Do all deferred people have this voter registration change?
Also, do any of you know if anyone was accepted to their second choice major? So for example, a few of you that were deferred applied Computer Science which I imagine is a very competitive major. I wonder if some kids were accepted that had CS as their intended major but they were given their second choice major. Therefore, maybe some of the kids with the high stats that applied CS that were deferred are actually in a position to possibly get a CS spot. Does that make sense? So they don’t want to admit you yet to your second choice because maybe they will have a CS spot for you?
That is one theory. But risky because they could lose students that get accepted elsewhere. Just a thought.
As far as I know UW does not admit according to proposed major otherwise students would list the major most likley to get them admitted. You are admitted to the university as a whole. Some schools/colleges that otherwise do not admit freshmen currently have direct admits- engineering and business are two.
So far computer science is not a restricted major. You can easily switch majors, especially in L&S (the college that most students are in, the default college for freshmen who do not state a different one). Putting down a proposed major on applications is useful in having HS students have goals for their college education. It may also help UW plan on how many sections of various courses should be available to meet probable demand.
Therefore listing CS as a proposed major should make no difference in acceptances. There are no designated “CS spots”. CS is not a competitive major, at this time it is a popular one.
There is limited space in various engineering, teaching, nursing, business and some other fields due to facilities available (consider lab space, practical experience) or numbers that can be accommodated compared to numbers interested. These are competitive because of this.
Thanks for that clarification. I know some schools do limit the number of CS majors, but it sounds like UW is not one of them. I know U of Maryland recently made Computer Science an LEP (limited enrollment program), so I was wondering if that could have been happening at UW.
I have wondered this same question, however, for some business applicants that I know were deferred and have seen students (that put business as their top choice) with lower stats get accepted as non-business majors at UW.
By “able to”, I assume you mean get to the app that is used for that. The answer is yes for me. Same with the Voter Registration stuff. Are you thinking that this might have some underlying special meaning?
Hi…I am not quiet sure how you can say that CS is not a competitive major. Does that mean that kids who score less also get into CS? I am not sure how this works? Can you please explain as my child has got admission into Purdue CS as well and we are deciding which one to go after. Thank you.
If I understand the previous quote correctly, they are saying that its not a major that you need to get accepted directly into. You can get into Wisconsin as any major and then transfer in. A “competitive” major would not allow you to do that.
So in the college of L & S will all candidates be selected with the same stats. Ex. Psychology major which also falls under L & S does not need good stats to get in versus CS which really does. So my child is admitted to CS but based on your statement looks like provisional admission to me. Little scary now. My child also has gotten into CS at Purdue which is guaranteed. So i dont know if we should choose Purdue over UW
@staycalm123 every school handles admission to certain majors differently. I believe at UW, if your student is accepted to L&S they can declare CS at some point. HOWEVER, you raise a good point…are there certain prereqs they will need to take and get certain grades in to be able to declare the CS major? There might be. I would call admissions and hash this all out because if your student has his/her heart set on being a CS major, then I would make sure they will have this flexibility.
And while your student has the direct admit to Purdue’s program, they may also have to meet certain criteria to remain in the program. That criteria might be the same as UW’s criteria to get in the program (or similar).
I would also look into the strength of the programs, which might be harder to determine. Maybe spend some time on the CS departments’ websites, do some digging on what types of internships students get, where they end up after graduation, etc.
I bet both schools are strong, but one might offer more than the other for the major.
With that said, students often switch majors so the overall fit for the school is also important.
They are both great choices!
Also, as it relates to applying using the example of Psychology vs. CS…if two otherwise equal candidates would be scrutinized the same way. I think generally speaking yes at UW as they claim (not all schools do), but I also think there are times that the intended major is looked at…especially if they are looking at a borderline candidate. They want their students to be able to succeed, so it may be something to take into consideration. Also, if a student puts down a major that might be “easier” to get into (in their mind) if it doesn’t make sense with their background, the admissions committee might sense that and not fall for it.
There is so much minutia to this whole process, and every school/student is unique.
Thanks for your explanation and appreciate your time. Its very confusing, because i really felt that CS is a competitive course to get in and kids work very hard to get the SAT scores or GPA. However if a college is over looking that then any kid with bad scores will want to first get admission in L & S for a non competitive major and then make the switch to CS. Whats stopping them and whats the use of kids struggling for 4 years to get good scores in High school for nothing. None of this makes any sense. I will visit the college soon to understand this whole thing.
To date all who desire the CS major can do it if they meet prerequisites.The elite students will likely take some classes for honors and more math.
btw- it is a misconception that CS is a harder major than some others. The difficulty of a major is determined by aptitude and background. For some math is easy but writing difficult. I would consider a math major more difficult than a CS one because of the abstract thought processing needed. btw- some CS and math courses are cross listed (ie same class but course listing in both depts).
A great thing about UW is that an entering student is not confined to the proposed major they enter with- or even school/college. Some majors have space limitations that make them competitive. Perhaps in the future CS will have limitations due to its vastly increased popularity in recent years. Supply and demand economics- not difficulty.
Students with less ability will likely find upper level courses too difficult to succeed in and will not graduate with any given major. Some with a poorer HS background may need to work harder, take more courses to succeed in any given major.
Let’s not glorify CS. Just another average major for those with a math bent instead of other fields. Remember that CS majors will pursue jobs in varying diversity of work and levels of skills needed to do well.
disclosure- son honors math major who added the CS major and now in CS work.