<p>hi, i'm trying to transfer to UCSD, bioengineering.
due to some budget cuts at my cc in san diego, my schedule has to be rearranged a bit.</p>
<p>on assist.org, it says for bioengineering, it is recommended you take the highest level of introductory computer programming (C++), but at the same time, on assist, it says you can take the C++ intro course OR FORTRAN for engineers class.</p>
<p>now, i heard that fortran is losing favor compared to C++, so i wanted to know - would it make a negative difference in the consideration for admission if i took fortran over the C++ course?</p>
<p>Are you biotech or bioinform or just regular bioengineering? My articulation says to take C++ because I don’t even think many schools offer fortran anymore lol. I don’t really know the comparison on whether it would be an easier class but it’s pretty oldschool and not widely used anymore. To be honest, if you feel like C++ will help you in the future, take it but it’ll probably be more difficult. I know for the bioinformatics track you can even take Java in place of C++. The only reason any of these are a requirement is because it’s technically an engineering major but depending on your path, it might be somewhat irrelevant later on which you take.</p>
<p>You will never, ever, ever use Fortran in your life unless you are maintaining legacy code in a bank. The language has essentially been abandoned.</p>
<p>C/C++ is the most versatile language currently being used. With the right skills, you can make it do anything that you will ever want and if you are ever going to model anything complex like chemical reactions then this is your ideal goal since it can potentially be the fastest language. The language’s learning curve is such that it’s reasonably hard to get started but after you understand the basics that the class will teach you, you can more or less do anything with some thought and reading.</p>
<p>A more useful option if you are not doing intensive calculations it to take a scripting class like Python. These languages are going to be slightly closer to what the future of programming will look like since they enable user to incorporate other developer’s code easier into their projects and shorten development time in general. Not to mention these languages tend to be easier to read.</p>
<p>i understand that fortran is being replaced with C/C++, but as shallow as this sounds, will it get the job done? can i still be competitive to transfer to ucsd as a bioengineer undergrad?</p>
<p>To be honest, I tried to take C++ and the only thing I vaguely remember is how to make a line of asterisks lol. </p>
<p>MAE 9 (UCSD C++) isn’t even a prereq for ANY of the upper division MAE or BME courses you have to take for your major. You can verify that by looking at the course catalog. And for non-compsci majors, C++ is really difficult at UC level, even at my CC it was difficult. I’m sure it’s really useful to some people but since it’s not a pre-req, you’re never “really” going to need it in your college career except to say you’ve completed it. Idk… that’s just how I look at it. I’d still take the easy way out, that’s why I’m opting for Java.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter whether you’ll ever use it again. It’ll probably be easier to learn. With knowledge of one language, it can help you can understand other languages.</p>
<p>“You will never, ever, ever use Fortran in your life unless you are maintaining legacy code in a bank.”</p>
<p>I’m not so sure of that. From what I’ve heard, it still has some really optimized libraries (that haven’t been ported) which make it useful in engineering. Look it up on google.</p>
<p>I’ve been programming since i was 12, i think FORTRAN was used in the 50’s and 60’s (no joke); i’ld be suprised if there was anyone still living to teach fortran or if there were compilers for fortran compatible with windows 7 lol; enjoy c++ (much love<3)</p>
<p>Libraries:
You don’t know how to use these, don’t worry about them since you won’t know how to after your first class.
When you do learn how to use your own language’s libraries, it’s a simple conversion to use other languages.
Knowing that language that a library was written in is only useful if you want to make improvements to the library (and you wont).</p>
<p>Syntax:
Most languages that have active development are heavily influenced by C’s syntax. This means that if you go to a developer or CompSci student and they know C++, Java, or .NET (the vast majority know at least one of these), they can at least read your code and you can read theirs without a difficulty in transition. This is useful in the short term since you can use their massive database of examples and help to get started. In the long term, it means that finding assistants later on will be easier.</p>