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There’s something so confusing to me. Help me understand. So if you are lucky enough to get into UNC Chapel Hill, you are not guaranteed a spot in the school of your choosing. For example, if you dream to be a nurse, you do all the heavy lifting in HS and land a spot at UNC, but you can’t apply to the nursing school until you are a sophomore or junior. But they only accept a few kids to the program, which then at that point you need to change your life plan or leave the school. I keep hearing this time and time again. UNC has been a top choice for my kid since she was little but she isn’t applying because A, UNC doesn’t have an engineering school and B, she finds this to be super stressful and a scam. We know several people who have had to change their plans because they didn’t get to do what they dreamed to do. I’ve never heard of such a thing. Can someone who knows and understands this please help explain?
The better business programs operate the same way..
I heard something like that about U Dub. A lot of people want to be math majors, but there aren't enough spots, so some people have to be physics majors or something. However, I'm not sure if the selection process for specific majors happens at the same time as undergrad admissions or not. In this case it might, though I am not so sure.
You referring to the University of Washington?
If so, one of the biggest features of the school is that you're not guaranteed for the major you want, and it can be particularly competitive for some fields of study such as CS, Engineering, Business (no surprises).
Some schools like Carnegie Mellon have direct admission to competitive programs like computer science and engineering (or at least used to). However, some people don’t cut it the first two years, so students who really want in can take the math/physics and other prerequisite courses and apply later on for the slots of the people who dropped out. I have a friend who was accepted to Carnegie Mellon to any program BUT those two, but decided not to go because his father was a graduate of the CMU engineering program and he couldn’t face going there without going to that program.
I think the vast majority have people apply after they finish their prerequisites, and a lot of those courses are designed to weed out people who are not going to cut it.
If you want to do CS at CMU, you pretty much have to get there via direct admit - and it's super competitive (single digit admit rates). Now some folks think they can game the system by applying to CMU in another program (say the Dietrich School) and try transferring into the School of Computing Sciences, but that's also very tough, too - the school got wise to it - and the problem is that there just isn't enough spaces.
If you want to do CS at CMU, you pretty much have to get there via direct admit - and it's super competitive (single digit admit rates). Now some folks think they can game the system by applying to CMU in another program (say the Dietrich School) and try transferring into the School of Computing Sciences, but that's also very tough, too - the school got wise to it - and the problem is that there just isn't enough spaces.
Great point. And CS is a like that at a number of schools.
Funny. On this thread we're talking about not enough slots in various degree programs. Yet a couple threads over in Collefe is Expensive, people are complaining about what a waste of money building new facilities and labs are. Somewhat ironic.
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Originally Posted by silverkris
If you want to do CS at CMU, you pretty much have to get there via direct admit - and it's super competitive (single digit admit rates). Now some folks think they can game the system by applying to CMU in another program (say the Dietrich School) and try transferring into the School of Computing Sciences, but that's also very tough, too - the school got wise to it - and the problem is that there just isn't enough spaces.
When DS attended CMU, 2002-2006, he was admitted to the University first then admitted to the School.
DS was not accepted to CS but accepted in Engineering.
Students in Engineering could not declare a major until end of freshman year (?) and then must accepted into the program.
DS got into his CS interdisciplinary (ID) subprogram by an alternate route that was limited to application in the sophomore year. The subprogram I think has been removed from the CS School and now stands with other interdisciplinary programs. I haven't kept up.
He graduated with a double BS. {DS can program, has done so since HS. Not his preference}.
His grad school program keeps the ID within the CS school.
There’s something so confusing to me. Help me understand. So if you are lucky enough to get into UNC Chapel Hill, you are not guaranteed a spot in the school of your choosing. For example, if you dream to be a nurse, you do all the heavy lifting in HS and land a spot at UNC, but you can’t apply to the nursing school until you are a sophomore or junior. But they only accept a few kids to the program, which then at that point you need to change your life plan or leave the school. I keep hearing this time and time again. UNC has been a top choice for my kid since she was little but she isn’t applying because A, UNC doesn’t have an engineering school and B, she finds this to be super stressful and a scam. We know several people who have had to change their plans because they didn’t get to do what they dreamed to do. I’ve never heard of such a thing. Can someone who knows and understands this please help explain?
This is not at all unusual for large, flagship state universities. The school is not a "scam", though.
This is one reason why I prefer smaller, private liberal arts colleges. For engineering, many have articulation agreements with schools that have engineering, for example. The student does three years at the home school and the last two at a large uni that has engineering. Both are usually well-regarded colleges and universities.
There’s something so confusing to me. Help me understand. So if you are lucky enough to get into UNC Chapel Hill, you are not guaranteed a spot in the school of your choosing. For example, if you dream to be a nurse, you do all the heavy lifting in HS and land a spot at UNC, but you can’t apply to the nursing school until you are a sophomore or junior. But they only accept a few kids to the program, which then at that point you need to change your life plan or leave the school. I keep hearing this time and time again. UNC has been a top choice for my kid since she was little but she isn’t applying because A, UNC doesn’t have an engineering school and B, she finds this to be super stressful and a scam. We know several people who have had to change their plans because they didn’t get to do what they dreamed to do. I’ve never heard of such a thing. Can someone who knows and understands this please help explain?
That is why it's cheaper to do your first two years at a community college and then transfer directly into your major as a junior.
That is why it's cheaper to do your first two years at a community college and then transfer directly into your major as a junior.
It can be cheaper. However, it's not preferential.
ETA there are still colleges that have zero gen ed requirements. For example the University of Rochester. Not all colleges accept transfers from a community college.
People think nothing it seems, about spending $45,000 on a car or a truck. They live in $750,000 homes (depending upon area) have 35-50K weddings - but cringe when it comes to spending the same amount of money.
It is NOT the best way to go.
My husband did that and commuted to a local college to finish his undergraduate degree. He regrets it to this day. He was a first-generation college student.
It can be cheaper. However, it's not preferential.
ETA there are still colleges that have zero gen ed requirements. For example the University of Rochester. Not all colleges accept transfers from a community college.
People think nothing it seems, about spending $45,000 on a car or a truck. They live in $750,000 homes (depending upon area) have 35-50K weddings - but cringe when it comes to spending the same amount of money.
It is NOT the best way to go.
My husband did that and commuted to a local college to finish his undergraduate degree. He regrets it to this day. He was a first-generation college student.
I can't think of a single school that doesn't have transfer agreements with CC's in their state, nor that specifically state they don't accept CC credits. I transferred to a very competitive occupational therapy program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, but also got accepted to every other school I applied to for OT, including Virginia Commonwealth, Temple and Fairleigh Dickenson when 80% or so of applicants didn't get into any OT program....with all my perquisites coming from Community college. Not only did I get accepted, I got $6000 from Jefferson because I had the hghest GPA of the incoming occupational therapy students. It didn't matter at all that the GPA was from CC.
It's not something you have to guess at anyway. Their websites and catalogs are very detailed and specific on what classes transfer.
What college do you know that has a policy not to accept CC transfer classes?
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