Current UCSD student willing to try and answer people's questions

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Mon, 07 Apr 2014 01:45:11 +0000

@RedCrayon‌

I just wanted to chime in on this thread as a current UCSD student though I am -not- a CS major.


Though I’m not a CS major, I’ve listened in on several phone interviews. The interviewers ask for languages the candidate knows and what kind of software he/she has had exposure to. I’m sure UCSDCompEng has a much better answer to that question. With that being said, interviewers look for classes taken and previous work experience. GPA is often a requirement to be considered (a 3.0 is standard) but not a breaking factor. Work experience and previous internships are more important. Since CS itself has so many branches and possibilities, experience and knowledge in a certain field is oftentimes asked about in the interviews.
The following is a case that should answer the internship question:


My best friend is a 3rd year CS major interning year-round for Northrup Grumman and has been there since the halfway through his 2nd year. He got the job through a posting online, though he had 7 or 8 phone interviews with various other tech companies (Yahoo, Informatica, Direct TV etc) that were obtained through a job fair at school. UCSD has plenty of job fairs and internships for CS majors are plentiful. He interned the summer after his freshmen year (yes it can be done) at an e-commerce place. It wasn’t exactly in the major but it was more or less IT work and it helped him land the job at NGC, where the trained him.


Unfortunately, it is true. Lower division classes that a lot of majors need like calculus and chemistry are hard to get. The CS department is pretty good at increasing the class size when the demand exceeds the expected enrollment. Enrollment caps are based on how many people can fit inside the assigned room, so to increase a class size means to find a bigger room, which I’ve seen the CS department do for almost every class my friends have been waitlisted in.
I’m a STEM major (structural engineering) and I lived on campus my first year instead of heading back to LA. To be honest, I caught up on sleep, hung out with friends and maybe did a campus involvement event. I would also do some homework in the evenings if need be.


Ask me any other questions. I’m a 2nd year in structural engineering graduating in my 3rd year.