How to Get Into an Elite Computer Science School

There are several paths to admission to computer science programs and degrees at top schools. Universities administer different processes for admitting students into their CS programs. 

There are mainly four types of ways students are admitted:

1. Applying to the major at the school before you’re admitted to the university
2. Applying to the major after you’re already admitted and studying at the university
3. Declaring the major directly after you’re already admitted and studying at the university
4. Transferring majors after you’re already admitted and studying at the university

We will cover each of these paths in detail in this post.

Applying to CS Before You’re Admitted

At some universities, you apply directly to the Computer Science major when applying for admission to the school itself. The application will request supplemental materials, such as extra SAT Subject Test scores, extra essays, or a resume, in addition to your application to the university.

This is the case at, for example, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and the University of California at Berkeley (UCB) for the Electrical Engineering & Computer Science major. Thus, your major is already declared when you are admitted to these schools when you start your freshman year.

Carnegie Mellon University is slightly different when you apply for admission and you apply to the School of Computer Science (SCS), which houses three different majors. 

Universities that follow this application method ask students to display a strong math and science background, an interest in computer science, and extracurriculars both within and outside the field.

They, generally, also ask students to discuss their interests, experiences, and intentions with a Computer Science degree in an additional essay. Extracurriculars associated with computer science, like being on a robotics team, having worked on projects like those in Juni’s curriculum, or achieving strong results in the USA Computing Olympiad, are helpful to have.

They convey a keen interest in the field of software engineering and important qualities like leadership skills and the ability to take the initiative to pursue your interests. Extracurriculars outside CS also help demonstrate interpersonal skills, work ethic, and varied passions, as universities admit well-rounded students. You can view a sampling of some admitted student profiles below.

Acceptance Rates: Computer Science programs

In today’s climate, admission to CS programs can be four times more competitive than being admitted to the school. Below is a comparison of the acceptance rates of a few top universities as a whole versus their CS program.

Admitted Student Profiles

Here are the profiles of high school seniors who were admitted into these computer science programs, as examples of academic and extracurricular resumes:

CMU SCS student

CMU SCS student

UIUC Computer Science + Maths student

Applying to CS Once You’re Admitted

At some universities, students are accepted to the university as a whole and do not have a declared major as freshmen. Students then apply to the Computer Science major later in college, usually as sophomores. For example, at the University of Washington (UW), students are admitted to UW as Pre-Science or Pre-Major students. They then apply to the Computer Science major as sophomores in Computer Science & Engineering school. Computer Science programs.

You might also like: Top 8 Reasons Why Every Kid Should Learn to Code.

At North Carolina State University (NCSU), students are accepted with their majors as First-Year Engineering – Computer Science Intent, First-Year Engineering – Undecided, Exploratory Studies, or Undeclared.

When students apply to the Computer Science major, their grades in a few particular classes are taken into account to decide. Engineering majors are automatically enrolled in some of these prerequisite classes, making it easier to get into the Computer Science major.

This method puts more weight on students’ performance in their first year at college. Other universities like the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Harvard University also use this method to accept students in computer science programs.

Declaring a CS Major Directly

They do not have to apply to the Computer Science major at a handful of universities to declare. Usually, as sophomores, students can declare their major. As long as they complete the necessary coursework, they can graduate with a degree in computer science or computer engineering.

For example, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), first-year students enter undeclared and usually choose a major at the end of their first year. There are no prerequisites to declaring a major, but Computer Science students are advised to start required coursework in their first year before they are formally declared. Similarly, at Stanford University, students are admitted to the university and then choose an advisor and declare their major in their sophomore year.

Transferring into a CS Major: Computer Science Programs

At most universities, students can change majors and transfer to another department. This usually happens when a student discovers that they are passionate about a different field from the one they initially intended to study. Universities understand that students’ interests can change and have systems in place to allow qualifying students to switch majors.

Depending on the university, this can be as simple as submitting a change of major form (for example, at Stanford) or an application process very similar to applying to university as a high school senior (for example, at UIUC). Most universities require students to have a minimum GPA for a major in Computer Science.

Some universities, such as CMU, require students to have taken a handful of prerequisite classes in addition to having a GPA above a certain threshold (usually above 3.2/4.0) and submitting a personal statement.

CS Major

All universities look to admit students into their computer science departments passionate about the field and its applications. Most universities highly value personal statements, as they are a chance for students to express who they are, what got them interested in CS, and how they intend to use their degree to further their passions.

Regardless of the application method, a strong interest in Computer Science and activities supports this shine. Having experience building projects is a great way to show that you are passionate about the field and have taken the initiative to start learning.

At Juni, we offer online coding classes for kids, with the group and one-on-one coaching for students to build projects in languages like Python and, in addition, many. Many of our older students study Computer Science at the schools mentioned here. Get started with our Admissions Team today to see what class is best for your child.

This article originally appeared on junilearning.com.