UCSD Impacted Major or UCI for Computer Science

Hello.

I am a high school graduand and prospective undergraduate admitted to both UCSD as Undeclared and UCI for Computer Game Science. I have a huge passion for developing software, and have been working on all sorts of projects ever since middle school, so Computer Science is definitely the career I want to head towards.

Originally I am leaning towards choosing UCSD. However, I was not granted the CSE major because it is “impacted”, which means it is too popular and there are not enough spaces for more CS students. I checked their website and it seems that continuing students can change their major later on in sophomore/junior year to CSE, but only a limited amount of people can do so. This major restriction is the problem holding me back from choosing UCSD, even though it’s definitely the choice I prefer more. UCI has a good CS program as well, and I am also considering whether it is worth taking the risk and diving into UCSD, hoping to be able to be accepted for a CS degree in the future, or playing safe and attend UCI, which guarantees my major.

Having used Java for 3 years in different projects of my own and internships, and other programming experiences in Python, C#, HTML, JavaScript and PHP makes me feel confident that I will be able to do well in CS courses (especially the elementary courses). However, I am not sure how selective the CSE major actually is and good grades may not be the only factor to get in. Some admissions officer suggested I consider the Mathematics & Computer Science degree (https://www.math.ucsd.edu/programs/undergraduate/ba_math_comp_science.php), which is more focused on mathematics than CS. I am definitely interested in Math, but CS is still a career I want to pursue. In terms of job offerings, I am concerned that having a “non-pure” CS degree may have a negative effect.

If there are any current students at UCSD who can provide some information on the difficulty of changing into an impacted major, or anyone who wants to offer a suggestion, it would be very helpful! Thanks.

I would recommend playing it safe and performing well in the major at UC-Irvine. Irvine does have some strong faculty, and you can concentrate fully on your programming progress in a solid program, which seems pretty impressive to me. Yes, there may be a slight advantage – not huge – from UCSD’s program, but the way things are going, there’s really no way to tell with the impacted major, and the fact the you weren’t admitted straight away is not a good sign.

I’m on the same exact boat as you right now. CS major under UCI, but math:cs major under UCSD. I was really leaning towards UCSD for its prestige and location, but I figure that UCI may be a safer option for finding a job after completing a pure cs degree.

I’ve asked my daughter and she said its hard this year. You have to get As in 4 CS courses like CS 11/12, 15, 20/21 and Math 20 C. If you get B+ you might have to drop the class and start over. So she thinks it’s hard.
However, I believe my kid didn’t have any programming experience but she did well on those classes so if you are confident that you do well then take the risk. But in general I would recommend go to UCI because you are already accepted to the major.

Thanks for the response. I’m still thinking about it.

Looking at the courses @DrGoogle stated, I think I can do well in CS 11/12 (I’ve learned those content myself before, so it’s revision), but CSE 15L and CSE 20 would be more challenging, especially Discrete Mathematics. It’s hard to gauge the difficulty of courses. I asked an admissions officer and she said that “acceptance to the major is based solely on the student’s GPA in the CSE courses”.

Alternatively, I could attend UCI and transfer to UCSD later on.

UCI has a very good CS program, I wouldn’t want to transfer, there is a lot of hassle. Plus once you are there the connections you made is important.
Btw, some of the CSE classes have interchangeable classes in Math.

In case anybody’s wondering where I get the 4 courses for transfer to CS, here is the link
http://www.dof.ca.gov/innovationawards/submitted_applications/documents/%5B54%5D%20University%20of%20California,%20San%20Diego.pdf/
Page 11, Moving through UC San Diego

Yeah, I saw the interchangeable math classes. Personally I like the UCSD environment/atmosphere more. It’s probably a big risk to take. While I like developing games, the CGS major from UCI feels a bit too focused. I think I might prefer a broader CS experience with more science.

Worst case scenario might be having to transfer from UCSD or taking the Mathematics & Computer Science major. That major seems nice, although not my first choice. In terms of quality education and job opportunities, I think both universities are very similar and on-par.

@DrGoogle Do you also know anything about UCSD’s course wait listing? I heard it is a long wait before able to take any CSE courses, which may be a problem.

I think from what I’ve read if you are in the 10% than you should be able to get into a class. People dropped classes in the beginning. I don’t think you have to wait but I could be wrong. It depends on your time and I think it’s random for the first quarter, even for Regents.

@DrGoogle is right about the 10% thing, but CS classes are different from normal ones in that they waitlist everyone, then admit the CSE students/those who need that class in order, then other students. I don’t think it’s too much of an issue; my roommate is a BioE:BINF major and he was able to get all the CSE classes he needed.