I would not count on the Columbia 3-2. The prerequisites are extensive and the minimum required GPA will be difficult to achieve, unless you are already earning A’s and B+'s in college level math, physics, and computer science.
In a month or so you will have finished your first year of college. Don’t sign up for another 5 years of undergraduate work. Figure out how to finish your bachelors degree quickly and affordably.
You have applied for transfer to Occidental, Dickinson, and Grinnell. Best of luck with those applications. I hope one of those excellent colleges gives you an opportunity to earn your BA expeditiously without taking on unreasonable loans.
OP: to gauge the viability of the plan, can you tell us what math, physics, and chemistry classes you’re taking/have taken, and what grades you got in them?
I see in another thread that you have been accepted at University of Minnesota Twin Cities in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). Given your one year of coursework at University of Saint Thomas, can you earn a BA in computer science from UMN-TC in 3 more years? The BA in computer science requires fewer math and laboratory science courses than the BS, so you might be able to finish the BA sooner. For many jobs, employers will not care about the difference between a BA and a BS. They will care about the programming skills you can demonstrate.
If you can do the BA in CS at UMN (or can get into bioinformatics) and program on the side, you’d have very good job prospects and less debt. Then you could work a little at one of the numerous Twin Cities companies and if you managed a 3.75 GPA at UMN, apply to Columbia for a Master’s degree, which may well be funded (ie., you don’t pay any tuition).
Yeah, I got into CLA but I’ll try to get the BS because it’s the same effort. I would graduate in 3 more years with either option. I do think employers want the BS more than the BA(why I’d rather go to The U or Columbia vs a liberal arts college.) I also want to specialize in a field of CS but the BA option at the U doesn’t allow for that.
The reason I started this thread is that the 4 years would cost about the same as the 6 years, if NPC calculators are accurate at all. I’m leaning towards Minnesota though(have not heard back from schools I applied to, lol).
The degree title BA versus BS should not matter. It matters what CS courses you take, how well you do (GPA may be used as initial screening for interviews of soon-to-graduate college students), and how well you do in the interviews (including technical questions). It is likely the case that a school with a larger CS department will be more attractive to recruiters, since there will be more CS majors (= potential recruits) at such a school.
Actually, BA vs. BS doesnt matter - BA just means you have 1/3 free electives to use as you please, whereas the BS has more prescribed courses. For you, BA may be better since you could potentially transfer more courses and take more electives in the firld you’re interested in. Make sure to include a Physics class at a community college over the summer (St Paul’s is good).
This does not sound like a realistic plan. Nor is it time efficient. Assuming you execute it as you describe and do in fact end up at Columbia you’ll find yourself in a socially awkward situation. Most of your classmates will be 2-3 years younger than you. Then too in practice very few students at LACs such as Occidental take advantage of the 3-2 program. Most, even those with the initial intent to do 3-2, find it socially difficult to not graduate with their classmates.
From a practical viewpoint you’ll most likely do best career wise by completing a 4-year CS program at the Univ. of Minn. and if you want additional training, follow up with a Master’s degree in CS. If indeed you do exceptionally well in your BS degree, colleges such as Columbia may be within reach for you when you apply for the MS program.
I agree! Since you are paying for college with loans, it is important that you finish up in a timely manner. You want to transfer as much credit as possible from U. St. Thomas and spend only three years at UMN. The Calc 1 and Calc 2 courses you have already taken should count toward your CS major, but since you have not yet taken a CS course you have some catching up to do. The BA in CS is a reasonable goal, especially considering that you are accepted into the College of Liberal Arts. After a semester or two at UMN you might be able to transfer into the College of Engineering and go for the BS, but that may require more time toward your degree. The CS department at UMN offers the same courses to BA students and BS students, so don’t spend extra time and money on a BS.