Admitted… it was there 7:30 am est. I listened to a live broadcast last night from admission. Merit will not go out until March, and the way I understood they have already mailed the acceptance packages. Oh and they already processed college transfer credits. wow
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Son was admitted. Does anyone know when Honors and Business Scholars decisions will come out and how?
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Congrats all! Daughter also admitted. No word on honors yet.
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Dumb question: does “pre computer science” mean my son was admitted to the CS program? That’s what he applied for.
EDIT: Nevermind! I found the answer on the U website. CS kids are pre-major until they complete the pre-major sequences of classes.
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The page on the U website about the Eccles scholarship says Honors decisions are released on Feb 1, 2021. Eccles Scholarship – Honors College
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I wonder if they are all like that. My daughter’s says “pre environmental & sustainability studies”
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The computer science major description states that:
- A minimum cumulative gpa of 3.0 overall is required for consideration for admission to the major
- A minimum cumulative gpa of 3.0 is required in pre-major courses for consideration for admission to the major
And for graduation:
- A minimum cumulative gpa of 2.50 is required for graduation
- All CS courses must maintain a minimum cumulative gpa of 2.50 for graduation
See Catalog - The University of Utah
This minimum required for entry to the major is somewhat unusual, although there are minimums for graduating with Honors etc (IIRC 3.5 in that case).
I wouldn’t worry as much about those minimums as at some other colleges, because Utah is very generous with its grading policies. You can check out grade distributions here:
https://www.obia.utah.edu/data-dashboard/undergraduate-gpa-distribution/
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Thanks! Grade distribution isn’t something I thought to look at.
Yes and no. You can’t declare the major until you’ve completed the pre-requisites. CS is different because (unlike ENVST) there’s a minimum GPA required to declare the major. You can check out each major here:
https://advising.utah.edu/majors/quick-look/index.php
Then select the details of the BA/BS degree from the link to the catalog on the right hand side of the major description page, which specifies required courses, credits and minimum graduation requirements etc.
For example Catalog - The University of Utah
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Yeah I edited my original post because I found the answer - CS majors have to complete a sequence of courses to be admitted to the full major. Makes sense. CSHB - FMS Application
Thank you for that info as well. This is a really helpful group!
So if a student scored a 5 on Calculus BC and Computer Science Principles and Computer Science A then they only have two additional prerequisite classes. Am I understanding that correctly?
Yes you can skip Calc I and Calc II with a 5 on Calc BC and the intro CS course with APCS. Other APs get you out of general eds, but the total credits you receive don’t correspond directly to the number of courses you can avoid - for example D had 58 semester credits from APs but only used about 5-6 courses worth.
If doing Honors then you’ll need to pick an Honors math/science course as well (you can’t place out of Honors gen eds). A good choice if you have a 5 in Calc BC is the Honors math sequence (MATH 1260 is the Honors Calc 2/3 course - D did that first semester and grading was pretty favorable - I think 70% of the class got an A).
Just to add that counterintuitively Honors courses have more favorable grading patterns than you would expect. There’s no grading on a curve so it’s common for 70%+ of the grades in these classes to be A or A-. They are also small, often limited to 20-30 students and may not even fill.
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Son got in for “Pre Physics BS”
Now just waiting for merit …
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I’m not sure about this, but it looks like the CS A doesn’t automatically substitute for CS 1030. But there’s a placement test to skip CS 1030 and go straight to 1410. My son and I were just looking into this. The AP credit list says the CS A test gives credit for one Science IE class. But if they took CS A, they should be able to place into CS 1410, right?
Their AP info page doesn’t say anything about CS Principles. It still has the old AP CS AB test listed.
My son did Calc AB then Calc II at a community college, so he’s done with the calculus, too.
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The requirements tracking is extremely complicated. The AP credit page lists Gen Ed exemptions (IEs) but placing out of major classes is separate. And Honors GEs can’t be waived like regular GEs (see the planner here: Degree and Course Planner – Honors College). Course sequencing adds to the complications, especially if you stay for the summer and have a more limited selection of courses available. It is really worthwhile to map out a course plan based on the sequences given in the catalog, especially if you have exemptions from the intro courses and need courses that are not offered every semester.
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Thanks @Twoin18 - this is helpful. It’s confusing on the website. I’m assuming my son will figure it all out with a counselor if he chooses to go there.
FYI for others who may be interested - I found a link to their explanation of how AP exams fulfill major requirements for computer science:
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Just be aware that there are separate Honors advisers from the advisers who deal with your individual major. It was fairly confusing at orientation since they were giving different (and not always compatible) advice. It is also possible to end up with schedule conflicts between required major courses and required Honors courses (which many of the first year LLCs have), in which case the major generally takes precedence (though that’s not always made clear). It took my D about 2-3 semesters before she fully got to grips with all the nuances. If you are following a different path from that suggested on the catalog because of Honors and/or AP exemptions then it is a good idea to work through possibilities yourself before orientation.
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So my daughter was just accepted for Fall '21. Does she need to do anything else to be considered for merit scholarship opportunities?
Mine too was accepted. I logged on to her portal and found the piggy bank icon, but no info is there yet for merit $. Anyone else see merit info there?
You have to follow the next steps to select a new password and then set up the account…