<p>I was planning on trying to apply for engineering because I have always excelled in math (AP Calculus BC as a senior and never gotten a B in any class) but looking at the standardized test scores of admits has me frightened. Im not a good test taker, i get test taking anxiety and im a bit of a perfectionist so rushing through answers without reviewing them just isnt my thing. I got a 1900 on the SAT and 29 on the ACT (Im retaking the ACT so i might get better). I don't know if I can get into engineering at my top picks like UCLA, USC, and UC Berkeley and I was wondering if there was an easier math based or science based major to apply to that would increase my chances of getting accepted. </p>
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<p>Not likely. those schools seem to want an ACT 31+ for engineering…and even then, an ACT 31 can be iffy. </p>
<p>USC, especially, has become a bit of a Score Whore, so your test scores will probably get rejected, no matter what your major is…unless it was a talent one.</p>
<p>what were the math scores on the ACT and SAT?</p>
<p>What other schools are you applying to? </p>
<p>You need to look at lower tier schools, particularly for engineering.</p>
<p>Math is in the department of Arts and Sciences which is not as impacted at most universities. However if you really prefer engineering then you should look at other colleges. It isn’t always possible to transfer into the engineering dept.You might well look into careers with math majors, they can be interesting. It isn’t as necessary to have a prestige school for engineering. Apply widely within the UC system and maybe you will get lucky. Put math as your second choice. Add some CSU or other colleges.</p>
<p>If you are really good at math then you would have been drilling yourself with free SAT tests and blue book practice tests for drilling yourself and getting the timing down.</p>
<p>At Berkeley, the College of Letters and Science (where math and most science majors are) is generally considered easier to get into than the College of Engineering. Of course, changing into the College of Engineering after enrolling requires another highly competitive admission process.</p>
<p>While Math is easier to get into since it is in the college of LAS, you may not really enjoy it. It has been stated that the top 1/3 of the class enjoys the experience (and the bottom 2/3 perhaps enjoys it less?). The math department at top math schools like UC Berkeley and UCLA tends to concentrate the math fanatics from around the state/country into one place. If you don’t make offhand comments like “oh, that’s just a simple application of telescoping series” or “the pigeonhole principle, again?” you may not feel a close affinity.</p>
<p>If you think you want to do engineering, do engineering. If you have an interest in computational biology, neuroscience, financial markets, business, or some other application of mathematics, look into those instead. But yes, it seems that the college of engineering is more impacted/competitive than LAS.</p>