<ul>
<li><p>How tight knit is the SCS community. Aside from the Women in SCS aspect, do students across their four years of undergrad study generally mingle?</p></li>
<li><p>Have you heard of any students pursuing a CS major and a minor in the fine arts... or at least something to that degree? I'm priority waitlisted for the SCS department but am wishy-washy on the fine (not preforming) arts aspect of the university because my understanding of the SCS program is that it's relatively rigid and thus makes it difficult to take classes across colleges. </p></li>
<li><p>How challenging was your first year in SCS, and what prior work had you done with comp sci and programming and whatnot?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Buying computer:
Uh... really doesn't matter where you buy it. I mean the school store sells Thinkpads and Dells but they aren't customizable, so the only benefit is very good support. The only benefit to waiting is to see what you can use a computer for, and to see what kind of computer you need.</p>
<p>Scraps:
There is certainly a sense of camaraderie and fox-hole sharing when everyone is in the cluster or in office hours for a particularly difficult class. It's the feeling that everyone is in it together, and there's a lot of discussion and collaboration on the difficult questions. Apart from class it really depends on the student if you mingle with other CS majors.</p>
<p>Actually the CS program requires you to get a Minor in something else. So certainly you can go for a design or fine arts minor. I'm not sure what you mean by rigid though, I feel like there's actually a lot of room for you to decide those non-CS requirements. Of course this depend on how much AP credits you have, or how heavy of a courseload you're willing to take. But for most semesters people don't really go beyond 3 CS courses at a time since each is generally more time-consuming than other courses.</p>
<p>Challenge:
I would say the first semester is ok. The most difficult class is Concepts of Math 21-127, because often it is the first exposure people have to discrete math. Second semester was quite challenging and I had never worked so hard in my life. </p>
<p>One of the hardest classes in the program is 15-251: Great Theoretical Ideas in Computer Science. It is possibly the most difficult class you'll take in your life measured in how much it stretches your brain. The experience is quite rewarding especially when you do succeed and when you do pass it, every other course becomes a lot easier. The course is difficult because it develops your method of thinking to approach problems. The content is simply a means of developing thorough problem solving skills.</p>
<p>Overall it teaches you a lot about just managing your time, learning how to take breaks, how to stay fed and energized, how to schedule enough sleep. Challenging but very rewarding.</p>
<p>Prior experience:
So I skipped to AP Computer Science AB in high school and did well in it. Prior to that I had done some programming camps, and some web design stuff, but AP Comp Sci was certainly the most in depth experience I had prior to CMU. If you don't have that much prior experience, I wouldn't worry about it, there are those who start out 15-100 and they still are able to pass 15-251 and do well as most of them are caught up by sophomore year.</p>
<p>XuSCS09,
DS sat in on the Great Ideas in Theoretical CS and said there wasn't as much theory as he expected -- he said it was very different from what was described in the course catalog. Do the topics covered vary each year or by who's teaching the course? He is VERY into theoretical CS (is doing research in it now) and so had high hopes for this class.</p>
<p>How many kids place into 15-312 coming in? Do you know anyone who is double majoring in math and CS? Are there many kids who did USACO (US Computing Olympiad) in HS in the program? Is it possible to concentrate on theoretical CS vs. programming?</p>
<p>Great Theoretical Ideas is meant as an introductory class to theoretical CS, and as such is less formal than higher level classes- the focus is on an intuitive understanding of the material, rather than super rigorous proofs. Also, depending on when your son was there, he may have encountered one of the odder lectures- do you know what it was that he sat in on? The topics vary only slightly; for instance, this year because a lecture on RSA took about twice as long as it should have, a lecture on the probabilistic method was cut. The order of topics is much more likely to vary than the content.</p>
<p>In general, the CS department is hesitant to place anyone past 15-211 unless they have transfer credit from a university of similar caliber because students often find themselves in over their heads otherwise. CMU students tend to overestimate their abilities- 90% of the incoming class each year says they expect to be in the top 50%. :) However, if your son feels like he belongs in a higher class, he can probably negotiate with Mark Stelhik. It is now impossible to skip 15-123, Introduction to C/Unix, so your son would probably take that first semester if he has the equivalent of 15-211. (Otherwise, he would take 15-200 or 15-211, as appropriate.) This is a pre-req for 15-213, a required systems class, which is usually taken after 15-211. Students are encouraged to take 15-251 second semester of freshman year, as it provides a bonding experience of sorts. Usually it's intentionally scheduled such that it is impossible for freshmen to take it first semester because of a conflict with the freshman immigration course. 15-251 is now a pre-req for 15-212, which is a functional programming course (I take it your son is already familiar with this?), which is a pre-req for 15-312 (type theory). 15-312 is only offered in the spring, anyways, so it would be impossible for him to place into it for fall of freshman year.</p>
<p>I know many people who double major in math and CS- just make sure your son signs up for Analysis I, the beginning of the rigorous math sequence, if he's interested in that.</p>
<p>The KGB split from the CIA (Carnegie Involvement Association) many years ago. :)</p>
<p>I love the acronyms for the clubs you guys have listed!
What are your opinions of the dorms? Which ones should we stay away from if possible, or are they all okay?</p>
<p>The lectures in 15-251 generally only scratch the surface and provide some context for the hw problems. The hw problems and exams in the test are the true challenge of the course. The topics change quickly, areas that are covered: Induction, Combinatorics, RSA encryption, Algebraic Structures, Finite Automata, Generating Functions, Recurrences, Graphs, Time/Space Complexity, Probability, Computabililty.</p>
<p>If he is doing research, it seems like he is ahead of the game. So he might want to take one of the higher level theoretical/discrete math courses say like Graph Theory. I do know Math and CS double majors, there are a few who start with Analysis I and II then take Math Studies I and II. Math Studies is a 20 unit course which covers practically all of undergraduate math within 2 semesters. This course sequence is particularly rigorous, only the few and brave take that route (Enrollment in Math Studies is currently 14).</p>
<p>Dorms:
Most agree that New House is the best freshman dorm. Donner and Morewood E-tower are also good because with communal bathrooms you get to see people everyday. It tends to make people keep their doors open to mingle. Some like Mudge because it has private bathrooms (1 bathroom between every 2 rooms).</p>
<p>Just came back from sleeping bag weekend. They said they generally house people from the same schools together because they tend to keep the same hours. My son spent the night with two drama majors and a comp sci guy. He didn't get to talk much to the comp sci guy because he was doing problem sets until 3am.</p>
<p>I got the impression that you can minor in just about anything except architecture. They had someone a few years ago who minored in bagpipes.</p>
<p>But New House has smaller rooms than most dorms. None of the options are terrible; a good part of it is just a difference of opinion. Most guys want to stay away from Hammerschlag just because it's all male.</p>
<p>Just as a note my S ended up in Hamerschlag partway through the year because of a bad situation in Morewood D (he was originally assigned to New House then reassigned one week before school started but that's another story you can find in old posts).</p>
<p>Anyway, he really likes the camaraderie at Schlag - the people are very nice, the rooms are decent, and he says there are girls around all the time - in the lounges, in the halls, etc. So don't be scared of Hamerschlag or worry about ending up there. I'm not saying it's necessarily the best place to be, just that guys who end up there are not sorry in the end.</p>
<p>BoredTennager- if your school doesn't allow you to do chem/bio and physics, then you can still apply- just make sure that somewhere on your transcript it's clear why you didn't take physics. One of my friends here (in CS) never took bio. However, if you're interested in CIT, never taking any form of physics may hurt you in admissions. You might want to look into taking physics online or something just because it's hard to know if you want to go into engineering without ever taking physics.</p>
<p>Current SCS students, I have a funny question. S is accepted to SCS and ECE, but he is considering going to Clemson because they gave him a full ride and also because he is afraid he will "have no life" in SCS at CMU. S is a dynamic, creative type who loves to write and make films but also has an extreme passion for computing. Would you say SCS encourages creativity and use of imagination? Would one of you be willing to further describe SCS/speak to him? He is running out of time to make a decision. Thanks.</p>
<p>So as a caveat, the CS program is intense here, but it is designed for people who do have an extreme passion for computing. Does SCS encourage creativity, well maybe for some of the 400 level applications courses which are more open-ended. But what SCS does encourage is a more well-rounded student as a minor in a different area is required, so he could minor in creative writing. </p>
<p>I have a friend who is also a sophomore CS major and he's current taking screen writing and creative writing classes. </p>
<p>So the question is, which area is he more passionate about? Is it that he likes to write and make films but also likes CS, or is it that he likes CS but also likes to write and make films?</p>
<p>Ignore the CMU computer store if you have any desire to buy a Dell- you can do better by googling for coupons. If want to get a Mac, wait a few months, because they're going to update the specs sometime soon; it's been too long with no change of any kind. If you want an IBM/Lenovo, check both CMU's store's prices and online. Get whatever floats your boat- CMU has on campus repairs for Dell, Apple, IBM, and HP (I think), but if that doesn't matter to you, get whatever you want. We support all OSes equally here. :) There's a strong likelihood that if you get a non-Mac, you'll eventually end up installing some form of Linux in order to make your life a bit easier.</p>
<p>Are other engineering majors at CMU great?? Let's say..Mechanical engineering... how come the ranking is not that high (not in top 10)...and also... is CMU well known for being a "top" engineering school in other discplines other than CS or EE?</p>
<p>Some people are silly and will pick a dorm that is slightly closer to the building with their intended major, but for most people their classes are all over the place (I've had English in the CFA building and match classes in a building that's supposed to be H&SS). All the dorms are within a 5-10 minute walk from each other, so I think it's rather silly to pick a dorm based on proximity to buildings you go to, especially if you're going to be on campus-ish no matter what.</p>