It doesn’t really matter. I would suggest buying the laptop that best meets your general-purpose needs. You can install a Linux-based OS on any hardware or as a virtual machine on Windows or Mac OS, and you can always SSH/SFTP to Engineering servers regardless of hardware/OS, so you should be able to compile your code for any class.</p>
<p>I have noticed that a lot of new CS majors use Macs. Given Mac OS’s UNIX underpinnings and the hardware design, they’re not a bad choice if you’re willing to spend extra money.</p>
<p>Can someone help me with the first year classes. Which courses are the most likely courses for the first 3 quarters. Also if possible for the next three years. It seems it takes longer even after the AP credits. How do you incorporate research within this?</p>
<p>It shouldn’t take longer than 4 years to graduate if you plan well. You can get course credit for research, and for most majors that can get you out of 1-2 classes.</p>
<p>Thanks grapesoda, my orientation is at the end of August-- what are the chances I get any good classes, also are there any tricks to secure best teachers. Do engineering students do anything else but study like volunteer or sports. The quaterly system can be brutal and intensive. Does the four years pass by fast?</p>
<p>Hi Flopsy,
I want to major in Industrial Engineering and UCB offers it, but UCLA does not. UCB says that for Industrial Engineering I only have to finish two out of the three part series for Physics and one of the two part series for Chemistry. Because UCLA does not offer Industrial Engineering I was thinking about majoring in Materials Engineering. UCLA says that I have to finish the entire Chemistry series and Physics series. By the time I am set to transfer to Berkeley, I’ll still have two more courses to finish for UCLA, and it would put me behind by an entire year. Does UCLA absolutely require those two courses or is there anyway I can still be competitive so I can apply to both schools at the same time? The same thing goes for UCSD, UCD, and I believe Cal Poly SLO as well. I plan on having either a high 3.8 or 3.9 by the time I’m ready to transfer. Thank you!</p>
You should still be able to get what you need, but maybe not your first choices. Depends on what you’re planning to sign up for. Even if you can’t get in, you can keep monitoring the class you do want to take and sign up if a spot does open up.</p>
<p>Yes, engineers have free time and use it in a variety of ways. I wouldn’t say the four years have passed by quickly, but they have not really passed slowly either.</p>
<p>I’ll reply to this too. It’s actually not that bad, I’m involved with several clubs on campus, got officer position in one, and still have time to play some video games and hang out with friends. Go to the occasional party and stuff. :)</p>
<p>I’m CS and going to grad school. CS/software engineering salaries are wide-ranging and aren’t necessarily on the same scale as EE salaries. I turned down some solid full-time offers, but I prefer not to share specifics. In any case, the salaries are competitive and definitely more than enough to live off of.</p>
I’m assuming you’re not a UCLA undergrad. First, there is no CSE graduate major, only CS or EE, though you can choose a computer engineering concentration in either if you wish. Second, difficulty of being admitted greatly depends on the degree you’re targeting; PhD admissions are considerably more competitive than MS admissions (which is what you’d expect since most PhD students are funded).</p>
<p>In either case, you’re best served having strong recommendations and a strong undergraduate GPA. Publications obviously strengthen your application, but I would say that most applicants are not published.</p>
<p>You should note that the admissions rate is probably somewhat inflated because UCLA CS undergraduates with above a 3.5 are guaranteed admission to the MS program.</p>
<p>I can’t really answer questions regarding difficulty of admission because I’m not an admissions committee member, and you didn’t specify whether you want an MS or a PhD.</p>
<p>In terms of difficulty of the program, it’s not too bad. Many people can finish in as little as 1 year, depending on whether or not your undergraduate courses will fulfill the breadth requirement.</p>