What should I consider before majoring in Computer Science?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around considerations for majoring in Computer Science, focusing on course requirements, personal interests in programming and mathematics, and the nature of the discipline itself. Participants share their experiences and thoughts on the balance between programming and theoretical aspects of Computer Science.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about the necessity of taking science classes like Physics and Chemistry, despite a strong interest in programming and mathematics.
  • Another participant suggests that while some introductory physics and chemistry courses may be required, a strong mathematical background could help in managing these classes.
  • A different viewpoint indicates that not all Computer Science programs require physics or chemistry, emphasizing that entry-level courses often focus on programming fundamentals.
  • One participant advises considering what aspects of Computer Science are appealing, noting that the field encompasses more than just programming, and shares their own shift from Computer Science to Mathematics due to a preference for theoretical work.
  • Concerns are raised regarding the effectiveness of learning data structures in Java compared to languages like C++ or assembly, with one participant arguing that understanding data structures is more beneficial when taught with lower-level programming languages.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of opinions regarding course requirements and the nature of Computer Science. While some agree on the necessity of certain foundational courses, others argue that these may not be universally required. The discussion reflects differing perspectives on the balance between programming and theoretical components of the field.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention varying experiences with course requirements across different universities, suggesting that specific program structures may influence the necessity of certain classes. There is also a lack of consensus on the best programming languages for learning foundational concepts in Computer Science.

Who May Find This Useful

Students considering a major in Computer Science, particularly those with a strong background in mathematics and programming, may find this discussion relevant as it addresses course expectations and personal interests in the field.

Crazymik3
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What courses will I expected to be taking?
I'm more of a straight up Maths guy myself, but would I have to take large amounts of science classes (eg. Physics/Chem)? As interesting as I find these classes, I struggled with them in 11th grade (now 12th.).

The thing is, I LOVE programming. whether it be in my free time or assignments from class, or doing projects for the web. I've come to love languages such as PHP, Java, JavaScript etc.

Do you think I'm prepared to take this degree in University? I'm starting to worry.

Thanks, and <3 to all!
-Mike
 
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Crazymik3 said:
What courses will I expected to be taking?
I'm more of a straight up Maths guy myself, but would I have to take large amounts of science classes (eg. Physics/Chem)? As interesting as I find these classes, I struggled with them in 11th grade (now 12th.).

The thing is, I LOVE programming. whether it be in my free time or assignments from class, or doing projects for the web. I've come to love languages such as PHP, Java, JavaScript etc.

Do you think I'm prepared to take this degree in University? I'm starting to worry.

Thanks, and <3 to all!
-Mike

You'll have to take a few intro to physics and chem courses, but if you have any mathematical/scientific aptitude, you should be able to hack those out. You'll also have to take a few calculus classes, discrete/logical math, and a linear algebra class.

After that, it will be mostly CS courses. These don't always involve programming - a lot of them are theory classes. But if you're a math guy, and you enjoy programming, you'll love it.
 
You might not have to take physics or chemistry. I started in university as a computer science major and I wasn't required to take either of those courses. The entry level computer science courses ease you into programming and proper programming habits. I had no unix experience and I still found it easy to get into. Chances are one of your first intro courses in comp sci will be Java.

Contact the computer science department or check the course schedule to see what they teach. Some universities offer a little "block week" course, to introduce you to unix and such.

PS: I started in Comp Sci and then switched to Math.
 
Alright, thanks guys!
I think what I will do then is contact some of the places that I applied to and see what they have to say.

Thanks!
 
Think about what you like about CS before you major in it. CS does not equal programming.
I was also a big math guy in high school and was planning on majoring in comp sci because I enjoyed C++. I took a data structures/algorithms class using C++ in high school that I really enjoyed. Then, I took a class in JAVA that was basically a few very large programming assignments throughout the year. Like making a applet for ordering pizza online, we made a version of paint, my final project was a graphing calculator that would numerically differentiate and integrate in Cartesian and polar. Anyway, I realized I hated being a code monkey and much preferred the theoretical part. That combined with the point-set topology class I was taking at the time made me realize I would much rather major in pure math than CS. Next fall I'm taking the only CS class I'm going to take in college which is a senior elective on computation and computability.

On a more helpful note, applied mathematicians do a lot of programming and numerical analysis which you might enjoy.

Also, if your CS department starts off with JAVA you won't be learning much. Data structure make a lot more sense when you're programming them with direct access to the memory in either assembly or C++. Learning data structures in JAVA is pointless.
 

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