CS majors

[Q]

I am afraid that I won't be able to handle CS. I want to learn / major in it but it seems too hard. It seems like the profs expect you to know stuff even in the first CS class.

What are your experiences, suggestions? I could minor in CS, but the only practical major then would be Business Admin, which is a good major but doesn't interest me class wise.

Some things I am interested in besides CS is History and sometimes English, but both of those are useless. So did any of you not really feel comfortable but once you took some classes it got easier/more manageable?

TIA

 

[Ns1]

I dropped out after 2 semesters, best decision ever.

don't wear a TNMT backpack to school.

 

[ViviTheMage]

If you like math, you will like CS...

 

[JohnCU]

hey dude are you ok? i just heard a tornado hit clemson

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
If you like math, you will like CS...

that is not true. I love math, but I hated all my CS courses.

 

[ric1287]

switch to IS

 

[Q]

Originally posted by: JohnCU
hey dude are you ok? i just heard a tornado hit clemson

I'm posting. I don't think it hit on campus, just like 5 miles away.

Well I don't like math too much but I am taking the BA in CS, not the BS so it's less math, more general. But still looks tough.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

if it was easy it wouldnt be worth anything

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: Quintox

Originally posted by: JohnCU
hey dude are you ok? i just heard a tornado hit clemson

I'm posting. I don't think it hit on campus, just like 5 miles away.

Well I don't like math too much but I am taking the BA in CS, not the BS so it's less math, more general. But still looks tough.

well fuck people post on here with blood shooting out of every orifice. go to campus and take some pictures of the damage for me. my friend said parts of campus are fucked up.

 

[RESmonkey]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
If you like math, you will like CS...

No, I think it's the opposite, isn't it?

 

[Rockinacoustic]

I took a few C.S. Courses and it was too dry for me. I like my Bio/Chemistry thank you.

 

[Pacemaker]

Getting through CS takes a lot of patience and a good deal of working on your own (or with groups where allowed) to figure out problems, but that is mostly due to the fact that the professors tend to be horrible (based on my own experience your experience may very). I had a professor who wouldn't explain the concept behind the programming assignment until after we had to turn it in because she "didn't want to give away the answer". I can think of no other major that won't show you examples of what they want you to do on a project before they expect you to do it.

 

[Deeko]

CS was easy. However, schools are under the impression that CS majors should take as much math as enginers, which was kinda annoying. However, CS itself, cakewalk. Just be ready to deal with a lot of supernerds....

 

[narcotic]

yeah CS wasn't easy but doable. Just be serious about your study and you should be ok.

 

[torpid]

They shouldn't expect that you know much beyond computer basics. If you are having trouble with the intro courses, you might be in some trouble. The intro course is generally fairly easy and teaches basics of programming in a somewhat modern language. This will be a foundation that you use as you learn advanced programming and other topics. As a CS major you will likely be expected to have a rudimentary understanding of a language after a short amount of time. I think by the end of CS I had written stuff in two types of assembly languages, Lisp, Prolog, C++, and Java. The bulk of my work was in C++.

 

[maxcaleb]

A lot of CS programs set up weeder courses for the first couple of quarters/semesters. Just because it is hard doesn't mean that you won't be able to cut it later, but it is true that the intro stuff is a foundation for more advanced topics.

 

[Kirby]

All my CS courses were fairly easy, but the other required courses like math and ECE were/are a pain in the ass.

 

[Q]

Originally posted by: nkgreen
All my CS courses were fairly easy, but the other required courses like math and ECE were/are a pain in the ass.

Where do you go to school?

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: maxcaleb
A lot of CS programs set up weeder courses for the first couple of quarters/semesters. Just because it is hard doesn't mean that you won't be able to cut it later, but it is true that the intro stuff is a foundation for more advanced topics.

I don't know if they are set up as weeder courses; I think that most people just aren't fit to be CS majors. Maybe it depends on the school, though. I was surprised every semester that some of the people who asked the most moronic questions in the history of the known universe were still there next semester. We maybe could have used a weed out course or three.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: Deeko
CS was easy. However, schools are under the impression that CS majors should take as much math as enginers, which was kinda annoying. However, CS itself, cakewalk. Just be ready to deal with a lot of supernerds....

"cakewalk" really varies depending what school you go to...

 

[Ricemarine]

Originally posted by: Deeko
CS was easy. However, schools are under the impression that CS majors should take as much math as enginers, which was kinda annoying. However, CS itself, cakewalk. Just be ready to deal with a lot of supernerds....

YESSSS... I went to a freshman orientation specifically for CS/CSE majors.... supernerds is a very very goood way to describe them...

 

[Kirby]

Originally posted by: Quintox

Originally posted by: nkgreen
All my CS courses were fairly easy, but the other required courses like math and ECE were/are a pain in the ass.

Where do you go to school?

University of Alabama. Co-op'ing right now for the US Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center.

 

[Daishiki]

Originally posted by: Quintox It seems like the profs expect you to know stuff even in the first CS class.

That's what it felt like during my first quarter, though it is advertised that no prior programming experience is needed. The first class was a weeder course. They expected you to just memorize lines of code to pass the required project exams. I started to feel like I was learning to code during the next class.

If you really feel that it might not be for you, it wouldn't be bad to switch out early.

 

[mAdMaLuDaWg]

Well, yeah, the thing about CS is that memorizing won't help you much. I've had friends who were excellent at subjects like History but it was near to impossible for them to cope with CS. The thing about CS is that you either get it or you don't... its very difficult for people who don't understand the fundamentals to "get it". I'd also say that your affinity towards math would also determine how much you'd like CS.

However my suggest is to go for it, I mean, you have like two years of Liberal Arts courses that you could put towards any degree right? I say load up on those and take a few CS courses here and there. You could always change your major if you feel like its too much. Or better yet, start doing some tutorials in C++/Java and see how you like it.

I actually started out as a Computer Engineering major and moved into CS, best decision I ever made.

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Deeko
CS was easy. However, schools are under the impression that CS majors should take as much math as enginers, which was kinda annoying. However, CS itself, cakewalk. Just be ready to deal with a lot of supernerds....

"cakewalk" really varies depending what school you go to...

If you're insinuating that I went to an easy school because I thought it was easy, you're mistaken.