University of Washington vs. UC Irvine vs. UC Santa Barbara

<p>I am a California resident. I got into Washington for Pre-Engineering, Irvine for Computer Engineering, and Santa Barbara for Computer Science (L&A). I'm mainly looking towards Washington or Irvine. The thing that is keeping me from Washington is that it looks like I need to reapply in my 2-3rd year to get into a specific major/department (Is this wrong?) I am aiming for their computer science and engineering department.</p>

<p>Washington CS is notoriously highly competitive for admission to the major if you are not directly admitted to the major as a frosh. If you attend Washington, you need to have a backup major that is not impacted, according to [UW</a> Advising - List of Majors](<a href=“http://www.washington.edu/uaa/advising/majors/majoff.php]UW”>http://www.washington.edu/uaa/advising/majors/majoff.php) , since it is unlikely that you will be able to major in CS.</p>

<p>If you are a California resident, UCSB and UCI are likely less expensive anyway.</p>