Lurker here. Love the camaraderie and insight you all have provided. I don’t know if this is the correct place to post this but I’m sure a Forum Champ will put this in the correct thread.
My son(22) is trying to decide between UW (Environmental Studies), UCD (Food Science), and UCSD (Structural Eng). He fell in love with UCSD after tagging along with his older sister on a campus visit. Needless to say, UCSD quickly became both my childrens’ slam-dunk, in-a-heartbeat , dream school. My D(20) is currently a 2nd year Triton but my son is reluctant to commit there b/c his sister is there. The two are tight and I just can’t figure out what the problem is. I know everything will work out fine and if he really wishes to pursue engineering, the decision should be easy. Yet… he’s already asked me and his mother (both aggie alum) about changing majors @ UCD. Ugggh! Our visit to Aggie Day was phenomenal and I understand why he would attend (yes, UCD is that great)… but transferring to engineering is no easy feat if not impossible. Has anyone ever experienced this before and is there anything we can do to help our son decide? Any feedback or insight would be appreciated. Thanks!
How do I change my major into the COE as a freshman admit for UC Davis?
If planning to change your major, or add an additional major, you are required to complete a Change of Major webform. The Change of Major webform will be submitted to the appropriate advisors and dean’s offices involved.
In order to change your major to, or to double major with, a major in the College, you must satisfy requirements that have been established by the College of Engineering faculty:
For students that matriculated to UC Davis as a Freshman: 1. Be a registered student and have completed at least one quarter (minimum of 12 units) at UC Davis 2. Have completed not more than 135 cumulative units (excluding AP units); students who have completed more than 135 units will be considered on an appeal basis only 3. Be in good academic standing and meet minimum progress requirements 4. Have received a letter grade for all courses that satisfy Engineering degree requirements 5. Have met the following: a. completed at least the following five courses: MAT 21A,B,C; PHY 9A; and CHE 2A* and b. a GPA of 2.0 or higher in all completed MAT, PHY, BIS, and CHE courses required for your intended major, and have received a C- or better in each of these courses. For Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering a 2.8 GPA or higher is required. 6. Have no grade lower than a C- in any completed engineering course required for your intended major(s) taken at UC Davis 7. Have a 2.0 or higher UC GPA in completed engineering courses.
UCD’s change of major is straightforward especially if he does not plan to change to CS or CE. Did he ask about the difficulty of changing majors while visiting at UCD? If not, I would have him contact the Engineering department and ask if he meets all the requirements is the change of major guaranteed. Since he is admitted to UCSD as a Structural Engineering, is he leaning towards Civil Engineering at UCD? Unless you are a direct admit for Engineering at UW, my understanding it is impossible to change into their Engineering department.
That said, UCSD is a large campus and chances are he will not run into his sister if that is his concern. I can understand that siblings want to have their own space, their own identity even in college but it is worth him to give up this great opportunity at UCSD? It is his life and only he can decide what is best for his next 4 years.
Our daughter was accepted to Chemical Engineering at UW, and when we toured there they reiterated that if you’re not accepted directly into engineering it’s virtually impossible to switch into engineering. She’s also been accepted to UCSD for Pharmacological Chemistry which is honestly a better fit for her.
UCSD is big enough that I think he could find his own groove without following after his sister, if that’s his concern (my daughter’s BFF has a twin brother who is not pleased she’s considering the college he is planning on, but there are fewer than 2000 students there, so they probably couldn’t avoid each other).
He has several passions. One is love for outdoors and geocaching; the Pacific Northwest is ideal. Another is entertainment engineering; designing attractions, rides, theming, etc… and he’s a foodie… Alton Brown et. al. Guess he will have to decide what he loves most and can make a living at. Thanks for your response.
Yes, Civil Engineering would be his major of choice if not Food Science. UCSD does not offer a Civil Eng major but has four `branches/concentrations under the umbrella of structural eng.
At Aggie Day, we visited the College of Ag and Env. Sci tent and spoke with Food Science representatives. They got us all excited about the program… opportunity to study at Wageningen in the Netherlands (tops not only in Food Science but Env Studies and Forestry). Hmm…
Thanks for the UCD change of major criteria. Multiple major or minor also a possibility. Both mom and dad want to go back to school
That is how I felt when I was visiting college campuses with my son’s and wanted to go back to college. Rock climbing walls, indoor track in the gym, food trucks and multiple eateries on campus, coffee houses and the best thing during finals week: Therapy Fluffies. Nothing like that when I went to college. Best of luck with your son’s decision.
I agree with you. I don’t think my son and daughter will run into each other much at UCSD at all. It’ll all work out. I guess my son doesn’t want to be introduced to others as “He’s [any name] younger brother.” He’ll get past this. Seems rather trivial but I didn’t think it would be such an issue. Shrug.
lol He’s interested in so many things. Maybe he was hoping the application process would help him decide which direction to go in. Now he’s going to have to do some soul searching. We’re planning to revisit UW and UCSD over his Easter break… hope the visits will help him decide.
She hasn’t decided yet. We’re visiting UCSD and UCI this weekend. UW is out due to weather (we joke she’s solar-powered). U of Miami is also still in the running. I’m nervous as it feels like time is rapidly running out.
He should go to UCSD. And if he’s super interested in theme park ride design, he should try to get an internship at Garner Holt Productions in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Disney uses them all of the time.
I feel the same way. Anxiously waiting. I believe thunderstorms are forecasted in Seattle this weekend; perhaps my son will decide to remain in CA. Congrats to you and your daughter. She’s got a bunch of great schools to choose from.
Did your son get admitted to the same residential college and or academic college as your daughter? If so, I would understand him wanting to separate a bit, otherwise, UCSD is big enough that it should not be an issue at all.
Otherwise, Davis is simply amazing! We are in San Diego and my daughter is choosing Davis. She got wait listed at San Diego and although she accepted the spot on the wait list initially, now that she has visited Davis, she says she won’t accept the spot if she gets off the wait list.
I am so excited for you and your daughter! The community of Davis is so student-centric and the possibilities @ UCD are endless. Everything from studying abroad to ushering at UCD Presents/theatre/concert events to caring for one’s bicycle at the bike barn, working at the cytogenetic lab, being a reader for the mathematics department, doing research with chemistry grad students and profs, skiing Tahoe… the list goes on and on… I even met my wife there lol! But to answer your question, both my son and daughter are in different colleges but they run in the same social circles so they probably would see each other on weekends/retreats if not during the week. I’m actually writing this in La Jolla. Just came down from Seattle/UW. Met up with my daughter and she graciously took us around campus. Both son and daughter didn’t miss a beat and enjoyed their time together immensely. I believe my son will be committing to UCSD after today’s visit. He received a warm welcome from everyone he interacted with (daughter’s friends/roommates) and despite the physical size of UCSD, it felt smaller because my daughter couldn’t go more than 10 minutes without running into someone she knew. After leaving campus for the day, we (sans daughter) spent time on the beach watching the sun go down and all the surfers come back in. I believe my son may have found the school that best suits him. He just needed reassurance. His mom and dad are elated. Go Tritons! Go Aggies!
That’s great to hear! We visited earlier this week and our daughter absolutely fell in love with the campus. She’ll be in Roosevelt, majoring in Pharmacological Chemistry. I’m excited for both our future Tritons!
That’s so wonderful to hear! Congrats on your daughter’s commitment to UCSD! I find UCSD and the proximity to the ocean and beaches just too inviting. Roosevelt college has a great international vibe. My son is in 7th and daughter is in Warren. Took a kayak out to the La Jolla caves and kelp forest today. Ocean kayaking is not really our forte and the conditions for snorkeling were not ideal but we made lasting memories as a family. My son bought a sweatshirt at the university store and a sticker for his hydro flask…. He has yet to take the tag off his sweatshirt nor apply the sticker but we are 90+% sure he’s gonna be a Triton too!
too!