So you want to code ? I think you’ve found the right course, because that’s what CPSC 110 is all about (and every other CPSC course I think). But anyway, I’m only here to share my first impressions on it.
When you register to this, you register to two hours of lecture and three hours of lab, per week. Let me break it down for you…
The lectures are huge. I honestly don’t know how many people there are in there (I’m not so good at guessing quantities), but definitely over 200. You’d have to fight to get a seat in the very front, but in my opinion, that isn’t very necessary as the back isn’t too noisy so you are not disturbed when trying to focusing. However, if you want to participate and ask questions, the front is definitely the place to be. The prof uses the to screens which is very convenient, in my opinion, and what we do is solve problems ! In the meantime, three TAs walk around and answer any question we might have. We are often asked to write down our solutions and discuss them with our neighbors so there is always going to be an interaction during that class, which is very cool in my opinion. In many other lectures, you just sit and listen to the prof talk and ask questions or just contribute, but you never really have the opportunity to meet the person you’re sitting next to, so I guess I’d give a bonus point to the CPSC 110 prof just for that !
During lab hours we are in small groups of about 20-30-ish people and we have a program on the whiteboard that we have to follow. It includes videos to watch if we haven’t already and problem sets to solve. There is also a “Peer-review” section that consists of us pairing up with someone who’s at the same step of the program as us and we compare our codes and talk about it then go back to whatever’s left to do. I’d say that labs are when we learn the most in Computer Science. As the prof pointed out during the introduction course, the best way to learn how to code is to code, code, and code. The language becomes an automatism after a while. And so do the recipes.
Now, a note on the prof. I have Steve Wolfman, and he is the chillest prof I have. He makes jokes, he talks about his kids, he really sounds passionate about his course and he really takes us seriously, which is very important to me. I’m always happy to go to lecture because I know there is always a nice and chill atmosphere in there.
As of now, I would say that CPSC is a course that is always nice to take because you are going to get a lot out of it. And you maybe heard this a thousand times before, but in this new media age, coding is almost a necessary skill. I know this is not true but still, computer science is literally in everything that we do ! So even if you don’t like the course, take it as a challenge, tackle it, nail it and you’ve got a good set of skills and a new way of thinking once you’re done with it.
Good luck.
