>
<p>I can’t find a course curriculum for applied math majors though…I’m trying to figure out how many computer science courses I’d be allowed to take. I see the thing on UCLA’s math page, but that doesn’t mention what courses I’m allowed to take, just the major requirements.</p>
<p>Do you know if it’s possible to do applied math and get a computer science minor? That sounds like a good route.</p>
<p>There is no CS minor. You will not be able to even sign up for CS classes unless you are in the school of engineering, a Mathematics of Computation major, or a Cybernetics major. That’s why I recommend MoC. It’s restricted, and you can see these enrollment limitations ([Example</a> - see “Enrollment Restrictions:”](<a href=“http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/schedule/subdet.aspx?srs=187500200&term=10W&session=]Example”>http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/schedule/subdet.aspx?srs=187500200&term=10W&session=))</p>
<p>It does not “pigeonhole” you into computing really.
Applied Math vs MoC
Preparation for the major
Both require Math 31A - 33B
Both require Physics A,B, and (Chem or Physics C)
MoC only requires Pic 10B, 10C and Math 61 extra.
So those 3 courses are the only difference in prep for the major.
On assist, if you’ve completed UCLA’s CS 31, 32, and 33 that will substitute for PIC 10A, 10B, 10C
At UCLA, you can substitute Math 180 (combinatorics) for Math 61. This will count toward your 60 upper division unit graduation requirement, but not toward the required upper divison (“The Major”) courses.</p>
<p>The Major
Both require Math 115A, 131A, (131B or 132).
Mathematics of Computation forces you to take Math 151A and 151B, but applied Math also makes you take it if you choose path A for one of your two-quarter sequences. Mathematics of Computation requires 6 other Math electives or Certain stat electives. It also requires 3 computer science courses, but you are free to take as many as you want. Remember that employers don’t care about a “minor.” They look at your coursework. If you take the 7 core upper division CS classes, you will pretty much be just as competitive as CS majors, but also have Math as a backup. You could also take Math courses like Algorithms or Cryptography, which are basically like other Upper division CS courses. If you don’t like CS, then you can stop after 3 and still be employable as a programmer. The 7 core courses is better for being a specialized computer scientist or getting a Masters. This is the only easy way you will be able to sign up for CS courses at UCLA if you’re not in engineering. </p>
<p>I have a friend at Lockheed Martin. He tells at LM, they teach him what he has to know. He just has to be familiar with the languages they use.</p>
<p>I’m sure you have already seen these, but here’s the link of the major requirements for quick reference:
<a href=“Undergraduate Program | UCLA Department of Mathematics”>Undergraduate Program | UCLA Department of Mathematics;
<a href=“Undergraduate Program | UCLA Department of Mathematics”>Undergraduate Program | UCLA Department of Mathematics;
<p>Hey rpicton, thanks a lot for taking the time to help me out. I really appreciate it. This is certainly a lot to think about, since I hadn’t realized that applied math majors were restricted from CS courses. This is obviously a problem for me. </p>
<p>Mathematics of Computation does seem like a great fit. I guess it’s just the name of the major that’s turning me off a bit. I want to be very free to go into a variety of different fields after graduation: Maybe computer science, but maybe something like finances as well (I’d like to take a few statistics or economics courses as well).</p>
<p>I may just be acting silly though. I’ll have to give this some more thought.</p>
<p>p.s - as for being employable, I think I’m already at that stage. I’ve taken three programming courses (two C++, one Java), one in machine organization and assembly, and one in data structures/algorithms. I’d like to take a few more classes though (definitely a software engineering course).</p>
<p>Yeah, I wish they would have named it Mathematics-Computer Science like [UCSD[/url</a>].</p>
<p>Computation can mean many things. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, I wouldn’t worry about it. It just might hurt if they have resume filters that search for the keyword “computer science.” In an interview or job that asks for your transcript you should be all right though.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t have a problem signing up for Economic (Except for the 106 series I think) and Statistic courses, as they are unrestricted. Also look into Math [url=<a href=“http://www.math.ucla.edu/ugrad/courses/math164/index.shtml]164[/url”>http://www.math.ucla.edu/ugrad/courses/math164/index.shtml]164[/url</a>], [url=<a href=“http://www.math.ucla.edu/ugrad/courses/math167/index.shtml]167[/url”>http://www.math.ucla.edu/ugrad/courses/math167/index.shtml]167[/url</a>] and [url=<a href=“http://www.math.ucla.edu/ugrad/courses/math174/index.shtml]174[/url”>http://www.math.ucla.edu/ugrad/courses/math174/index.shtml]174[/url</a>]. (For some of the finance related math courses.)</p>
<p>With the 6 upper division Stat/Math electives you have a lot of flexibility. You can set yourself up for any of these fields with this degree:</p>
<p>Actuarial and Insurance</p>
<pre><code>* Actuary * if you were interested in this, UCLA actually has a Math [url=Undergraduate Program | UCLA Department of Mathematics]specialization](<a href=“http://math.ucsd.edu/programs/undergraduate/ba_math_comp_science.php]UCSD[/url”>http://math.ucsd.edu/programs/undergraduate/ba_math_comp_science.php) for it.*
- Benefits Specialist
- Financial Analyst
- Investment Analyst
</code></pre>
<p>Computer and Information Sciences</p>
<pre><code>* Applications Programmer
- Computational Scientist
- Computer Applications Software Engineer
- Computer Programmer
- Computer Systems Analyst
- Cryptanalyst
- Database Administrator
</code></pre>
<p>Teaching/Academic Research</p>
<pre><code>* College or University Professor With a PhD of course
- Community College Instructor With a graduate degree of course
- Teacher - Primary, Junior High, High School With extra credentials. YMMV.
</code></pre>
<p>Operations Research</p>
<pre><code>* Operations Research Analyst UCLA had a specialization for this at one point, but it was removed due to lack of demand. I’m sure the counselors at UCLA can give you the suggested courses though.
- Systems Engineer
</code></pre>
<p>Statistics</p>
<pre><code>* Biometrician
- Demographer
- Econometrician
- Psychometrician
- Quality Control Analyst
- Statistician
</code></pre>
<p>Business/Industry</p>
<pre><code>* Applied Mathematician
- Business Analyst
- Communications Engineer
- Economic Analyst
- Investment Manager
- Market Researcher
- Product Developer
</code></pre>
<p>Health</p>
<pre><code>* Biomathematican
- Biomedical Engineer
- Ecologist
</code></pre>
<p>Emerging Fields</p>
<pre><code>* Computational Biology and Genomics
- Data Mining
- Neuroscience
- Materials Science
- Computer Animation and Digital Imaging
</code></pre>