As of now, I am really stuck on how I should declare my major on my UC Berkeley application. I really want to apply to Berkeley College of Engineering as an Industrial Engineering major. Unfortunately, I don’t have many engineering-related ECs, and I feel as if my AP scores in engineering courses aren’t that great (4’s). I fear that I would have a really low chance at getting into Berkeley if I apply for engineering as opposed to applying as a Operations Research and Management Science major at the College of Letters + Science (which I would gladly take if engineering isn’t an option for me.)
Do you guys know if I can apply to both the College of Engineering and College of L+S? I know the UC application only allows me to declare one major, but can I submit two separate apps and pay their respective fees? That way, if I get rejected from engineering, I would have L+S as a backup. I feel if UCs allowed me to do that it would relieve a lot of my anxiety about applying there.
UC Berkeley also has what it is called the MET program where it combines an engineering degree with a business degree. How competitive is that? Again, the UC app only allows me to select one major, so if I select MET and get rejected, I would have been better off if I simply selected engineering.
Another option I can take is get accepted to L+S (I feel that would be likely for me) and pursue Berkeley’s simultaneous degree program where I can have the L+S Operations Research degree AND an engineering degree. Do you think that is a wiser option?
Thank you in advance!
Oh and I think the simultaneous degree requires an application so it isn’t as if I can automatically pursue an engineering degree if I get admitted into L+S
>> Do you guys know if I can apply to both the College of Engineering and College of L+S?
No, you can’t.
>> can I submit two separate apps and pay their respective fees?
Bad idea. Don’t do that.
>> UC Berkeley also has what it is called the MET program where it combines an engineering degree with a business degree. How competitive is that?
Very competitive.
>> the UC app only allows me to select one major, so if I select MET and get rejected, I would have been better off if I simply selected engineering.
Correct.
>> Another option I can take is get accepted to L+S (I feel that would be likely for me) and pursue Berkeley’s simultaneous degree program where I can have the L+S Operations Research degree AND an engineering degree. Do you think that is a wiser option?
Changing major into Berkeley CoE is very difficult. I imagine simultaneous degree program with one of the degrees being from CoE is even more difficult.
It does not really make sense to try to major in both L&S ORMS and CoE IEOR, due to considerable overlap.
Note that L&S admits all students as undeclared, and ORMS requires a 3.2 prerequisite GPA to declare.
@ucbalumnus I am not trying to major in both, I am trying to evaluate my best chances to get into one of them. I want an option where even if I don’t get into engineering, I can still be considered for L+S OR MS at Berkeley, but it appears as if that isn’t an option.
Is getting into Berkeley, even if not getting into your desirable major, important to you? If so, apply to the easier-to-get-in major in the L+S.
Someone estimated that the MET program has a 2% admission rate. But, according to the MET web site, if you don’t get admitted to the MET program, you will be automatically considered for your Engineering major.
Admissions to Engineering IEOR is likely to be very competitive and there is a very good chance you won’t be admitted. You also have to assume you won’t be able to transfer into IEOR if you are admitted to L&S. If Berkeley is your dream school, you should apply to L&S, because this will give you the best chance of being admitted. If it is more important to become an industrial engineer, then apply to IEOR. Either way, you should apply to appropriate engineering programs at other colleges. Then you will have to evaluate your options in April.
Many students don’t have a clear idea of where they want to end up in life, but they have strong feelings about how they want to spend the next 4-5 years of their life, i.e. their college years. This is often manifested in having a “dream school” or schools. On the other hand, some students (possibly you) have a clearer idea of their career goals. For these students, I would say your college choice and major are something that you “pass through” on your way to a clear endpoint. For this type of student, the choice of major, particularly if it’s in a specialized field like IEOR, is probably more important than the school you attend for your ultimate career progression.