<p>I've got a dilemna. As intended Cognitive Science major, CS 61A or E7 is required. They just started accepting E7 in place of CS 61A because so many people couldn't pass 61A and declare the major.</p>
<p>I need to take E7 or CS 61A this summer to declare. Which one should I take? My programming skills have been limited to my calculator. -_- And I've never taken Math 1B (which is apparently a pre-requisite for E7). How much calculus do I really need for E7?</p>
<p>On the one hand, I think I would have an easier time picking up programming than trying to learn calculus and computer programming. On the other hand, everyone I've talked to, the Cognitive Science counselor and other engineering and computer science majors, have told me I should take E7 and that I would have a much easier time with it despite not having taken 1B.</p>
<p>Any advice would be appreciated!</p>
<p>I haven’t taken CS 61A personally, but I can’t imagine that it will be any easier than E7.
I’m in E7 right now. It’s more annoying/frustrating than it is difficult. Any math that you need to know, your professor should go over during lecture. Otherwise, the GSI’s should be willing to help you pick up the concepts. The GSI’s this semester seem especially helpful. One of them gave us a full-length lecture/cram session on linear algebra before our last midterm. </p>
<p>In short, the amount of math you need to learn in order to complete your programming assignments in E7 is easily picked up. We don’t go into much depth.</p>
<p>Don’t take 61A unless you are EECS or are declaring a CS major! It’s a ridiculously hard class, and even many EECS/CS majors find it too advanced of a class to begin with. Instead, they take CS3C as preparation.</p>
<p>Sure, MatLab is annoying and the software costs money, but it’s much more managable. 61A is extremely theoretical, goes in great depth about some programming concepts, and is more about understanding what programming is instead of just teaching you how to program.</p>
<p>So, take E7. I had a non-CS friend who thought he could handle 61A in lieu of E7 because he was significantly more technically inclined than most. He took 61A, learned a lot of stuff, but ended up getting a C- despite the large amount of effort he put in.</p>
<p>Are you sure they accept E7? I know a lot of Cog. Sci. majors that have taken 61A, and I’m doubling in cog sci (with comp sci, already took 61a) but it’s always been my understading that you had to do 61a.</p>
<p>if you’re doing cog sci, don’t you need CS61A for your future prereqs?</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice! Looks like E7 for me this summer.</p>
<p>@AdequateRemedy
Yup, they have just started accepting E7. I didn’t know about it before either until I talked to the Cognitive Science advisor.
<a href=“http://ls.berkeley.edu/ugis/cogsci/courses/f10.php[/url]”>http://ls.berkeley.edu/ugis/cogsci/courses/f10.php</a></p>
<p>@soulkamikaze
If you’re going to major in CogSci and concentrate in Computational Modeling, then taking CS 61A is a must since you’ll have to take more computer science courses. CogSci majors have to take either CS 188 or CogSci 131/Psych 123. CS 188 requires CS 61A, CS61B, and CS 70. The other computational modeling class, CogSci 131/Psych123, has lighter pre-requisites, and I plan on taking that since I’m not going to concentrate in Computational Modeling.</p>