What are Hackathons Anyway?

Before we discuss your options for hackathons, weā€™re going to very briefly cover what these events are, and why they might be impressive for admissions officers. Put simply, a hackathon is a short-term high intensity programming or software engineering event where coders all work towards a specific goal; either collaboratively or alone. The goal of the event is to have created something usable by the end, and to develop skills in problem solving and collaboration.

What problem these events are attacking, and the methods they use, are as varied as the hackathons themselves. Some of these are competitive, with prizes for the best entrants, while others are more casual and collaborative. They are all short term; the longest last 48 hours, and most are far shorter (especially those aimed at high school students). The goal is to see how much you can get done, and how quickly.

Hackathons generally end with presentations of what everyone has done. Thus you can both show off what youā€™ve accomplished, and gain insight into how others attacked the same problem. In-person events are also great opportunities for networking, as there are many people there with similar goals and interests as you.

For admissions, hackathons serve several purposes. First, as with any competition, winning one shows off what you are capable of in comparison to a peer group. Next, the experience of a hackathon, the joy of creation in a somewhat stressful collaborative environment, is often great fodder for college essays, and shows off many of the traits and values these schools look for in students. Universities want students who can operate well under pressure, who can meet tight deadlines when needed, and who seek out academic challenges for the fun of it. Hackathons demonstrate all of these traits and more.

Top Hackathons for High School Students

Weā€™ll give details for each event on who is allowed to compete, the format of it, and any other information we think is relevant. We are putting these in alphabetical order, for convenience. 

In spite of the name, this organization offers programming events and competitions for students all over the world, all of which are free to enter and participate in. All contests are held online; they have different divisions based on age and ability level. There are four contests each season, giving students multiple chances to compete; generally different contests focus on different challenges or programming languages.

Students must take a free online in order to register; this will help determine which divisions and competitions you are eligible for. These contests are great for students looking to be actively involved; the number of competitions each year gives you many opportunities to test your skills.

This is a 24 hour free global hackathon hosted entirely online. It is competitive, and students are given a challenge to solve; they are encouraged to collaborate. There are a variety of workshops and presentations over the course of the day, and at the end, students are given a chance to present what they have made; three minutes for the presentation, and two minutes for questions.

This event happens in June, and is relatively low commitment; many hackathons are due to the short time frame. This is a good event if you are looking for an introductory hackathon, as they allow for a broad array of submitted coding projects. You must be a currently enrolled high school student to participate.

This competition is hosted by New York University (as the name suggests). This is primarily an event aimed at college students, but high school students aged 16 and up may participate if they are accompanied by a guardian. The event has multiple possible tracks; students choose which they are participating in when they sign up.

You do not need a team when you sign up (though all competitions are team based). There are opportunities to find teams at the event, or beforehand amongst other attendees. The event is in person; food is provided for free. There are prizes for top performing attendees. This is a good option, especially for students who are already based in New York.

Run by Hewlett Packard, this is an annual hackathon held in March each year for students aged 13 to 18. They support several coding languages, and students submit source code to answer the challenge of the event. Students work in teams to complete this. Teams must be led by an adult sponsor; this sponsor must be associated with an accredited school.

Teams are two to three students; single teams are permitted but not recommended. There are both novice and advanced challenges available each year. This is both an in-person and virtual event. This is a three hour event where teams try to solve as many problems as possible; the team with the most points at the end wins. This is a good event to get a sense of hackathons, and to try out various coding challenges.

This is one of the largest global hackathons, and is open to participants of all skill levels, from students to experienced engineering professionals. Put on by NASA annually in October, this competition gives participants access to NASAā€™s data, and challenges them to use it to solve specific problems NASA is facing. Entrants work in teams to complete their projects, which are then submitted and judged. 

This one is remarkable because it also has a lot of local events, allowing for in-person networking. These events are held globally; you can see if thereā€™s one near you. This is a great option for students with an interest in data science or space exploration generally, on top of the CS applications.

This was the worldā€™s first student-run college hackathon; while it is still primarily competed in by college students, any students aged 15 and up are permitted to enter. It is held each year in September, and is run by the students at the University of Pennsylvaniaā€™s College of Engineering. This is an in-person event, with students travelling from around the world to Philadelphia to compete. 

This event is free to attend; you must pay for travel costs, but lodging and food are provided. You must apply to compete; this is competitive, and acceptance is not guaranteed. You will be assigned a team and an app challenge when you arrive. This is a competition, and prizes are awarded for the best apps and projects at weekendā€™s end.

Hosted by ³§³Ł²¹²Ō“Ś“Ē°ł»åā€™s Association for Computing Machinery, this hackathon is only available to high school students in the Bay Area. This is held in March each year, students compete in teams of up to three to solve a number of programming challenges over the course of three hours. The number of questions varies each year.

There are both novice and advanced divisions, but all entrants are expected to have at least a year of programming experience. This contest is free to enter and participate in; there are prizes for the top-performing teams. You may use several different programming languages, depending on preference. This is a great option for students who are local to the Bay Area.

Final Thoughts

Hackathons are not the right choice for every student looking to get involved in computer science, but they are a relatively low-commitment way to put your skills to the test, and have a lot of potential for high rates of return. If you are interested in coding, and want to connect with like minded peers while partaking in challenges often based in real world practical scenarios, hackathons are one of the best ways to spend your time.

We hope that this article has given you needed insight into where to start finding these events. Of course, there are many other ways to get involved in computer science as a high school student, and to show off your potential to colleges. If you are looking for more personalized advice, or guidance on how to make your own accomplishments shine, then schedule a free consultation with us today. We have a long experience helping students find the best opportunities for them, and are always happy to hear from you.

The post The Best Hackathons for High School Students appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

The post The Best Hackathons for High School Students appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

In this article, weā€™re going to look at what ³Ņ±š“Ē°ł²µ±š³Ł“Ē·É²Ōā€™s (STIA) major is, what its benefits are, and whether itā€™s right for you. Weā€™ll also cover how to apply to it, and other concerns you might have about taking part. Letā€™s get started!

What is the STIA Major?

Under the umbrella of the School of Foreign Service (SFS), the STIA major is offered as part of the . This program was begun in 1982, with the goal of researching how developing technology and associated concerns impacted the global community. This has continued, with the program doing significant amounts of research on the global and political implications of many science and technology related topics. 

This program as a whole offers PhD and Masterā€™s degrees, but undergraduate students are invited to take the same courses and ask the same big questions. In general, this major has two key planks: 

• First, students gain a strong foundation in international affairs through the core coursework of the SFS.
• Next, students gain a strong technical background in the sciences, both in terms of how specific issues impact international affairs, and a focus on being able to communicate on these specific issues clearly.

In addition to this, students may choose an area in which to specialize within the program. There are four possible concentrations to choose from: 

• Energy and Environment
• Business, Growth, and Development
• Biotechnology and Global Health
• Science, Technology, and Security

Regardless of your area of concentration, you are expected to develop expertise in at least one field of science. Research is another core component of the major; while you are not required to join a research lab, many students work with professors on ongoing research projects. This research is also frequently interdisciplinary, with students able to pursue research in both the hard sciences and social sciences, and in studies at the intersection of the two. 

Finally, science communication is an integral part of the major. STIA doesnā€™t just want to grant you expertise in a scientific field, but to be able to share that expertise, and to be able to explain how that field relates to ongoing global issues. To that end, all students must either participate in a senior seminar, or complete an honors senior thesis. These are both meant to give you experience in sharing your ideas, and clearly communicating the concepts you have mastered. 

STIA for Pre-Meds and Engineering

STIA is not the most popular major for pre meds, but is quite good for students who are interested in public health on a global scale. Their science foundation overlaps with many pre med requirements, though it will be some effort to get all of those done along with your major requirements. The focus on research also aligns well with what premeds need to focus on. 

STIA is not an engineering major, but as a minor it can pair well with students who are majoring in engineering. If you are interested in global infrastructure or the impacts of global issues and using engineering to solve them, then this course of study can give you much-needed perspective. Note that this is done through ³Ņ±š“Ē°ł²µ±š³Ł“Ē·É²Ōā€™s 3-2 engineering partnership program with °ä“Ē±ō³Ü³¾²ś¾±²¹ā€™s School of Engineering.

How to Join the STIA Major

Unlike some specialty programs, there is no separate requirement or application to join the STIA major. You do need to be in the School of Foreign Service to take the major, but students in other schools at Georgetown may apply to the STIA . This requires getting permission from the dean of your home college. You must also fulfill the course prerequisites in order to take on the minor. 

In general, this means the hardest part of taking the STIA minor is in applying to Georgetown itself. This is difficult in its own right; Georgetown is a very good school, and has a somewhat low acceptance rate. You only need to contend with the standard application however. 

We will note that Georgetown is one of the few schools which does not use the Common App for admissions. You must apply through their own portal; while this is generally quite similar to the Common App (asking for biographical information, about your activities, and for essays), it is an extra step in the process, and something you need to be aware of. 

³Ņ±š“Ē°ł²µ±š³Ł“Ē·É²Ōā€™s School of Foreign Service does ask for the following essay (as each college within Georgetown has their own unique essay prompt):

• Georgetown Universityā€™s Walsh School of Foreign Service was founded more than a century ago to prepare generations of leaders with the foundational skills to address global issues. Describe your primary motivations for studying international affairs at Georgetown University and dedicating your undergraduate studies towards a future in global service. (Approximately one page, single-spaced)

For this essay specifically, you should speak to your intended major if you plan on taking part in STIA, and describing what motivated your interests. Being able to discuss your past experiences with the intersection of technology and foreign affairs or public policy is a great way to demonstrate that you have seriously considered your options, and that this program is the best fit for your goals. 

For more advice on applying to Georgetown and answering their essay prompts, see our guide here. 

Accelerated Masterā€™s Program

Students who are currently majoring in STIA may apply to an accelerated masterā€™s program in the field. This may only be done by current Georgetown students, but allows you to complete your undergrad and a masters degree in only five years, which is quite good for some specialties. 

Is the STIA Major Right for You?

This depends entirely on your goals, both in college and beyond. Georgetown, as a school, offers a lot of benefits to all of its students, primarily the excellence of its curriculum and its proximity to the halls of power in DC. It is well known as a feeder school for governmental employees, both politicians and the core of civil servants who keep the cogs of government running smoothly. This is true for all majors, but certain paths of study lean into this more than others. 

STIA is directly positioned to help students who are interested in the intersection of global issues and scientific and technological advancement explore that nexus. While they are able to prepare students for a wide range of careers, those looking for civil service in these areas are the ones who will benefit the most. 

Of course, there is a wide amount of ground covered by the intersection of technology and global issues. From the agencies of the UN which deal directly with science like the World Health Organization, to purely American institutions that deal with issues of global import, such as NOAAā€™s study of climate change. These are just two examples; there are increasing ways technology matters and impacts the lives of people around the world. 

Other interests can also benefit from this major, from medicine to business. The broad scope of this program of study means that you can find many possible applications. It is not ideal for all students of course, but a focus on both science and foreign relations prepares you for many careers in our globalized and technology driven society. 

Final Thoughts

Many colleges have specialized majors and programs, meant to help students explore the intersections between disparate fields. We live in an interconnected world, so these programs are often an excellent way to get a leg up in preparing for a career. We hope that this article served to introduce you to one such program in ³Ņ±š“Ē°ł²µ±š³Ł“Ē·É²Ōā€™s STIA major, and gave you the information you needed to determine if itā€™s right for you. 

There are far more college majors and programs than any student can reasonably be expected to research, especially with all of the other demands on their time in senior year. This is where ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų comes in. We have an in-depth knowledge of colleges and programs, and can help you find and research ones which best suit your needs and interests, regardless of what those may be. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you; we have a long experience with every aspect of college admissions, and are always happy to hear from you.

The post Exploring ³Ņ±š“Ē°ł²µ±š³Ł“Ē·É²Ōā€™s Science, Technology, and International Affairs Major appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

The post Exploring ³Ņ±š“Ē°ł²µ±š³Ł“Ē·É²Ōā€™s Science, Technology, and International Affairs Major appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

To this end, universities try to admit students with a range of interests. Thus it is often far more competitive to get admitted as a computer science major than to study a less popular field. The question we then get asked is just how severe this difference is. In this article, weā€™re going to look at acceptance rates for students interested in majoring in CS at top programs, and compare them to admissions rates as a whole. Our goal here is to give you a sense of scale for this challenge. Weā€™ll also give some advice on maximizing your chances of acceptance as a CS major. Letā€™s get started!

Understanding CS Acceptance Rates

Each college handles admissions differently, with their own policies and priorities. In general, however, there are three main ways of doing things: 

• At large admissions. In this method, applications to a college are all judged in a single pool; this is how Harvard does it.Ā 
• By College. At these universities, applications are judged based on which subsidiary college students are applying to within a university, and different colleges can have different acceptance rates.Ā 
• By Major. For these universities, certain majors evaluate all applicants to that particular major separately, and the major itself has an acceptance rate. This is not true of all majors, just the most popular ones.Ā 

We are relatively certain that applying to Harvard as a computer science major is going to be more competitive than applying to study linguistics, but it is pretty much impossible to put a quantitative value on the difference. Harvard releases no information on how many students apply to which majors, and how many of them are then accepted. Their admissions pool is a monolith, and how the decisions are made a black box. 

Thus when we want to discuss just how competitive computer science is as a major, we need to look at universities that admit by major, and which are willing to release admissions statistics. Not all schools do this, but some do, enough to give us a sense of trends, and useful points of comparison. 

Computer Science Acceptance Rates at Top Colleges

Now that weā€™ve covered the limitations of the data available to us, letā€™s look at what the data actually says. Here are the acceptance rates for CS majors at top colleges that admit by major or program, and which release that data: 

Note that acceptance rates marked with an * are from older data, or estimations based on student reports. These are as accurate as we could make them given all data available.

Note also that public colleges have differing acceptance rates for in-state and out-of-state students; most colleges do not provide a breakdown of this, but University of Washington does, which is a useful data point. 

To help further illustrate this point, here is this same data represented graphically: 

Of course, this is not every CS program in the country, but we do believe it provides a representative sample of how these schools work for admissions. 

What This Data Means for You

The first, and most obvious, takeaway is that admissions to CS programs is very very competitive. How competitive varies by school and program, but we have never found a CS program that is less competitive than a college as a whole. CS is one of the most popular majors available at almost every college; even if it is not the most popular major, it is usually one of the top five. 

How much being an in-state applicant matters depends on specific schools and their policies. UW, for example, is at one extreme, with almost no out-of-state students admitted to their CS major. UT Austin is at another end; with more out-of-state students admitted to CS proportionally than to the college as a whole. Applications are still competitive of course, but whether or not a particular college weighs your residency for a CS program depends on their own admission priorities. 

Next, these acceptance rates can move a school from safety to reach. UW isnā€™t too terribly hard to get into generally; unless you happen to apply to their CS program as an out of state student, in which case itā€™s even more competitive than Harvard. This is something you need to pay careful attention to when building your college list, so you know exactly what your odds are, and how hard itā€™s going to be. 

Maximizing Your Chances of Acceptance to a CS Major

Now that weā€™ve looked at just how competitive CS majors are at top programs, you may be feeling a bit nervous. After all, acceptance rates at top schools are already quite low, and this data makes it seem like students interested in studying computer science have an even harder path ahead of them. 

The first point we want to make clear then, is that it is still totally possible to get into a top CS program. Hundreds of students are admitted into these every year, and go on to study and graduate, and do remarkable things. It is a challenge, certainly, but that is very different from being impossible. 

Here, then, are our best pieces of advice for applying to one of these competitive programs. 

Apply Strategically

This is something weā€™ve discussed before. If a school is very competitive for computer science, then consider applying as a different major, and switching later. If your background is very closely connected to CS, then check out our guide to related majors. For advice on changing majors once admitted, check out our article on the topic. 

This will not be possible for every program, especially for schools that admit directly to their computer science major, like many of the programs charted above. That said, this is the single best way to improve your chances of admission at the last minute. 

Build Candidacy

The other key way to improve your chances, especially when applying to direct-admit programs, is to have a very strong candidacy in computer science. This is something you should work to build over your time in high school, becoming the kind of student that these colleges and programs want to admit. There are several ways to do this; there is no single right way, but many different approaches that work. Some things our students have done include:

• Teaching themselves coding languages, and uploading projects to code repositories.
• Doing research in computer science, and publishing or presenting it.
• Competing in CS events, such as hackathons or programming challenges.
• Taking part in CS summer programs.
• Completing internships where you use your CS skills to assist with the goals of an organization or nonprofit.

The goal of all of these is to both build your own skills with computer science, and to show off your passion to universities. Top colleges want to admit passionate and motivated students, so showing off your own passions and skills in what you do throughout your time in high school is the best way to stand out to them.

Final Thoughts

Some college majors are more competitive than others. CS is often one of the most competitive, though this does vary somewhat by school and program. We hope that this article has given you a good sense of just how competitive CS is compared to admissions as a whole, and how this added level of competition should impact your own application strategy. 
Of course, you donā€™t have to go it alone. ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų has a long experience helping students build candidacy to showcase their computer science prowess, and in crafting successful applications to some of the countryā€™s top CS programs. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you with your own academic ambitions; we love helping students succeed, and weā€™re always happy to hear from you.

The post Acceptance Rates for Computer Science Majors appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

The post Acceptance Rates for Computer Science Majors appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

Computer Science and Computer Engineering are often confused by casual observers, and often trip up students, who arenā€™t sure which they want to major in to pursue their career interests. In this article, weā€™re going to cover the differences between them, and then talk about some colleges which offer both, so we can see what specific differences are in how the majors play out. Letā€™s get started!

The Differences Between Computer Science and Computer Engineering

The first thing to note is that CS may be offered as a major through either Arts & Sciences or through Engineering, but CE is only ever offered through Engineering (itā€™s right there in the name). Note that some schools offer Computer Science and Engineering majors; these combine the fields in some ways, but are generally heavier on the engineering side.

In general, computer engineering focuses on hardware, while computer science focuses on software. Most computer engineering courses do have a significant software component however; the field is generally seen as the meeting point between computer science and electrical engineering. 

By contrast, computer science coursework almost never touches upon hardware. There may be some discussion of technical limitations of different systems or how coding needs to adapt to hardware limits, but the practicalities of constructing computer hardware are not the main focus.

Neither field is more inherently valuable, but they do have very different applications. CS degrees allow for a wide number of technology and software applications; basically any career which requires regularly working with code or other digital systems. CE, in contrast, prepares you for careers working with computer hardware. This often includes the development of new technologies, or the implementation of new ideas. 

A further important difference is that students who major in CE generally require as an engineer in order to begin many careers in the field. The requirements for this vary by state, but always involve taking a certification exam to prove you are fully qualified to work as an engineer. There is no such requirement for CS careers. 

This does depend on the work you will be doing in CE, and is only required for work as an engineer. We explain how this certification process works in more detail in our guide to engineering, but in general the amount of public trust needed in engineers is so high that certification is usually mandated by law.

Colleges That Offer Both Computer Science and Computer Engineering

There are a significant number of colleges which offer both of these disciplines, far too many to cover in a single article. Instead, weā€™ll go through a number of top programs, to look at what the practical differences are between these majors, and how students experience each. 

Carnegie Mellon University

°ä²Ń±«ā€™s (ECE) department offers a BS degree, and is accredited to train future engineers. A list of the courses available within ECE can be found ; they offer a breadth of options. The majorā€™s offer more flexibility than many engineering majors, but still require a significant number of prerequisite and core coursework. Admission may be done to the major directly, or to the College of Engineering, after which you decide on a major in the spring. 

°ä²Ń±«ā€™s College offers a major in CS, along with a number of other related fields. The has a much heavier research focus than other schools. It has the following ; these are extensive, but are slightly less than is required for a CE degree. Admission is done to the College of Computer Science; students should apply there directly. 

Columbia

°ä“Ē±ō³Ü³¾²ś¾±²¹ā€™s department teaches the fundamentals of the field, and is offered through °ä“Ē±ō³Ü³¾²ś¾±²¹ā€™s College of Engineering. Required courses can be found , with a notable number of required prerequisite and core coursework for students. Admissions is all handled by the central admissions department, but students interested in CE should apply to the College of Engineering and to their major specifically, as switching between the schools at Columbia is quite difficult. 

The Department of is interesting as it is shared between the School of Engineering and the College, thus allowing you to earn a BS or a BA in CS, depending on which of the undergraduate schools you are enrolled in. Note that the major requirements and components of these are fundamentally the same; the primary difference is which core requirements you will need to fulfill. You may apply to either, but not both.

MIT

MITā€™s majors are slightly different, and exist in different configurations. They offer two for engineering; and . Both of these are offered through the College of Engineering, and both fully accredit you for a career as an engineer. They have comparable course loads, though CSE focuses more on the software side, while EECS covers significantly more hardware topics. 

MIT also offers through the Department of Mathematics. This major focuses far more on theory and higher level math than is touched on in more engineering focused CS majors. This particular major is good for students with a very strong mathematical background who want to explore deeper theoretical work in CS.

UC Berkeley

Berkeleyā€™s Department of plays host to both the CS and EECS majors. On top of that, they provide an incredibly informative which allows students to compare and contrast the two degrees, to see which better suits their needs. We do want to note that while both of these majors are in the same department, they are housed in different colleges at Berkeley. EECS is in Engineering, while CS is in Berkeleyā€™s new College of Computer Science. 

The CS component is the same between the majors; the biggest difference is what else youā€™ll cover. CS as a major gives you more flexibility with your curriculum, and has more of the requirements of a standard liberal arts degree. EECS in contrast gets further into engineering principles, and allows you to explore the hardware which underlies computer programming.

UT Austin

The Cockrell School of Engineering plays host to the (ECE) department, which awards BSE degrees. The for this program are heavy, with significant core coursework and prerequisite classes. WHile there is still some room for elective courses, there is less maneuverability than some programs. Students interested in this major should apply to it and the School of Engineering directly. It is a very popular major, among the most popular in engineering, and transferring in once you are already at UT Austin is quite difficult. 

The Department of is located in the College of Natural Sciences, and its program awards BS degrees. It focuses solely on software, with ECE covering all of the hardware components. There are a number of core courses required in the , but fewer than ECE has. Admissions to this is again by college and major; this is among the most popular majors at UT Austin in general, and students should apply to it directly. 

Notable Exceptions

Caltech has a computer science major of course, but they have no specific computer engineering one; you are quite capable of studying CE through their electrical engineering major, or through a double major, but it is not a program of study in and of itself. 

Harvard has a computer science major, but their only options for computer engineering come through their electrical engineering major. While this is a good program, it is less focused than a pure CE course. 

Harvey Mudd is well known for their engineering programs, but these are somewhat general. They do not offer a specialized CE major, though their CS and Engineering coursework in combination will serve you well.

Final Thoughts

Computer Science and Computer Engineering are inherently linked, and together form the backbone of much of modern technology, from the screen youā€™re reading this article on to the servers hosting it. It is unsurprising that so many students want to study one or the other of these topics, and we hope that this article has given you insight into the differences in the content and presentation between them, and which will suit your needs better. 

One other major similarity between CS and CE is how popular they are, and therefore how competitive all of these programs are for admissions. We see this in admissions rates to programs which admit by major, with computer science frequently topping the list of most competitive overall. If you are concerned about your own admissions chances, or want advice on how to apply to one of these programs, schedule a free consultation with us today. We have a long experience helping students get into their top colleges, and are always happy to hear from you.

The post Difference Between Computer Science and Computer Engineering Majors appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

The post Difference Between Computer Science and Computer Engineering Majors appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

These are very popular with undergraduates, as they combine two already incredibly popular options. Of course, not all high school students know what exactly to study to get into the world of Fintech. In this article, weā€™ll give you the full picture; what your options are, how best you can study them, and the career options once you have. Letā€™s get started!

What is Fintech Anyway?

Fintech is the term for technologies related to finance, both in terms of delivering financial systems to consumers and used by corporations themselves. This is understandably a broad field, covering everything from online banking and smartphone payments to automated trading algorithms to blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. 

This broadness makes saying things definitively about the field as a whole difficult, because what may be true for one sector may not be for another. That said, this is a rapidly growing field generally, as new technologies give significant new options for both reaching consumers and managing financial resources. 

Fintech is one of the fields of finance most open to growth and disruption, but also one with much uncertainty because of that. Technology often outpaces regulation by several years, but this can mean serious instability in certain market sectors. 

We will speak about the field generally for the rest of this article, with notes as to whether or not certain advice applies either broadly or narrowly. 

What Should You Major in to Pursue Fintech?

There are a with dedicated Fintech majors, minors, and other programs, but these are by far a minority. Further, very few of these are offered by highly ranked schools, and most instead are offered by state or local colleges.

Just because there isnā€™t a major in a field doesnā€™t mean you canā€™t study it; after all, thereā€™s no pre-med major at any Ivy League school, but they send hundreds of graduates on to medical schools each year. In the same way, you donā€™t need a Fintech major in order to enter this field. Hereā€™s what you do need:

Computer Science 

Technology is the second part of the term Fintech, but is the more important one by far. Itā€™s easier to teach someone who already understands coding and higher level math about finance than the reverse. The most important thing for any career in Fintech then is a solid grounding in computer science principles. 

A general CS degree is of use here, or you may specialize if there is a specific subfield you already know you are interested in. At minimum, we recommend minoring in computer science; else you will not have the skills you need for this field. 

The top five CS programs for students interested in Fintech are:

1. . They are well known for the strength of their CS program, and allow all students to take a selection of economics courses as well as business ones.
2. . ³§³Ł²¹²Ō“Ś“Ē°ł»åā€™s program is not only excellent, but highly flexible, allowing you to specialize wherever you need to grasp emerging technologies.
3. . As CMU requires all CS majors to minor in another subject, this gives you an excellent opportunity to explore other fields which will be beneficial to a career in Fintech.
4. : Generally regarded as one of the best schools for engineering and technology generally, the preparation you get at Caltech will set you up for any role focused on computers or programming.
5. . On top of a very strong CS program, Harvard has significant alumni connections to many firms using and exploring Fintech, opening up significant opportunities for networking for current students.

Finance

This is secondary; it is entirely possible to get a job in Fintech with only a CS degree, never having taken a business or economics course. That said, having some knowledge of the field is helpful, especially given how important networking is in business generally. 

We recommend taking several courses in economics or business, so that you understand the fundamentals of the field. A minor can also be useful. Further, involvement with business related extracurriculars is incredibly important, as this is a major component of networking for jobs in finance. 

You can of course double major in Computer Science and either business or economics, but this depends on the university you are attending. Double majoring is a good way to get an in-depth understanding of both fields, but the popularity of both can make doing this difficult logistically.

Here are the top five programs to study economics or business in, if your goal is a job in Fintech. Note that we recommend combining these with a CS minor at least:

1. . Pennā€™s Wharton school tops the lists of best business programs for a reason. It gives you everything you need for a successful career on Wall Street or elsewhere.Ā 
2. . Itā€™s not just the great education you get at Harvard; their alumni network and connections are some of the best in the world for students interested in careers in finance.Ā 
3. . Located in the heart of New York, transitioning from Columbia to Wall Street isnā€™t even much of a commute.Ā 
4. . Not only is their program quite good, they have a strong focus on the math and data underlying the study of economics, which is useful for anyone looking to specialize in the data heavy field of Fintech.
5. . Cornell has a top performing business program, and while located on the other end of New York, still sends many students on to careers on Wall Street.

Combined Degree Programs

There are a number of degree programs which allow you to simultaneously study both technology and business. Many of these are designed with a focus on developing new technologies and the entrepreneurship skills needed to launch a successful startup, but the skills they impart are equally useful for students interested in Fintech. 

While these programs are excellent, they also tend to be incredibly competitive for admissions. This makes sense; both computer science and business are among the most popular majors available, and any major which combines them is going to be even more so. While you can also simply double major, these combined degree programs are a step above this, and are definitely worth looking into.

Here are our top five combined degree programs in business and economics:

1. . Students double major in Wharton and the College of Engineering, and learn the tools of both in combination.Ā 
2. . The Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology program is meant to equip students with the skills they need to be the next Silicon Valley startup, but it translates equally well to Fintech careers.
3. . Brown technically doesnā€™t have majors, but this program allows students to combine their studies of these two fields, preparing them to apply the skills of one to succeed in the other.
4. . UT Austin offers the honors Computer Science and Business program, where students enroll in two separate honors programs, taking courses in each.Ā 
5. . This major combines Economics, CS, and Data Science, and allows you to dive deep in each. Combined with MITā€™s strong alumni network, students with this major have no trouble finding positions in Fintech.

How to Find a Job in Fintech as an Undergrad

Finding a job in Fintech is similar to finding any other job in finance. Note that this is different from finding jobs in tech; while this discipline sits at the intersection of these two fields, the companies which overwhelmingly work in Fintech are based in business and finance adopting new technologies, rather than originating from tech companies. 

Thus finding a job relies not just on what you do in the classroom, but what you do outside of it. All of the following are key to finding a job in Fintech: 

• Pursue finance related extracurriculars. Your resume will be important for finding jobs, and involvement in business organizations will help. Business honors societies can also help a lot here, as alumni from these organizations tend to love helping each other out.Ā 
• Look for internships. Landing an internship with a company often leads to a job offer in the future. Even if it doesn’t, the experience and connections you make will help you secure further opportunities.Ā 
• Work on networking. We have a longer explanation of how and when to do this in our general guide to careers in business, and the same information applies here.Ā 

Employers are going to be looking specifically for your technical ability here; while knowledge of finance and business is incredibly helpful in navigating the industry, it is your technical skills which will land you a position. Most major financial firms are moving into Fintech; with the way the industry is going, they have no way of avoiding doing so. 

How to Explore Fintech in High School

As with many fields of study, you donā€™t need to wait until you enter college to begin exploring Fintech. While the options for exploring this specific intersection are going to be limited in high school, there are still ways you can learn relevant skills or concepts, or gain practical experience. 

The first, and simplest way is by gaining experience with coding and computer science generally. There are many ways to do this, through academic coursework, extracurriculars, and summer programs. While this may not be directly related to the field of Fintech, experience with programming generally will help you build the skills you will need to succeed in the field, and help you when you apply to study technology in college. 

If you are more ambitious, you can look for internships and opportunities which specifically combine business and technology, or make your own. Helping a small nonprofit by coding an app that tracks their purchases or manages donations is a great introduction to how technology can impact the field of business, and make things easier for people to conduct their business.

Final Thoughts

It is unsurprising to find an intersection between business and technology, and the careers in this niche are increasingly popular and prevalent. While majors to study this field specifically are rare, special programs and a growing interest means there are plenty of ways for students to get involved with Fintech in undergrad, or even earlier. 

We hope this article has provided a solid introduction to the field, and what you need to know to pursue both your studies and a job in it. As with many other careers in business, the college you attend has a significant impact on your chances of landing a job with a top firm. If you are looking for advice on applying to one of these top colleges, or want to know which specific major will do the best job of positioning you for a job in Fintech, schedule a free consultation with us today. We have a long experience working with students, and are always happy to hear from you.

The post An Undergradā€™s Guide to Fintech appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

The post An Undergradā€™s Guide to Fintech appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

There has been much talk about the ability of AI to write programs, and speculation on how this will change the field of computer science, and the career prospects for programmers. In this article, weā€™re going to break this down to the details; what we know for sure, whatā€™s just hype, and how the growing presence and power of AI tools will impact students seeking to major in computer science. Letā€™s get started!

Note on Sources

While we here at ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų are experts at college admissions, that doesnā€™t mean we know everything. This article was written in collaboration with our Computer Science Research Mentors, Doctors Farah Kidwai and Rebecca Beason. To learn more about them, and the research program theyā€™re part of, see our page here. 

Will AI Replace Programmers?

This is perhaps the most relevant question, because one of the major draws of CS as a major is the perceived career safety it offers. There is a big demand for experienced computer programmers, and any impact of AI on this job market will send aftershocks through colleges and beyond. So is this something you need to worry about?

Probably not. 

As with all complicated questions, there is some nuance here, but in general, there will be no major shortage of programming positions caused by AI in the near future. There are several reasons for this, and we are not saying all careers are safe. Weā€™ll break down what we know, and what AI can and cannot do currently. 

Lag Time

Computer science is an incredibly fast moving field when compared to most other disciplines. In archaeology, for example, the people youā€™re studying arenā€™t getting any deader, so thereā€™s no real rush to publish. Advances and discoveries happen, but at a sedate pace. In computer science, technology changes by the month, with new techniques, breakthroughs, software, hardware, and capabilities debuting regularly. 

AI is built on large data inputs filtered in over time. This means it must generally lag behind the curve, as new discoveries are processed, analyzed, and finally fed into training data. Most of the data sets AI is built on are a year or two old. For most fields, this is only a small impact, but for computer science, this is a very long time. 

Specific Skills

Currently, there are certain tasks Ai is very good at; querying databases, extracting and compiling data, and writing general programs are its main areas of strength. The more niche and specialized a request is, the less likely an AI will be able to complete it with any degree of competency. 

Expertise in specific domains is not yet something AI can emulate, leaving a lot of leeway for subject matter experts. In addition, there are certain areas where we do not want AI operating for security or safety concerns. Terminator was just a movie, but that doesnā€™t mean we want autonomous decisions in military applications. 

The Ouroboros Problem

Ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail, is an apt metaphor for one of the problems AI is beginning to run into. The strength of these models is only as good as the data fed into them, and feeding a model data generated by another AI is a major problem. The model begins to feed upon itself, and the outputs produced become less and less useful and viable. This is not yet a major problem, but is a significant weakness in AI, and is part of why the need for human programmers remains. 

Will AI Impact Coding Careers?

Yes. A lot. Ai is a tool, a powerful one, with limits weā€™re still finding, and which are still expanding. While AI will not be able to unseat programmers, it will definitely impact the work they do and how they do it. 

Some careers in data entry will likely be entirely replaced, as this is one of the things AI can reliably do. There will still need to be a person to check the numbers, but the long work of doing it will be easier to automate. Other careers in databases will likely be fully transformed or automated as well, or have a significant portion of their duties taken by AI. 

In other careers, AI will fill other niches, as a research aid, or drafter, or a way to build scaffolding that will need to be fleshed out by a human afterwards. You cannot yet trust all of the information sourced through AI, nor does its code run reliably, but it is still a useful starting place for many tasks. 

When and how AI will be used will vary a lot by field and discipline; those few programmers still working with COBOL will likely never make use of it, while others will need to interact and interface with AI tools quite often. In your time at college, you will be able to control just how much you will be expected to interact with AI, based on what you decide to specialize in within computer science. 

How Will AI Impact Computer Science Majors?

As AI entwines itself with the entire field of programming, so too is it being felt in computer science departments and majors. Of course, each college is handling this differently, as they adapt to changing circumstances as they see fit. We will go through the changes we have seen already, and some we anticipate going forward. 

New Specializations or Certificates

AI is increasingly its own subfield within computer science. Much like cybersecurity or data science, it too is something colleges are allowing students to specialize in. This is important for anyone who wants to work in this field; understanding the back end of these processes, what goes on behind the curtain is key for any student who wants a career dealing with AI. 

These specializations are not a major in themselves, but may give you a slight leg up when angling for a career directly relating to AI. They can also be useful for students who want to make better use of AI tools in their own disciplines by understanding the code which underpins them. 

New AI Majors

Some colleges are going further, and creating full majors to study AI, generally as a subfield within computer science or data science. These are rare still, but we expect the number offered to expand. Universities are old, and have a great deal of institutional momentum, so it takes them a long time to change and adapt. 

These majors will cover much of the same ground as a standard computer science major, but with more of a focus on using and forming the code which underpins AI, and on understanding how the algorithms which govern its behavior operate. As with all niche majors this may limit your options slightly, but if you know you intend to work with AI, they are a great option for you. 

Changes to Workflow

A change being seen across disciplines and majors is the increased use of AI for cheating, especially on homework assignments and essays. Some students have always been keen to find loopholes, but the ability of AI to evade many plagiarism checkers is opening new doors for academic dishonesty.

This is happening in computer science as well, as AI tools offer programmers some easy shortcuts. The code written by AI does not always work, and sometimes has questionable errors, but it can write code. The use of AI to cheat in these courses is lower than in purely text based classes, but it is occurring.

We recommend that students not use these shortcuts. There are various ethical reasons not to cheat, but there are also practical ones. The homework you are assigned is designed to help you practice and master certain skills, and tests then allow you to demonstrate that mastery. If you arenā€™t trying to learn and master these skills, then why are you at college in the first place? Every job you get will assume you have the skills associated with your degree, and if you relied overmuch on AI, then you may find yourself overwhelmed when you enter the workforce. 

This applies to non-CS classes as well. Putting aside the overwhelming irony of cheating in an ethics class, the point of college is to help you learn to tackle complex problems. Outsourcing that skill means you donā€™t develop the mental muscles you need, and leaves you with a shortage of skills that employers expect from graduates of a top college. AI will impact the workflow of students in many majors, but we recommend avoiding its use in this way. 

Final Thoughts

We are still in the development stages of AI, and waiting to see just how powerful it becomes as a technology. While it clearly has great potential, just how much of the hype will be realized is uncertain. It is certain, however, that while it will greatly impact the entire field of computer science, programming careers will remain relevant for quite some time. 

Of course, the new popularity of AI is only driving an increase in the number of students who want to study computer science, and increasing competition for a limited number of seats at top programs. If you are looking for help with your own application, or creating the kind of candidacy that top colleges want from students, schedule a free consultation today. We have years of expertise at helping students apply to top colleges, and are always happy to hear from you.

The post How AI Will Impact Computer Science Majors appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

The post How AI Will Impact Computer Science Majors appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

In this article, weā€™re going to examine one such example, that of male students of Indian descent trying to enter computer science. Weā€™re going to look at the potential challenges these students face, and why they exist. Then weā€™re going to see how this looks in practice, by examining how an ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų student got into Carnegie Mellon University’s prestigious Computer Science program. Letā€™s get started!

Why it Can be Harder to Apply as an Indian Male

There are two factors at play here. The first is that colleges are looking for some diversity in their programs. This is not just racial or gender quotas, but a diversity of backgrounds, viewpoints, and experiences. Admissions officers often assume, correctly or not, that students from similar demographic backgrounds have similar views on the world, and similar experiences that shaped them.

Thus if they want to bring a diversity of viewpoints into a program, then some candidates from less common backgrounds are advantaged. If there are a lot of students from a single seemingly shared background, then each of them is slightly disadvantaged. 

This then leads into the second issue these applicants can face. Namely, that the more applications an admissions officer sees with similar themes, the less any one of them stands out. This is not to say that all Indian male applicants are identical, but many of them fall into the same trap of presenting what they believe admissions officers want to see, and in so doing accidentally decreasing their odds of acceptance. 

Admissions officers review thousands of applications each year; while being truly unique is quite hard, you should try to let your authentic voice come through, and represent yourself in a sincere manner. In the next section, weā€™ll examine what this can look like, and why it works. 

What an Activities List Should Look Like

The activities you do in high school signal to admissions officers where your interests and passions lie. Here are the activities Student A listed on his Common App: 

Analysis

This is all very nice, but what does it tell us about Student A, and what he did right?

First, and most importantly, Student A has a clear passion for computer science, and has a lot of experience in that field. His top four activities are all CS related, all fairly significant accomplishments, and all serve to demonstrate his intellectual vitality; his drive to learn and grow for the sake of discovery and joy of learning. 

This is the first thing universities check for on an activities list; whether youā€™ve really explored the subject you are interested in majoring in. This is especially true for subjects like computer science, where there are many avenues for high school students to get involved. Student A has not only taken advantage of these opportunities, but has done so consistently, and at a very high level. 

This initial spike is important, but it often is not enough on its own. Your activities list is an admissions officerā€™s first introduction to you as a person, and you want to show them your personality. You shouldnā€™t invent items, but you should show off the breadth of your interests. Student A does this, and in so doing also shows off character traits universities like to see; his skill at leadership, his devotion to his community, and just a hint of weirdness. 

Essay Examples

Carnegie Mellon University asks for three essays, each seeking to understand a different aspect of your character. Weā€™ll go through each of Student Aā€™s essays, and examine how they position him for °ä²Ń±«ā€™s computer science program. 

Essay 1: Why Major

My mom put her hand in front of the cobra and it lunged forward. ā€œIt worked!ā€ my little brother and I exclaimed in unison. Ten-year-old me was fascinated: how could a few lines of code make the robot snake I programmed ā€œseeā€ the motion of her hand?

Today, when I hold up my iPhone, the deviceā€™s sensors use highly optimized algorithms to reliably ā€œseeā€ my curly hair and dark brown eyes. Eager to learn more about this technology, I spent months completing DeepLearning.AIā€™s courses on everything from logistic regression to convolutional neural networks. I simultaneously worked on my first computer vision project at Emory University, training Googleā€™s MediaPipe deep learning model to recognize 19 new gestures from the call sign to thumbs up. I spent long nights tuning hyperparameters until the computer recognized my fist, elated to see the dots on my screen marking the joints of my hand in real time. As I transfigured my fist into the shape of a peace sign, I envisioned how the same technology could be used in augmented reality glasses to help translate sign language and ease communication between deaf people and those who donā€™t sign.

As my project came to a close, I continued to explore the other applications of computer vision in collaboration with my Emory University mentor, working on Kaggle competitions related to medical imaging and botanical classification. At CMU, I hope to work with Professor Srinivasa Narasimhan on his research using light curtains to help robots navigate diverse terrains, and Professor Shubham Tulsiani, who has developed a method to allow robots to learn everyday tasks by watching videos of humans. From autonomous vehicles to diagnosing diseases, I foresee a future where computer vision is ubiquitous and I am eager to be part of making that vision a reality.

Analysis

The point of these essays is to demonstrate your past involvement with the substance of the major, and explain why you want to devote yourself to this course of study. Student A does this well, tracking a single theme from their initial interest to in depth research and mastery. 

Your own reasons for pursuing computer science should be personal, and come from a place of interest and passion. You should talk about past experiences, and any projects you have worked on which illustrate this passion and love of learning. There is a great realm of possibility in computer science, and you can explore any aspect of it in this essay. 

You should have some notes on how you want to explore these subjects at CMU specifically, but this is not the main thrust of the essay. That said, each school has their own perks, and if they do not ask for a ā€œWhy Usā€ essay, bringing some of them into your ā€œWhy Majorā€ essay is a good idea. 

Essay 2:

Many students pursue college for a specific degree, career opportunity or personal goal. Whichever it may be, learning will be critical to achieve your ultimate goal. As you think ahead to the process of learning during your college years, how will you define a successful college experience?

In The Gene, Siddhartha Mukherjee asks what makes humans different from chimpanzees, although we share about 99% of our DNA. From my work on machine learning, I have seen that computers are quickly approaching and even surpassing human levels of intelligence. So, what makes us human? I grapple with this question and try to find the answers in our complicated history, biology, and culture. Iā€™ve played music from Vivaldi to John Williams, read about the history of cancer, and closely followed current events and political debates.

Through °ä²Ń±«ā€™s expansive curriculum, I will combine computer science with the study of biology, music, and politics to continue exploring all the complexities of human expression. I plan to join the University Orchestra and take classes like Modern Biology, Music History I, and Non-Violent Conflict and Revolution to broaden my understanding of our shared humanity. Iā€™m eager to discover the possibilities for machine learning to develop better diagnostic tools, compose original music, and fact-check our representatives.

As part of my journey to understand the human experience, Iā€™ve dedicated myself to serving my community. One way Iā€™ve done this is by leading my schoolā€™s Key Club as vice president. Beyond volunteering over 100 hours, I organized a Thanksgiving can drive, collecting 2000 cans to donate to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. At CMU, I will build on this experience by joining the Balance Boxes program while simultaneously using CS to acquire the tools to make hunger a thing of the past. I see a future where advanced machine learning and computer vision models can dictate the best times to plant crops and detect early signs of blights so that no one ever has to go hungry. I want to be a part of building this future.

Analysis

This is a weird prompt, mostly because it isnā€™t always clear to students what it’s asking. In this essay, Student A demonstrates their fit with °ä²Ń±«ā€™s culture and campus, and in so doing shows how he will contribute as a student at the university. 

Colleges want to admit students who will fit in with their culture, and who will make campus a more interesting and enjoyable place to be. Student A touches on a number of his past activities, and ties them all directly to opportunities at CMU, showing how he and the school fit together perfectly. He never comes and says heā€™s a great fit for the campus, and he never has to; this essay clearly demonstrates that fact. 

It is good to be focused in your extracurriculars, but you should strive to tie different facets of your interests and personality to different offerings on campus. This is especially true for students who belong to a group that is often stereotyped or miscounted, such as Indian males. This helps set Student A apart from his peers, and shows the range of his interests and experiences. 

While colleges are not allowed to use race as a factor in admissions, unconscious biases do exist. Essays like this are a great way to combat or counteract them. You donā€™t have to be zany or strain to be something you aren’t, but instead authentically represent yourself, and show how you fit well with what a university is looking for in students.

Essay 3:

(300) Consider your application as a whole. What do you personally want to emphasize about your application for the admission committeeā€™s consideration? Highlight something thatā€™s important to you or something you havenā€™t had a chance to share. Tell us, donā€™t show us (no websites please).

People have always jokingly referred to me as a ā€œthird parentā€ to my younger brother. When my dad moved for work a few years ago, that joke became a reality. Because my mom had to leave early for work, it was my job to wake my brother up and get him ready for school. As I gradually assumed more responsibilities, I recognized that the care gap extended beyond housework; there were also intellectual roles to fill.

Since my dad used to tutor me, I helped my brother with math and computer science. When his eyes lit up as he finally got his first for-loop working, I realized I have the ability to help others reach their full potential.

Eager to put this ability to work, I joined CodePath, a national nonprofit dedicated to providing cost-free CS education to disadvantaged children. As a chapter head, I led several high school volunteers, mentoring them on their teaching styles and stepping in to teach when needed. From helping a shy student come out of her shell to choosing the volunteer with the right combination of patience and aptitude to teach a gifted blind student, I grew my chapter into the most successful in the Atlanta region.

Since then, Iā€˜ve become a regional director, more than doubled the existing chapters near me to 11, and hosted four summer camps, teaching over 200 students and focusing expansion on less affluent areas. In addition to applying my experience in computer science to my degree, I hope to build upon my work at CodePath by creating a registered student organization that provides free advanced CS education to high schoolers in the Pittsburgh area and bring my leadership skills to student organizations like the Carnegie AI Safety Initiative and All University Orchestra.

Analysis

This essay prompt is remarkably open, even by the standards of college essays. CMU is inviting you to discuss anything at all, to highlight any traits you have which you have not had a chance to discuss elsewhere in your application. This is a gift, and we recommend you take advantage of it. 

In the example above, the student shares a story of his volunteering experience. This shows both his skills as a leader, and his dedication to his community. These are two traits all colleges look for, but which are especially key for students interested in computer science. 

There is a perhaps undeserved stereotype of CS students, where they would rather sit alone in a room coding than interact with others. While this is not true of the majority, the image persists in popular culture, and is a worry for admissions officers. After all, they want to admit students who will actively engage with the campus environment, not shun it. 

This essay is a great chance for you to demonstrate how you will actively engage with the campus community, by showcasing how you have done so where you are right now. After all, past performance is the best predictor for future action, and demonstrating youā€™ve actively engaged with your current community is the best sign youā€™ll do so going forward.

You can, of course, discuss anything with this essay, but Student A demonstrates his ability to care for his community and give back, something colleges are eager to see in all students, especially those studying computer science. His explicit desire to do so when he enters university is the cherry on top.

Our Results

You know already that Student A got into CMU; thatā€™s why weā€™re using him as an example after all. Hereā€™s what his parents had to say, after he got his admissions results: 

³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų assisted my son in gaining admission to the countryā€™s top-ranked computer science program! As immigrants from India, my wife and I were unfamiliar with the U.S. college admissions process, which differs significantly from Indiaā€™s exam rank-based system. Initially, my sonā€™s college essays focused heavily on academic achievements. However, ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų helped him emphasize his personality and other interests in revised drafts. They also helped him with college selection and helped him stay organized while applying to several colleges. Of course, your child still has to do all the work and write all the essays, but having an expert review and provide feedback is invaluable. I would highly recommend ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų for your child.

Whatever your own situation is, and whatever major you are pursuing, we can help. The deck often feels stacked against certain students, especially when they are already stereotyped into specific fields. Indian males going into computer science are often overlooked through no fault of their own. We help students demonstrate their intrinsic worth to admissions officers, and show off why they are worthy of a place in a top college. 

Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can help you tell your story, and help you navigate the college admissions journey. 

The post How to Get Into a Top CS Program as an Indian Male Applicant appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

The post How to Get Into a Top CS Program as an Indian Male Applicant appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

UPenn recently a new major for their School of Engineering, one focused explicitly on Artificial Intelligence. In this article weā€™re going to cover what this major offers, how to apply to it, and whether or not other schools are going to follow their lead in introducing programs explicitly to study AI (many schools already have courses on AI, but we are looking specifically for majors or minors in this field). Letā€™s get started!

This new program is jointly administered by the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering and Computer and Information Science. This program will be offered for the first time in the fall of 2024, with existing students wishing to transfer into it being able to apply to do so. Students applying to enter Penn beginning in 2025 will be able to apply to the major directly. 

The for the major makes sense. It requires a base level of math and computer science knowledge, so that you will able to grasp the fundamental concepts which govern the creation and actions of AI systems. On top of that and elective courses, you can also choose from among the following concentrations:

• Robotics
• Vision/Language
• Machine Learning
• Data/Society
• Health/Systems

There is no separate senior course for AI majors. Instead, seniors wishing to take a senior design course embed themselves in another Penn Engineering major. The goal here is for students to see how AI applies to other areas of engineering, and how the concepts interrelate. 

Applying to the Major

UPenn admits students by college; so all students wishing to partake of the AI major must apply to the College of Engineering. In addition, Penn Engineering majors admit directly to the major, so you should apply to AI if you are interested. While it is possible to change majors within a school, it is difficult to change schools into Engineering, since it is so popular. 

While you do not need to have prior experience with AI to apply, we recommend showing some enthusiasm for computer science. Taking coding classes at your high school, participating in extracurriculars related to programming, or pursuing the field of computer science in other ways is the best way to prepare for this major. Admissions officers want to see a clear passion for your intended field of study, and high school is the best time to begin this. 

Finally, if you have taken a CS course in high school, you should consider getting a letter of recommendation from your CS teacher, especially if you have a good relationship with them. They can speak directly to your strengths within the field, and how your passions shape your interests. 

Other AI Programs

While Penn is the first Ivy League school to introduce an AI major, they are not the only college to realize the potential of this new field. Here are some other college programs which allow you to explore this field.

CMU offers a major (and an , and a ) in AI. They were the first school to offer such a program, and have the most developed program. You should apply to the School of Computer Science if you are interested; you will be able to select the AI major once you are there. The again focuses on math and CS, as those are the core of what AI requires. 

Purdue offers a BA in AI through their College of Liberal Arts. This was introduced in 2022, with the aim of introducing students to this new and growing field. Purdue admits directly by major, so students interested in pursuing AI should apply directly to the program. You are able to apply to transfer to the major once you are at purdue, but this is not guaranteed. 

While UF does not have a designated major in AI, they do offer an AI Certificate, which may be done in addition to whichever major you are seeking. You must apply for this once you are a student at UF. The certificate requires , two on AI generally, and a third determined by your home college at UF. You should check with your advisor before applying for the certificate.

The Marshall School of Business, in coordination with the Viterbi School of Engineering has begun offering a combined program: an Artificial Intelligence for Business BS. The goal of the program is to give students the technical background needed to understand AI, along with the business acumen needed to bring these ideas to fruition. Students will take courses in programming, data science, machine learning, finance, accounting, and business. Students interested in the program should apply through USC Marshall, as USC admits by college.

Introduced in 2022, MIT offers the Artificial Intelligence and Decision Making major. This is offered through its Electrical Engineering and Computer Science school, and gives students a broad background on the math and programming they need to understand the fundamentals of machine learning. Fifteen total courses are required to complete the major. MIT does not admit by school or major, but if you do apply for this, you should demonstrate your skill with and passion for computer science.

Drake Universityā€™s College of Arts and Sciences offers both a BA and a BS in AI, along with a minor. AI even has its own at Drake, rather than being part of a larger cohort. Students gaining a degree in AI may take a concentration within that, with areas of focus in business, the humanities, and computer science. This program is a new offering for students who entered Drake in 2023. 

IIT offers a BS in Artificial Intelligence as part of the Computer Science department, in the College of Computing. The major is meant to give students a firm technical understanding of the math and programming which underlie AI, and explore the applications of this field. You must be an IIT student to enroll in this major; you should speak with your academic advisor if you are interested in doing so.

Is an Artificial Intelligence Major Right for You?

Not all schools have AI majors yet, but they are becoming increasingly popular; most of the ones which do exist were introduced in the past few years. Itā€™s easy to see why. This is an exciting field, and universities are keen to be on the forefront of development and research in it. 

Of course, you donā€™t need to major in AI to get a job related to AI. After all, none of the people innovating in the field currently have a degree in AI specifically. Whether or not you should major in AI depends on your career aspirations. If you are certain this is the subset of computer science you are interested in pursuing, then it is a great choice of major for you. 

Majoring in computer science, data science, or related fields (as we explore in our article on computer science majors) can also go a long way towards preparing you for a career in artificial intelligence. That said, if this field continues to be as fast growing as it is, we expect many more colleges to introduce AI majors in the future. 

Final Thoughts

The future is an unknown country, but it seems increasingly clear that AI and its applications are going to have some role in it. If you want a place in shaping those applications, then majoring in AI is a good first step. We hope that this article has given you a solid introduction to the available AI majors, and what each of them can offer you. 

Of course, applying to college, even to a very new major, can be quite difficult. If you want advice on how best to prepare in high school for an AI major, or how best to craft your application when applying to these programs, schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can help you. We have a long history of helping students achieve their educational goals, and are always happy to hear from you.

The post UPennā€™s New AI Major; More to Follow? appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

The post UPennā€™s New AI Major; More to Follow? appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

In this article, weā€™re going to discuss what options are available for students interested in computer science, from complete beginners to experienced coders, and everyone in between. Weā€™ve covered engineering summer programs before, but though they are similar, engineering and computer science are not quite the same thing. Letā€™s get started, and see what wonders await!

Teach Yourself Coding

The first option is not a set program as such, but instead self-study, and the ability to teach yourself the basics (and more) of various coding languages. is a free, online, self paced resource which will enable you to teach yourself any of the popular coding languages, and explore higher level concepts in those languages. 

This is a great option for students looking for a complement to another program, or who want to work on computer science around a pre-existing commitment, such as band camp or their athletic pursuits. This is also a wonderful resource for beginners looking to dip a toe into the waters of computer science, to see how it suits them. 

We recommend beginning with Python, Java, C, or C++, as these are the most commonly used programming languages. Different languages are most often used for different applications, but a solid base in one will serve you well, regardless of your intentions. 

Run and hosted by UC Berkeleyā€™s Department of Computer Science, this is a two week intensive program modeled on their intro to CS course. Students take courses, attend lectures, and complete daily coding challenges. At the end of the program, they are given a chance to show off a project they worked on over the course of the two weeks. Participants stay in Berkeleyā€™s dorms for the duration of the program. The total cost of the program is $5,060.

The application opens February 1, and is due March 11. Students must be in 10th or 11th grade and 16 or 17 for the duration of the program. International students may attend. The application requires a transcript, an online form, and answers to short essay questions. The prompts are: 

• Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.
• The UC Berkeley Pre-College Scholars Program seeks to create an engaged and inclusive community that is welcoming to students from various backgrounds, experience, and perspectives. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for the Pre-College Scholars program?

Girls Who Code is an organization devoted to increasing the presence of women in coding and STEM, and offers two free virtual summer programs. These are open to current 9th through 11th graders who identify as female or non-binary, and no prior experience with computer science is needed. 

One program is the two-week Summer Immersive Program (SIP) the other lasts six weeks and is self-paced. SIP has live courses from industry professionals, and has a focus on basic to intermediate coding skills in a variety of languages and applications. The self paced program allows students to work non synchronously while exploring topics they enjoy, with a chance to build community through live weekly discussion sessions. 

Run and hosted by Carnegie Mellon University, this is a six week in-person (residential or commuter) program which introduces students to the field of video game design and programming. The program combines traditional coursework and homework with lectures, seminars, and group projects. As the culmination of the summer, students create their own prototype game, from pitch to playable demo. The total cost of the program is $12,105 for residential students, or $8,998 for commuting students.

Students are encouraged to have prior art, design, or coding experience, but these are not required. Students must be current sophomores or juniors to apply, need a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 and must be at least 16 by the programā€™s start date. The application requires an online form, an unofficial transcript, one letter of recommendation, responses to essay prompts, and examples of prior work related to your tracks of interest in the program. The prompts are: 

• What do you hope to gain from participating in Carnegie Mellonā€™s Pre-College Programs? (300-500 words maximum)
• Tell us about your favorite game. Why do you find it fun? Be specific about the aspects that make it fun for you. (300 words maximum)

This is a weeklong residential program open to rising 9th through 11th graders, run and hosted by the US Naval Academy. The program has three sessions, one each for each grade level invited to attend. The program serves as a general introduction to STEM subjects and methods, and no coding experience is needed to apply. 

The program costs $700, including tuition, room and board, and transportation to Baltimoreā€™s airport. The application opens in December, and is due by April 15. The dates of the program are during the school year for some students, but are based around the needs and schedules of naval midshipmen, and cannot be changed. They look for strong academic performance when reviewing applications.

This is a two week in person program run by NYU, with a residential option. Students must be 14 or older to participate, and 15 or older to live in on-campus housing. The program itself combines instruction in engineering, programming, and robotics, delving into every aspect of coding, assembling, and controlling robots. Applications for the program open January 1, and are due by May 1, but are reviewed on a rolling basis. 

There are three sessions for the program, allowing some flexibility in scheduling. You do not need prior robotics experience to participate. The program is open to rising 9th to 12th graders, and has a total tuition fee of $3,025. There is an additional application fee of $50, and a weekly housing fee of $308 for students living on-campus. The price for meals for on-campus students has yet to be announced. 

Run by the University of Pennsylvania, this is a three week residential summer program open to current 9th through 11th graders. Students learn HTML and CSS; the focus of the camp as a whole is on front-end web development, building websites that users can enjoy and navigate with ease. The camp is available to students globally, though students from Philadelphia public or charter high schools may be able to attend for free. 

The program costs $9,700, including tuition, on-campus housing, meals, and excursions. The application for the program opens December 1, and is due by February 15. The application requires a transcript, one letter of recommendation, and three essays, each with a maximum word count of 400: 

• Describe your academic and personal goals and how these may be further achieved by studying at Penn during the summer. Feel free to discuss the particular program to which you are applying as well as other aspects of studying at Penn during the summer.
• Select a few of your non-academic or extracurricular experiences and explain how these activities supplement your academic and personal growth.
• Non-native English speakers only: Describe your English educational background and experience.

This three week program is a mix between a coding boot camp and an introductory computer lab experience. No prior knowledge of computer science is needed; students will learn to use computers as tools to approach and solve complex and creative problems. This is a commuter program; no housing is provided or available on UCLAā€™s campus. The fees for this program have not yet been announced. 

Applications are due June 1, but applying early is strongly encouraged. Students must be currently in grades 8-11 in order to apply for this program. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis; you can expect to hear back within around three weeks of applying. As part of the application, you are required to answer the following questions: 

• Do you have any experience related to computer science?
• What has motivated you to apply to the CSSI Introductory Track?
• What do you expect to learn from the CSSI Introductory Track?
• This is a college-level course and thus very intense and challenging. Our instructor and learning assistants will help you through the whole process. Do you consent to (1) actively participate in classes, discussion sessions, and seminars, (2) communicate timely with our instructor and learning assistants for any questions and difficulties, and (3) befriend and learn from your peers.

This is a weeklong program hosted and run by UT Austin, and is designed to increase participation in computer science and STEM by underrepresented groups, though all students entering 10th-12th grade are eligible to apply. Two sessions are offered, standard and machine learning, both of which consist of coursework and hands-on programming experiences. You do not need any prior coding experience to apply to this program. 

The program is free for participants, including tuition and room and board. The application requires an online form, an unofficial transcript, a brief essay, and your most recent progress report. The application is due by December 22.

This is a two week program run by the Wolfram corporation in cooperation with Bentley University in Boston. This program focuses specifically on the Wolfram language, and students complete an in-depth project over the course of the program, in addition to hands-on activities and lectures from industry experts. If you are admitted to the program, you are expected to learn the basics of the Wolfram language before attending.

Students must be in high school currently, and be under the age of 18 at the end of the program to be eligible. They do admit international students. The program costs $4,200, including tuition and room and board. The application opens in December each year, and includes a coding challenge as part of it. The program admits around 50 students each year.

Final Thoughts

Summers are a time for high school students to explore and grow, diving deep into topics of interest to them. While this is not an exhaustive list, we hope this article has given you a sense for the kinds of computer science programs available to high school students, and shown you programs you may be interested in exploring further. 

It can be hard to discover your passions, and harder still to find avenues which allow you to explore them with vigor. ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶųā€™ Candidacy Building program is designed to help with this, to help you find and dive deep into your passions, and to explore them fully. If you want to learn more about what we do, and how we can help you explore your passions or find the perfect summer program, schedule a free consultation today. 

The post Computer Science Summer Programs for High School Students appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

The post Computer Science Summer Programs for High School Students appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

Some schools have a single CS major, but many offer significantly more options. In this article, weā€™ll begin by going over the full range of options in computer science (and related fields), then cover some of the countryā€™s top CS programs, so we can see what majors they offer to prospective students, and which would best suit your academic needs. Letā€™s get started!

Computer Science Major Options

Computer science is a growing and changing field, and each university has their own approach. Not all schools will offer all of these options, but these are the most common ways to study computer science.

Computer Science: BS vs BA

The most common is a degree in computer science itself, which is offered as either a BS or a BA (or with options for either at some universities). You may have a chance to specialize further within this degree by taking specializations or specific electives. 

A BS in computer science tends to focus more on technical details, and delves into the architecture of programs and programming languages. It can come as an engineering degree, but does not always. 

A BA in computer science instead tends to have more of a liberal arts focus; while you still learn all of the technical skills of programming and coding, the degree usually doesnā€™t count for engineering certification, and often has additional course requirements in the humanities, such as ethics classes. 

Computer Science and Engineering

These are specifically engineering degrees, and focus specifically on programming and architecture. Note that computer engineering is a separate but related field which is concerned with the physical hardware used by computers. While engineers do learn programming in the course of their studies, it is not their main focus. Degrees which are not a Bachelorā€™s of Science in Engineering will not qualify you to take the qualifying exams needed to become certified as an engineer.

Robotics

This major is often offered through engineering, and is very niche, with only a few schools offering it currently, though it is becoming more popular. This major tends to cover both the engineering aspects of building robots, and the programming aspects of directing them. It is more focused in its applications than a general CS program, but will give you a solid foundation in coding and CS principles.

Data Science

Data science is a multidisciplinary degree combining Computer Science, Machine Learning, Mathematics, and Statistics. It requires many of the same skills, and opens up many of the same careers, especially as the manipulation and application of data becomes ever more important. Data science programs will give you a strong grounding in programming, but with less of a broad base than CS generally. For more on the field, see our guide to data science careers.

Statistics

Statistics does cover some programming and data science applications, but has significant applications outside these fields as well. It is generally a less popular major, but it is growing in appeal as data science does. You will be able to take a number of computer science courses through statistics, but will not gain the same breadth or depth in the field.

Applied Mathematics

This is a subset of math which deals with practical concepts, rather than the theoretical fields which dominate much of higher math. This often has significant overlap with data science and statistics, as the mathematical models used to analyze large sets of data are one of the core fields in applied math. Not all applied mathematicians will focus on these fields of course, but it is one option. 

Math majors are often far less popular, even applied math, though they are often seen as more difficult in terms of the classes you will need to take. While you will need a strong grasp of mathematical concepts for any study of computer science, this is especially true for those who study applied mathematics. 

Computational Biology

This field involves computer science and biology in tandem, and is very popular with students interested in both. This generally involves using programs and machine learning to take on challenges within the biological field, such as dealing with large data sets, using machine learning in medicine, or modeling the folding of proteins. These majors are often competitive, as they require a solid grounding in both biological and computer sciences.

Linguistics

Sometimes referred to specifically as computational linguistics, this is the study of languages, and tends to investigate programming languages as languages. The skills used and classes taken are similar to CS, but have a different focus, and explore the reasoning behind why languages do what they do more deeply. Linguistics is usually a far less popular major, though computational linguistics is growing increasingly common. 

Computer Science Options at Top Schools

Now that weā€™ve seen all the possible options which may exist for you to study computer science, weā€™ll look at what some top schools offer. This wonā€™t be a complete review, but a sampling to see whatā€™s out there. We already covered UC Berkeleyā€™s new CS options in a previous article, but weā€™ll see what else some schools offer. 

Caltech

The computer science at Caltech offers a strong grounding in the fundamentals of computer science, and offers a number of tracks to allow you to specialize more within the field. Other majors at Caltech overlap with CS, though often with their own separate focus. These include: , , and . Note that all students at Caltech can take minors intersecting with CS, and can add computer science courses to their schedule.

Carnegie Mellon University

CMU has an entire devoted to the study of computer science, and offers five different major options. Applications are handled by CMU admissions, and are to the School of Computer Science. You do not select your major until the middle of your second semester. 

CMU has options to study CS even outside of the school for it. These include: , , , and . These are offered by a number of different schools within CMU. 

Columbia

°ä“Ē±ō³Ü³¾²ś¾±²¹ā€™s computer science is in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, but offers degrees for both engineering and Columbia College students. Each has their own , but are available regardless of where you are taking classes within Columbia. Barnard students are also able to earn a BA in cs through °ä“Ē±ō³Ü³¾²ś¾±²¹ā€™s department. 

Columbia College has a number of majors that parallel computer science without studying it directly. These include: , , , and . 

Cornell

Students in both the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering may in CS at Cornell, and students from any college may add a minor in CS. For students in both schools, you must to the major after completing the necessary prerequisite courses in your home college. The courses once you are in the major are the same; the difference is the other course requirements you need to fulfill to graduate, which are set by your home college.

It is possible to study CS outside of the major, through programs including: , , , and . These are offered by a number of Colleges within Cornell and allow the investigation of different facets of CS.

Dartmouth

Dartmouthā€™s Department of Computer Science offers a and minor in the field for interested students, along with a minor in , for students interested in the intersection between computer science and the arts. 

There are a number of other majors offered at Dartmouth with an intersection with computer science. Notable are and , both of which rely heavily on computer science, and offer applications of the field.

Duke

¶Ł³Ü°ģ±šā€™s is in the College of Arts and Sciences, and offers both a BA and a BS in CS. The Pratt School of Engineering offers a BSE in , which is not officially linked with the CS department in Arts and Sciences. 

There are a number of majors which offer parallel options. in the College of Arts and Sciences is one, while an allows you to combine computer science with any other field offered at the school, such as visual arts or biology. The (known as IDEAS) in Duke Engineering allows for a similar freedom for exploration.

Emory

·”³¾“Ē°ł²āā€™s offers both a BA and a BS in CS, along with degrees in Mathematics & Computer Science and Economics & Computer Science, for students interested in those applications of the field. The department also offers minors in computer science, informatics, and artificial intelligence, which are intended for students in other disciplines who have an interest in this field, and how it applies to their studies. 

There are other majors at Emory which intersect with computer science, though offered by other departments. These include: , , , and . 

Georgetown

³Ņ±š“Ē°ł²µ±š³Ł“Ē·É²Ōā€™s is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, and offers both a BA and a BS in CS. They have a further BA in Computer Science, Ethics, and Society; this examines both computer science and its impacts on the world at large. A minor in computer science is available to students outside the major.

Georgetown has some major options outside of CS that touch on similar topics. These include: , , and . Generally, applying to CS directly is the best way to study the subject at Georgetown.

Harvard

All computer science students at Harvard earn a through their department. There is an honors-only interdisciplinary program associated with the program and several other departments at Harvard called the Mind, Brain, and Behavior Program (MBB). This program looks to address questions of neuroscience and cognition through the lens of computer science. Computer science may also be studied as a secondary field; their version of a minor. 

There are a number of other programs of study at Harvard which allow for an exploration of computer science. These are: , , and . 

Johns Hopkins

Located in the Whiting School of Engineering, the offers both a BA and a BS in CS. The BA is intended for students who want to pursue non-engineering applications of computer science. Students not in the School of Engineering may take part in the CS minor offered by the department. 

There are a number of other majors at Johns Hopkins which allow students to explore computer science related topics. These include: , , and . 

MIT

The general path to study CS at MIT is through the School of Engineering; the or . The latter has more of a focus on hardware, as is often the case with electrical engineering degrees, but both prepare you for a career in engineering, and have similar course requirements. 

There are other majors which offer approaches to CS, including , , , , and . 

New York University

Located in the College of Arts and Sciences, the offers a BA in CS, along with joint degrees in Computer Science & Math, Computer Science & Economics, and Computer Science & Data Science. Minors are available as well, though students in the School of Engineering may not minor in computer science. 

There are additional majors available at NYU which allow for an exploration of computer science throughout their undergraduate colleges. These include: , , , , , and . 

Northwestern

Northwestern offers as a major through both the School of Engineering (as a BS) and the College of Arts and Sciences (as a BA). The computer science course requirements are identical between the programs; it is the non CS course requirements which differentiate them. The department also offers minors in computer science and data science. 

Northwestern offers a number of other majors which allow you to explore concepts adjacent to computer science. These include: , , , and . 

Notre Dame

There are two tracks to pursue computer science directly at Notre Dame. The College of Engineering offers in computer science and computer engineering, both of which offer BS degrees and prepare you for a career in engineering. You can also major in CS through the . This offers a BA degree, but covers the same foundational topics as the BS degree. 

Notre Dame has a number of additional majors throughout its undergrad schools which allow you to study parallel topics to computer science. These include: , , , , and . 

Princeton

Princeton offers both a BSE and an AB in , both of which have similar requirements. The BSE is only offered through the school of engineering, and prepares you for an engineering career specifically. The department and courses are the same for majors of both kinds. 

There are a number of ways to study CS at Princeton outside of the major itself however. These include a major in , and certificates or minors in , , , and . 

Rice

The Department of Computer Science at Rice offers two : a BA and a BS. The BA is more flexible and has more leeway for students who want to explore topics outside of CS, while the BS is more intensive, and offers students a more thorough and in depth exploration of CS topics. 

Outside of the department, Rice has a number of majors which allow you to pursue topics adjacent to CS. These include: , , , and . 

Stanford

³§³Ł²¹²Ō“Ś“Ē°ł»åā€™s offers a BS in the field, though it has a number of tracks within the major for students who want to further specialize their studies. These tracks are: Artificial Intelligence, Computational Biology, Computer Engineering, Visual Computing, Human-Computer Interaction, Information, Systems, and Theory. If you are interested in one of these subjects, you should enter it through the CS major. They also have unspecified and individually designed tracks if you donā€™t see your area of interest listed. 

In addition to the computer science major, Stanford has a number of other majors which allow you to explore CS. These are: , , , , and . 

Tufts

Tuftsā€™ Department of Computer Science offers two options for a . You can earn a BA through the School of Arts & Sciences, or a BS through the School of Engineering. These are offered through the same department, and allow you to take advantage of the same courses and resources; it is the class requirements outside of CS which differ. The department also offers a major in Data Science, and a joint major in Cognitive and Brain Sciences with the Department of Psychology. There is a minor in CS for students not in the major. 

Outside of the CS major, Tuftsā€™ has a number of other tracks of study that allow you to explore computer science. These include: , , and .

UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley has just opened a specifically for computer science and data science, and students wishing to major in either of these fields. These are all BA degrees; the college also offers a computer science minor which is open to Berkeley students in all other colleges. 

In addition to these majors, Berkeley has a number of others which allow you to explore aspects of computer science. These include: , , , , and . 

UCLA

The is located within UCLAā€™s Samueli School of Engineering, and offers two majors: a BS in Computer Science, and a BS in Computer Science and Engineering. Students interested in these majors should apply to the School of Engineering directly, as they are quite competitive. 

UCLA offers 135 majors, several of which offer you insight into computer science. These include: , , , , , , and .

UC Santa Barbara

Located in the College of Engineering, UCSBā€™s offers a BS in computer science for students in the College of Engineering. Students in the College of Letters and Sciences may add a minor in CS. 

Outside of the major itself, UCSB offers a number of majors which intersect with computer science. These include: , , and (which is offered as both a BA and a BS). 

UChicago

The offers both a BA and a BS in computer science. The BA is meant to prepare students for either graduate study or a career in the industry, while a BS is meant to add another field of expertise within computer science by requiring an additional track of study. A minor in CS is also available, to complement students in other fields. Note that UChicago has very limited engineering options.

Outside of the department, several other majors offer a chance to involve yourself in computer science. These include: , , and . 

University of Florida

The offers degrees in CS through both the College of Engineering and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. These have the same core curriculum of CS classes; the engineering degree is more technical and offers accreditation for a career in engineering, while the liberal arts degree offers more flexibility to take classes in other areas, or to combine the degree with another major. The department also offers majors in Digital Arts and Sciences and Computer Engineering. A minor in CS is available to students not already majoring in the department. 

UF has a number of majors outside the CS Department which allow for the exploration of computer science. These include: , , , and .

University of Michigan Ann Arbor

UMich offers two options to enroll as a , through LSA and the College of Engineering. They have a similar setup for data science, with students able to enroll through both colleges. The major and program requirements are almost exactly the same for both colleges. 

Because of the high demand for this major, students must be before they can enroll. For new students, this means you must apply as a CS major specifically; selection for the major is done separately from your admission to the school generally. It is possible to transfer into CS while a current student, though this is very competitive, and to students who applied for CS as freshmen.

UNC Chapel Hill

The offers both a BA and BS in CS. The BS is seen as a stronger preparation for advanced study in the field or to enter the industry, while the BA allows for more flexibility in combining CS with other programs of study. Due to current popularity, only current students at UNC may , and must have taken or be taking the prerequisite courses to do so. There is a minor in CS offered by the department as well, but it too must be applied to.

In addition to the offerings of the CS Department, UNC CHapel Hill has a number of other majors which touch on the same topics. These include: , , and . 

UPenn

UPenn offers two ways to major in ; a Bachelorā€™s of Applied Science and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. Both of these are offered through the School of Engineering, and have similar course requirements. The BSE is intended specifically for students who wish to pursue engineering, while the BAS is meant to prepare students for any number of CS careers which are not engineering focused. 

Pennā€™s School of Art and Science has a number of majors which incorporate computer science without focusing on it directly. These include: , , , and . 

USC

Located in the Viterbi School of Engineering, the offers four BS degrees: Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Computer Science, Computer Science Games, and Computer Science and Business Administration (which is offered in conjunction with the Marshall School of Business). The program also offers a minor in computer science. 

The CS Department is associated with the , which offers BS degrees in both Data Science and Artificial Intelligence for Business (offered in conjunction with the Marshall School of Business). They also offer a minor in data science. 

Aside from these, USC has a number of other majors which touch on computer science, including: , , , , , , , , and .

University of Virginia

±«³Õ“”ā€™s is located in the School of Engineering, and offers a BS in CS through them, and a BA in CS through the College of Arts and Sciences. They also offer a BS in Computer Engineering jointly with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. The biggest difference in the BA and BS degrees is in the courses you have to take outside of your core major requirements. There are currently no caps for declaring a major in your college, but transferring between colleges may be capped. Any undergrad at UVA may declare a minor in CS.

In addition to the degrees offered by the CS Department, UVA also has the following majors which allow you to explore computer science topics: , , and .

Vanderbilt

Based in the School of Engineering, Vanderbiltā€™s offers a BS which prepares you for the engineering applications of computer science. Students in other colleges can add computer science as a second major, but this will not accredit them to pursue engineering. You may also add a CS minor, no matter which school you are part of at Vanderbilt, so long as you arenā€™t already majoring in CS.

Outside of the major, there are a limited number of other courses of study at Vanderbilt which will allow you to explore computer science. The most notable is .

Wake Forest

Wake Forestā€™s offers both a BS and a BA in the field. They cover the same core curriculum; the BS goes more in depth while the BA gives you more flexibility to combine your studies with another major or minor, since it requires fewer courses. Students in any other major can add a minor in computer science to complement their studies. 

Wake Forest offers a number of other majors which allow for investigations of CS, these include: , , and .

Washington University of St. Louis

Based in the School of Engineering, WashUā€™s offers several majors to interested students. These are: Business + Computer Science, Computer Science, Computer Science + Economics, Computer Science + Math, Computer Engineering, and Data Science. They also offer a minor in computer science. Students who are not in the School of Engineering may add a in computer science to complement their course of studies.

While these are all great options, WashU has other majors which allow for an exploration of CS, including: , , and . 

Yale

Yaleā€™s Department of offers both a BA and a BS to students in CS. The BS is for students who intend to focus solely on computer science, while the BA is intended for students who want to apply CS principles to another field. The department also offers joint majors with the Departments of Economics, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Psychology.

In addition to this, Yale has other majors which allow you to learn about computer science. These include: , , , and .

Final Thoughts

If you are interested in pursuing computer science, there are myriad paths open to you, each with its own unique advantages and drawbacks. We hope this article has given you a sense of the myriad options open to you, and which may appeal to your specific interests and experience. While many of these are quite competitive for admissions, they are far from unattainable.

Of course, we were only able to include a small sample of the available CS programs here, just enough to give a taste of whatā€™s out there. If you want personalized advice on finding the perfect program for you, schedule a free consultation today. We have a long experience helping students find the undergraduate program that best suits their needs, and then guiding them through every stage of the application process.

The post Choosing the Right Computer Science Major appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.

The post Choosing the Right Computer Science Major appeared first on ³Ō¹Ļ¹ŁĶų.