<p>I attend a "top 10" university (courtesy of US news..), one of the ivy leagues, and I think I might've screwed up. Midway through my sophomore year, my GPA is at 3.4, and I've wavered between majors and determining exactly what I really want to study. Lately, I came across Computer Science, unfortunately got a B in the intro prerequisite course (due to lazy study habits), but I really am considering the CS major.</p>
<p>I have a few concerns, and am hoping that someone would be kind enough to address them:</p>
<p>I realize that my habits need to change, but at this point, how likely is it that I still can make up for myself and have a decent shot at a top CS program? My school's CS program is rather tough; especially for those who've gone down the CS path, how much does a poor grade in an intro course forebode of your abilities/intelligence in CS? At times, I feel that I'm light-years behind in CS because many peers have already programmed for years...and well, how can you compete with that?</p>
<p>If you’ve only taken one class in CS so far, I wouldn’t get too dead-set on pursuing that for graduate school. You might take the next class in the sequence and see if you still like it. If you struggled unduly in the introductory course, I think you’ll find that it only gets worse as you progress. </p>
<p>And remember, CS is far more than just computer programming - computer science could be a lot better characterized as “the study of computation”. Especially if you’re at a top university. But I’m saying this having no idea what your introductory course was like; in mine, we did simple projects in Java. </p>
<p>Do you have any specific area within CS that you’d like to look further into?</p>
<p>Ask yourself why you are considering the CS major. If it is because of the industry potential and the fact that quality CS graduates are hard to come by, and also because you have an ingrained passion for the subject, then go for it. You will do well, because you want to.</p>
<p>However, if you are considering CS only because some of your peers are taking it and you don’t want to be left out, resist the temptation. CS is not something you take up lightly. I am a CS student now in the second year of college, and I know how tough I used to find it in the beginning (10th grade). But, all it takes to succeed in CS is a bit of guidance and love for the subject. If you have both, then you can do well and get into a good university.</p>
<p>My situation is quite the reverse of yours. In my CS intro courses, I have finished in the top 10 or so of Mumbai University, while in the other subjects, my marks have been average.</p>
<p>However, as far as my knowledge goes, and introductory course doesn’t affect you that much later on. Don’t dwell on it.</p>