I’ve recently been thinking about majoring in something with computers and programming but have never taken a computer class before. Would this be a bad idea ? Would this set me up for failure or would i be to far behind? Thanks any help is appreciated.
Depends on the school whether or not you would be allowed to major in something without first taking intro courses.
It sounds like a bad idea- is there any reason why you can’t wait to declare until you’ve taken a computer class? Can you easily change your major after declaring? If you can’t change easily and end up hating CS then it’d be a problem…
You mean as a new college frosh who has not taken such a course while in high school? Certainly – there are many subjects that one can major in as a college student where courses may not be available in high school.
For CS, many schools have different entry-level CS courses for those with and without prior CS experience or course work while in high school.
I wouldnt be declaring a major yet, just taking classes. I’ll be starting frosh year in the fall. Thanks i was going to be a science major but computers are starting to interest me more.
Oh if you’re just exploring as a frosh then definitely take courses in things you’re interested in but haven’t had a chance to explore before. It’s quite common in engineering fields for students to have never programmed before.
If you’re not sure what you want to do don’t declare a major, as it can really limit your options.
Absolutely. My D had never had chemistry or computer science and is considering both as options as a second major (to Math). Most LAC don’t require you to declare until second semester sophomore year.
personally, i think you should take a class or two, and then decide. Most, if not all, college students take classes in fields they’ve never taken before.
however, some majors are unique to colleges and high schools don’t offer classes in the field (most business fields such as finance, public health, nursing, criminal justice, philosophy) but if the major interests you, then you can “tentatively” declare and change it after you take some college classes. Most colleges don’t have you declare until sophomore year fall or spring. Some will after freshman year, but you still will have taken some classes by then to be able to get a better idea if the major is something you’d be interested in pursuing.
If you’re an incoming freshman, then absolutely you can come in majoring in something you haven’t taken classes in. I came in as a linguistics major, and certainly hadn’t taken any linguistics classes before coming to college.
Once you’re actually at college, it seems silly to major in something without taking at least an intro class in it first (unless this is a case of not being able to get in to the classes or something…). But depending on the school and the department, they won’t necessarily stop you from declaring the major despite not taking any classes in the field yet.