<p>Hi!</p>
<p>Please help me make decision. I am a rising sophomore, and during my first year, my major was liberal arts, and now I decided to major in Computer Science. So, my counselor told me that I am now behind in math. I took Pre-cal in the spring semester, and I got a C. I'm really not comfortable with math, should I take the Precal again or is it better to move on to Calculus?</p>
<p>The computer science major is very quantitative to begin with and often requires at least Calculus II. Are you sure computer science is the right major for you? And yes, you need to be very comfortable with topics in pre-calculus to be successful in calculus; most students make more algebra/trig mistakes in calculus than having trouble understanding the calculus concepts.</p>
<p>If your university offers it, I would look into the information science/technology major. It’s more concerned with applications than quantitative theory.</p>
<p>^— I agree with the above.</p>
<p>In calc you will be working a lot with trig identities and in some cases using a lot of algebra.</p>
<p>If you are not comfortable with math you probably will not like computer science. Why do you want to do computer science?</p>
<p>I took intro to computer science in spring, and my prof is really good. Not only did I learn some programming language like visual basic, php, java, and some markup languages, but in that class I realize that computer science is the best major because it is applicable in many other fields in business (database design, stock analysis), bioinformatics, etc…</p>
<p>My prof. just made it seem so cool…
But I guess, I am not good enough for computer science…
Problem is, I don’t know what else to major, I really like computers.</p>
<p>If you enjoyed programming then you may be underestimating your own math abilities. I tutor math and a lot of the students I tutor will tell me they are weak at math, but they understand everything I say and can repeat it back to me in their own words, which indicates to me that they are not weak in math they just lack confidence. If you are good at programming then you have the reasoning skills necessary to succeed in your math courses. You just need to believe it. Go ahead and retake precalc. Maybe as a potential CS major you will apply yourself to it a little more and realize you are stronger than you thought.</p>
<p>Thanks ThatPoshGirl !</p>
<p>I know it may take me more than 4 years to graduate, but I just could not think of any other career that is best suited for me. I could do so much with computer science, that is what I like about this major is that it is very flexible. </p>
<p>I just feel bad that unlike the other CS students, I am not really good at math.</p>
<p>Well, I suck at math and, until this summer, hadn’t taken a single math class except for statistics and I’m a double major in CS. In fact, at my college - Calculus isn’t required for CS. I’m only taking a slew of calc classes for engineering. </p>
<p>So, I don’t know if my college handles CS differently, but I haven’t used calculus in any of my CS courses.</p>
<p>Computer science does not equal computer programming. Just because you like coding doesn’t mean computer science is for you. CS requires a crap load of mathematics, at least in all of the top-ranked CS programs I’ve looked at. Algorithm analysis is basically applied math, and if you’re not doing well in pre-calc I doubt you’ll find algorithm analysis (which pretty much every non-intro CS course will include, and you’d probably have to take 3-4 classes concentrating just on that) very amusing. </p>
<p>PlattsburghLoser, your school doesn’t require calc for CS? Probably means your school doesn’t require linear algebra either… dang.</p>
<p>I hope you enjoyed that pat on the back.
what did you gain from it exactly?</p>
<p>I implied that your school’s program seems to lack rigor. Hence it might not be a real reflection of how mathematically intensive CS actually is. Don’t get too sensitive.</p>
<p>I wasn’t referring to your comment about my school’s program as
A) I’m transferring in the fall, so its curriculum is no longer my concern
and
B) You mistake that your opinion matters. </p>
<p>I was referring to your comments to the OP. It came across less as advice the OP could actually do something with and more as "give up now. "</p>
<p>OP: a C is not the end of the world, it’s not great but it’s terrible either. If CS is something you’re really interested in, you might need to go the extra mile and get additional help – either through tutoring or self-study books. Start now in the summer even. </p>
<p>Sometimes you have to keep your head up and fight through it if you’re really passionate about CS.</p>
<p>Some of the difference in curriculums occurs within schools as well. The B.A. in Computer Science in many colleges differs from the B.S. in Computer Science primarily in the mathematics requirements. It’s worth a look at the differences if mathematics is a concern.</p>
<p>I’m informing him that CS is more than just programming and actually does involve a crap load of math. If he doesn’t do well at high school level math algorithm analysis and computing theory will be very painful. Care to point out any problems with my statements? If he thinks he can handle it he will. If he doesn’t he won’t. Since I don’t know him, I’m not qualified to tell him if he can or can’t do it.</p>
<p>I think Ray192 has a good point. A computer science major entails a lot more than programming and if you are only interested in programming, you might be miserable as a CS major. The only two programming-intensive classes that my school requires for a CS major are Intro and Data Structures. After that it’s a lot of technical and theoretical courses, and a few electives that may or may not be used for more programming. (Many of those optional programming classes are very math-intensive, like graphics.)</p>
<p>It is easy enough to avoid higher-level math in programming classes though. That is a different story for theoretical CS. I have heard that classes like Algorithms or Theory of Computation are very math-intensive. At my college they are cross-listed in math, where they count as 300-level courses just like Real Analysis and Abstract Algebra. </p>
<p>Whether or not you will need calculus, you will definitely need a good understanding of pre-calc. Working on your weak areas now will save you a lot of trouble down the road!</p>
<p>I thought i wanted to minor in CS because i had been programming for a couple years on my own…i loved programming 1 so i planned my schedule to include progress on the minor.</p>
<p>anyway i ended dropping some computer logic systems whachamacallit course the very next semester ,which was absolute hell…I found this out the hard way.</p>
<p>anyway thats the only class i ever dropped</p>
<p>Well, I want to pursue a BS in Computer Science, and yes, Calc II and some intermediate stats is the minimum requirements plus one math beyond Calc II. </p>
<p>My counserlor also warn me against taking CS, she said that most CS students finish the math requirement by sophomore year, and what she really meant is that I do not belong in CS. </p>
<p>To be honest, I am not really sure if I can handle it or that I should even attempt to study something that is beyond my intellectual ability. Besides, my parents are expecting me to graduate within 4 years. I do not want to dissapoint them. They are not expecting much from me, they just want their child to have a college degree and a decent job.</p>
<p>Once again, does your university/college offer a degree in information technology?</p>
<p>Sligh_Anarchist</p>
<p>My university offers Management Information Science. It is part of college of business administration which means I have to take pre-business classes and some core classes.</p>
<p>I estimate that the amount of proofs that CS majors do are only second to those of math majors. One of my CS classes had a final that consisted entirely of proof problems. Intro to algorithm analysis in my school rapes even the best math ninjas the CS department has to offer. </p>
<p>Like I said, if you want to do CS you have serious work ahead of you. Only do it if you really enjoy CS theory. You won’t make it if you only study CS for the practical applications of CS. Unless your CS department isn’t particularly rigorous and lets people pass without many theory classes.</p>