Undecided about two majors(Engineer vs Math Econ) Honor student Application Q

Transfer Students UC Transfers
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<p>Currently enrolled in a california CC, my GPA is around a 3.3 while taking engineering pre reqs. Currently taking 1 honors class, upping the ante next year. I will be applying in the fall of 2012. This spring semester is my 3rd semester in college.</p>

<p>Im on the path to do the engineering major prereqs(physics/chem/math) and if i stay focus on this path i can finish all these pre-reqs with a lot less courseload versus if i do this and IGETC. But right now im trying to do honors + igetc+ lots of physics/math because some UCs(UCSD i know forsure) wants IGETC even for engineering majors for a TAG. </p>

<p>Well, at this point, im at about 60/40 on what major i want to be. 60 towards engineering, because i really want to makea positive difference in the world, and 40 towards a mathematics/economics degree, because it is the easier path and is still something i am interested in. If i were to follow strictly IGETC+ honors and stop taking calculus physics and replace them with easy classes I know I could boost my GPA to around 3.7</p>

<p>The schools I am interested in: UCLA, UCB, UCSB, UCSC, CALPOLY, SDSU, as well as some privates(Colorado College, USC, LMU)
My questions are:
Since schools ask for your top 3 majors, Does it matter as which one I list as first?
i.e. If I put math/economics first, and engineering second, will i get accepted for both programs if i meet the criteria?
Since TAPs are only for the College of letters and sciences, how do colleges factor it in for Engineering majors?
What are the TAP requirements for UCLA?
There is a very high chance that I will get over 90 semester units, how do they decide which credit doesnt count? For instance, My physical science courses are stacked right now (Geology, Chemistry, Physics), and Geology was my lowest grade (C), I really dont want the credit. I also still need a biological science course.<br>
I plan on taking Honors Communication next semester because it fulfills the 3rd english requirements for CSUs, does that Honors class still count towards my six for a UC?
Also, I graduated from high school with a 3.7gpa and 1930 sat, 28 act+, and i really want the schools to see my grades. Will they even look at it and consider it, or am i wasting money?
I am also open to any advice about my situation, or anything you think would help me.
I really need to figure out my major. In my dream world I would do a double major of Electrical Engineering / Mathematics/Econ, but the chances of that happening are prettty slim.</p>

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<p>I’m planning on transferring to one of the UCs as an electrical engineering major. At this point, by the end of this spring quarter, I’ll have completed my pre-reqs and IGETC. Two of my close friends also want to major in math/econ, so I have some expertise on that major as well in terms of college acceptance. To start off I’ll answer some of the basics first as best as I can.</p>

<p>High school grades and SAT/ACT are not factored into your application, in fact it isn’t even asked for. Your high school transcript is required though if you already have been accepted, reasons being mostly for the records of secondary language fulfillment (if you did not take 2 courses in your respective community college). However, if you did do AP tests or IB exams, those are factored in and are asked for in your application process for UCs. So simply, your high school records don’t matter.</p>

<p>Also you should note, schools do not ask for your 3 top majors, they ask for 2. Primary and secondary/alternative. Generally speaking it isn’t too common that if you didn’t get your primary choice, that you’ll get your alternative instead. So by putting your alternative choice, it’s not some sort of thing like “if I fail to get this major, at least I can get in with this one!”. It is only a half-truth. Most of the time they will reject you admittance flat out if you didn’t get in your first primary major listed.</p>

<p>TAP for majors outside of college of letters and science is practically ignored, however for math/econ which is in the college of letters and science, TAP is very useful. Unfortunately for engineering, it’s pretty much useless.</p>

<p>IGETC is useful in general, but not required at all for engineering majors. The only requirement, like you stated, is for UCSD. So it’s a choice really dependent on your time. If you have the time to fulfill IGETC courses, then do it, if not, you will still need to take some general ed classes, but overall should stick with your core engineering requirements.</p>

<p>As for how the schools determine the over 90 semester unit limit, I am not too sure. All i know is that the classes that do transfer are used in units, the rest is just subject credit.</p>

<p>If you really worry about your GPA and want to get into first tier UC (UCSD, UCLA, UCB), then math/econ is a considerably easier path. The reason being is that from personal experience, it doesn’t get any easier. Your GPA will keep on falling down as you take more physics and more math. Where as with more general ed classes to buffer your grade as a math/econ, it will raise.</p>

<p>Word of advice: Don’t try to put everything on your plate, stick with one thing when trying to transfer and do it well. Universities don’t like it when they see a disorganized scattered course listing on your transcript. It only makes sense that if you apply as an engineering major first, you take more classes specific to it. Being an engineer isn’t the only way to make a difference in the world. Also, did you know, only about 2% of engineers major actually become design engineers? Many go into sales even or other areas, especially entrepreneurship. Your career is not indefinitely bound by your major. The education system is a game, not a life. Play it well and then when it is done make your positive impact on the world regardless of what your major is.</p>

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<p>Thank you for response! Very appreciated.</p>

<p>Talked to my CC counselor today (first time talking to him), he was of no help, actually really condescending towards me after i told him my major.</p>

<p>My biggest question that i feel like can be solved by this board is:
If I put Electrical Engineering as my primary major, and Mathematics/Economics as my secondary, would I get accepted into both if i meet both requirements?</p>

<p>My logic is that if I can get a high enough GPA to get into say UCLA, UCSD, for Engineering, then my GPA should be high enough for Mathematics/Economics[M/E] especially since I will be a TAP Transfer… At this point, I really dont know if I want to go into M/E or EE. Im taking an honors macroeconomics class in the fall so hopefully that will ease my decision. </p>

<p>And for the ACT/SAT, i know they dont require or even ask for it, but if i send it to them regardless will they look at it, or is it a waste of money</p>

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<p>Haha yeah…my counselors weren’t very helpful at all. Most never want to think or help your situation, rather just do certain things like ‘sign this’ or ‘can you grab this file for me from my records’.</p>

<p>For acceptance into majors, unfortunately you are only accepted for one major - mostly your primary one. So lets say you did EE and M/E, EE as your 1st. If you were accepted, you would only be accepted as an EE major even if you met both requirements. For your ACT/SAT, yeah, definitely don’t send it in. It would be ignored and not factored into your admission at all as a transfer.</p>

<p>I guess, you have to ask yourself, which matters more? Acceptance into the schools or the major itself? Math/econ is definitely so much more easier to get in. Not only is the GPA requirement less in math/econ, but the classes are considerably easier too. </p>

<p>For myself, it’s a different case. I’m pursuing EE not because I have a great love for it. In fact, my real ability is inter-personal skills and dealing with people. But to me, it’s more of having knowledge on-hand. If i’m trying to communicate with someone or give them orders but have no idea what i’m talking about - then i’ll look like a fool. So that’s why I wanted the technical background of an EE. To tell you the truth, what you learn in school, most of it will be forgotten or not applied to work at all. So that’s the question, if you really love EE or want the same reasons as myself in having a technical background, then the choice should be EE major. But if you are only picking EE because you think it will determine the rest of your life - definitely pick math/econ. A lot of the interviews I’ve been to for internships at software or circuit developing companies - they all want experience and practical knowledge. None have ever cared about necessarily what I learned in school. My dad was a physics major and he was an optical engineer. All of what he learned was on the job or self-taught. His education and bachelors in physics did not help him at all. So pick your choice, math/econ will be considerably easier to get into schools with, and if you are really interested too in technical things to make a positive impact - trust me, that won’t be learned in school. You gotta learn that on your own time or on the job.</p>

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<p>this is where my dilemma is. I havent taken any electrical engineering courses, so I dont know if Ill “enjoy it”. I do enjoy using my brain to solve stuff. my main motivation for going into engineering is to work on alternative energy and to improve the efficiency of our energy use. I’m a smart kid, and this is why i figured engineering would be good. Also, the possibility of being self-employed pleases me. I would love to start my own company. My dad came to the states with nothing after the vietnam war, and successfully started his own company. Being a business owner is something that interest me. Im really on the fence about this. I only need about 5 more courses to complete IGETC.</p>

<p>Does anyone have information about salaries for Mathematics/Econ majors? I would assume that it would be a little more than economics major alone, right?</p>

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<p>I have been in a similar situation for a while now. I was accepted today to UCLA for math/econ but engineering is still in the back of my mind. The applied math/science major is still open to me if I choose to switch to it since I have taken the required physics courses. It’s good to know my options are still open.</p>

<p>Are you interested in economics? Do you like proof-based math (note: This is very different from the applied math that engineers use)? Have you taken linear algebra or discrete math? These are two proof-based classes that might indicate whether or not you would like the upper division math courses you’ll be taking after you transfer.</p>

<p>Math/econ definitely qualifies you for the same jobs as econ majors, with math giving you an edge over them. Here’s a link to career information for certain majors from UC Berkeley. It does not have math/econ, but you can check out the applied math/math/economics careers for an idea of what you can do.
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Also, here’s a topic from someone who graduated in math/econ from UCLA that you may find interesting:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/1114003-my-ucla-transfer-experience.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/1114003-my-ucla-transfer-experience.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;