<p>I've been going around in circles lately trying to figure out if I should take 8A/8AL or 11. They say that CSE 11 is for those with previous programming experience, but just how much experience is enough? In my junior year I took computer science (not AP) where I learned java and in my senior year I learned some basic C++ on my own. I understand the basics of both, but I am in no way, shape, or form, knowledgeable about either.</p>
<p>Even so, taking 8A/8AL means that I'll have to take CSE 8B the next quarter, twice as long as CSE 11. So for those of you who have taken either course, which would you recommend I take? Thanks.</p>
<p>If you have a little bit of programming knowledge, which it sounds like you do, I would go ahead and take CSE 11. None of the concepts that were taught in the class were too difficult. I also took it over the summer, so it was an even faster paced version, but I still wasn't overwhelmed. I've found that the hardest thing to do in introductory classes is just to figure out how to think and approach problems like a programmer. If you have that down, new concepts and the basics of a new language are much easier to learn. If you've taken any computer science and learned some basic C++ on your own, I'm going to say that there's a good chance that you have at least started to learn how to approach problems. So I'd go ahead and take CSE 11.</p>
<p>With that said, I would also avoid any class that Susan Marx teaches. Worst professor I've ever had for programming. Most of what she said wasn't logical. The quizzes and programming assignments were worded in such a way that I never quite understood what she was actually asking of me. Of course, if I asked for a clarification, she'd basically just repeat word for word what she wrote. Not very helpful. She was condescending and rude if you asked her questions. Besides that, she was a crappy programmer. A lot of the code that she wrote was extremely inefficient. I showed my father, who has a phd in computer science, and he said that if any of his employees showed him something like her code, he'd fire them on the spot. </p>
<p>She also told us that we could've make up quizzes if we missed one. I missed one, and another kid missed one. She let that kid make it up, but not me. Same quiz, same day and everything. It was ridiculous.</p>