flopsy

Probably in October 2006. That's when the annual HSSEAS Announcement gets printed and posted as a .PDF document, with updated curricula for each engineering major.

flopsy

Yes, that would be quite reasonable.

flopsy

There will always be a need for Computer Science majors because the skills you learn are versatile enough to weather any fluctuations in the economy. As it stands, consulting firms, investment banking firms, and biotechnology companies are competing with software developers at UCLA engineering career fairs for the best engineering students. Furthermore, the straight Computer Science program keeps you competitive through the "coherent group" option, allowing you to concentrate on a field outside your major (e.g. Mathematics, Economics, Chemistry) that can be applied in the workplace. Prof. Smallberg made a quip dismissing the threat of outsourcing at this year's Engineering Open House, where he said that overseas outsourcing usually replaces simplistic programming and tech support jobs, which ought to be avoided by UCLA Computer Science graduates anyways.

devr

Yeah I wish somebody recorded what Smallberg said, he explained it very well.

FelixLee

Just some more questions:

1. Is it possible to test out of English Composition 3 by AP scores or SAT scores?

2. How difficult is Chem 20B/L?

3. What is the average workload (units) for freshment 2nd and 3rd semester?

4. Would Math 31B be too boring for someone who has taken Calculus BC in high school? If so, would Math 32A be too hard of a transition for 1st quarter?

julio_c

I am a 25 year old military veteran transfer to UCLA from san diego and wondering about what to do as far as living arrangements. I am afraid i may feel to old to live on campus but don't want to be off campus and never meet anyone in a city where I know no one. Any thoughts anyone?

GrassPuppet

Flopsy,

Would you happen to know anything about the CEED Program? If it is beneficial to join or anything at all that you can tell me about?

Thank you

UndecidedMom

GrassPuppet, as far as I understand participation in CEED is by invitation only. There is another program called AAP (Academic Advancement Program) to which you can apply any time during the school year and which provides tutoring, academic programs, counseling, graduate mentoring, scholarships, research opportunities, and a computer lab.

automath

Felix Lee

1) I'm pretty sure you can pass out of Eng.Comp 3 if you got a 4/5 on AP English Lang. or AP English Lit. If not, you can also take the english 3 proficiency exam (which is offered once each quarter) if you score a 720 or above on writing or got a 3 on one of AP english exams.

2) Chem 20B is harder than 20A but manageable if you study everyday. I wouldn't recommend taking Baugh or Raymond though. I had Pang for 20L and I must say his class was hard. I expected an A but ended up with a B. 20L isn't curved so you have to get 90 or above for an A.

3)Most freshmen take 16-20 units during their 2nd and 3rd QUARTER.

4) If you got a 5 on AP Calc BC, you can pass out of 31A,B. If you got a 4, too bad. You must take the math placement exam during orientation or some other time. I'd recommend skipping 31B since 32A is easier anyway. I recommend either Chayes or De Sapio for 32A.

yuilife

I thought if you got a 4 on the AP calc bc exam you get to skip out of 31A?

automath

I'm not sure but during my orientation session (Fall 2005), my counselor said that if you didn't get a 5 on BC, you have to take the diagnostic exam no matter what (FOR ENGINEERING).

yuilife

ohh okay. I think they might have changed it this year. I got a call and they said if i pass the AP exam i dont need to take the diagnostic exam and I'm majoring in EE.

flopsy

devr

A 4 in AP Lang won't do it?

Vict209130

Hi there, I graduated in June 2005 and I was majoring in EECE. I just want to tell you guys "MY" life before graduation and the prospective after graduate on top of Flopsy's word.

Flopsy said EECE is as tough as EE or CS or CS&E. Well, I changed my major from CS&E to EE in my junior year. (Yes, they approved it and sent me a "congradulation" letter like i was admitted to the college as a freshman) My GPA at that time was 3.67 as i believed.

However, EECE, in my points of view, is tougher than straight EE and CS or CS&E. You will have to take the toughest classese from both the EE and the CS side when you are majoring in EECE;
CS 111 - operating system. DAILY quiz, weekly homework, 2 midterms, 3 computer projects and 1 finals. That is a 4 units class, but me and my roommate felt that it should be 10 units instead. My classmates at that quarter took only 2 classes!!! Me and my roommate, 4 classes and we got bad grades. Don't think of taking this class at UC Irvine during summer and get an A. UCLA CS department no more allow that.

CS M152B - be prepared to sleep in the lab if one or two of your partners are not performing well.

CS 180, M152A && EE 115C, 103, 113 can be tough depends on who you take.

Depends on how smart you are and how good you make friends with in your freshman and sophmore years, don't expect too much social lives. I stuided 40 hours in my friendman and sophmore year and i got decent grades (allow me to switch engineering major). I studied 60+ hours in my third, forth, and fifth year and just okay grades. The major reason is because those who do badly in freshman and sophmore years drop out and go to L&S, plus new transfer students from the community colleges. The transfer community are mostly international students. Some of them are very smart, and some of them are interested only in studying. I know plenty of them. Most of them want to stay in the US after graduate. To secure an employment opportunity, they got to have good grades. Classes are graded by curve so you are fighting with them for good grades. Last year college of engineering valedictorian is a girl from Hong Kong, 4.0 GPA in EECE. She slept 3 - 5 hrs daily except weekend!!

Students are selfish to each other unless your are in a group. This is the side-effect of curve grading. UCB and USC is no more or less different. Cantonese is flying around in the USC canteen (my working fellows told me that), means that you better know how to speak cantonese in order to be in group to get good grades. It is worse in UCB, I think students commited suicide there due to the pressure from study? One of my wokring fellows transfered from USB's CS to UCSC's because he couldn't stand the competition atmosphere there.

One very positive thing in UCLA... You will get a good job as long as you have decent grade. Compare with my other friends graduated from UCSB or UCD, most of us from UCLA engineering school got a job in the technical industry rapidly after graduation. Well, I got an internship in my senior year (5th year) of study, I kept that internship position after I graduate. After 2 weeks of job hunting, I was hired as a developer in a consultant firm. Decent pay, not too bad. I quitted the job and moved to San Francisco the beginning of this year for some family reason, I got a new job in a tech. company as a tech. consultant/engineer. My friends from UCLA mostly got a job > 50K a year. So, come to UCLA if you don't want to study like hell in UCB, want to see how your Burins will win the NCAA Champions (look at the S there), want to explore the EXCELLENT westwood neighborhood, brilliant climate, great campus ...

anyway, at least for CS, EE, and CS&E, it is competitive to study engineering at UCLA for sure. I don't know why the program is still only ranking around 10th -20th, but from the comments of my current employers, UCLA engineering graduates are smart and hardworking. We can be even smarter than someone who gradauted from those prestigious private universities. So, join us and live it, love it.

Oh, to the post above, only AP Calculus AB or BC counts. Writing also counts towards passing the subject A exam. the word "counts" refer to "equivalent to a course offers at UCLA and can fulfill the enginnering core requirement". For example, you get a 5 in AP physics, that you get 4 units but, still, you have to take all the physics cources listed in the syllabus. Calculus AB 3 or above substitues Math 3A, BC 4 or above substitutes Math 3B. (Math 3A and 3B are required for all engineering majors in the syllabus). You get credits/units for other AP exams, but they are not substitiable for any course listed on your syllabus.