<p>For the first year, I don’t think it matters too much. I commute (all the other DAs live on campus, I think) and it doesn’t impact my grades (or social life) as much as most people make it out to be. Then again, I’m not the type of person to stay up at 1am partying, so it may depend on you. Once you start hitting higher 300, 400 level courses, living closer to campus would definitely be a plus since you might be doing group work in the labs, etc. I’m currently planning on commuting one more year, then perhaps getting an apartment near campus for junior/senior years.</p>
<p>Haha questions are all good, don’t worry about it! </p>
<p>The 5 year BS/MS program is difficult to get into - I think they take 10(?) UW CSE students to that program every year! It’s something that you should definitely consider, based on what you want to do in the future, or to leave options open if you want an MS, etc. I’m definitely considering applying, but it’ll depend on what happens in the next few years. One of the TAs I’ve talked to before is currently in the BS/MS program and says it’s a great opportunity to dive even deeper into to the field.</p>
<p>Hey Rahvinthecold, congrats on being accepted as a DA!</p>
<p>I spend my ‘study time’ in the CS labs or somewhere in the CSE building (as opposed to the library). I find that if I have questions, I can tap the person next to me, and s/he can usually spare a minute to explain something. Either that… or just stand up and ask everyone how to ______. It’s not very uncommon. The labs are quiet in the mornings (8am?) but get lively during the day, especially around noon. Then things kind of quiet down again. There are laptop charging stations too, if you want to bring your own laptop to the labs.</p>
<p>Also … <em>free printing in the CSE labs</em>. Heh. No need for 12cent/page, 23cent/double sided page printing in Odegaard! Woot! Don’t go overboard though. You’ll probably learn how to unjam a printer, refill with paper, figure out if the toners out by the end of first year if you print enough =)</p>
<p>In the past quarters, I usually spent 3-4 hours in the labs, depending on my schedule, etc. This quarter, I usually am spending about two hours a day in the labs, but it really depends on where I am/what I’m doing, etc.</p>
<p>The North campus dorms (McCarty - engineering floors there!, Haggett, McMahon) are the closest ones. They’re just up Stevens Way from the CSE building. You can walk (or… take the bus for one stop… lol =P) between them fairly quickly.</p>
<p>As a DA, I’d suggest McCarty to be somewhere up on the top of your list since most of the DAs will probably end up in the engineering community there.</p>
<p>Edit: I would answer your question, jumpshooter, but I was in the labs while the meeting in the atrium presumably happened. There were some people that came through as part of a tour, though.</p>
<p>@jumpshooter: I wasn’t there today either sorry! I know there were some tours and students answered questions, but that’s a pretty general answer.</p>
<p>@sumzup: that sounds like a somewhat stalkerish question. And if I’m not taking that class, there are … 3 other 300-level courses I could be taking this quarter - 311, 341, 351 (not including 390). Hmmmmmm. =)</p>
<p>Hey jumpshooter, I was at the visit. It was a pretty standard deal - the first half hour or so they bragged about the program (I was already convinced), then the next half hour was for questions. </p>
<p>After that, they conducted tours led by current DA freshmen. They showed us around the beautiful Paul G. Allen building for computer science/eng, especially the different labs that are available, while answering any specific questions we had about life as a DA. Two things stand out: 1. If you have previous experience with AP computer science or programming, you will be off to a good start, and 2. If you have a lot of AP or IB credit, that will help ease your courseload in the first couple of quarters. It’s easy to get overwhelmed if you take too many math and computer classes right away, so take it easy then ease up the intensity!</p>
<p>We sat in on two presentations. One was on automated systems, where two grad students presented on their “research” which consisted of hacking a car wirelessly. It was impressive and, frankly, a bit spooky to see what you can do. Definitely made me more interested in the program.</p>
<p>Finally, there was a presentation on Game sciences. Refraction, which you can play online at kongregate.com, was a game made by UW students to teach kids fractions. Then there was PhotoCity, a challenge to take pictures that enable a program to construct 3D models of real buildings. </p>
<p>The program ended with them bribing us with free food in the atrium. Several professors were there, openly engaging the students. </p>
<p>If you have any questions about stuff, I can answer them!</p>
<p>Don’t worry about it! =) If you choose an engineering orientation, you’ll break into groups based on major. If you do a different orientation (I just took the earliest one I could, haha) then there’s always the ACM Orientation/Welcome night which is kind of like the same thing, but for all CSE majors. It’s in the fall, and it’s a fantastic event =)</p>
<p>For these CSE classes, do you code on your own personal computers or mainly on the computers in the lab? Is it critical to have a PC laptop, or will I be just fine with a Mac?</p>
<p>You’ll be fine with a Mac. Although a minority, there are CSE majors who use OSX. Some of the professors use Macs as well.</p>
<p>I primarily code on my laptop (Windows + Linux) while spending time in the labs if I want a larger screen/dual screen (hooking laptop up to another monitor).</p>
<p>Some people don’t really go to the labs at all. However, once you get to 300/400 level courses, your TAs will be holding office hours in the labs.</p>
<p>However, the labs are a great environment, and it’s a nice way to meet other people.</p>
<p>Mac users are a pretty large minority, to be honest. I see Macs almost everywhere I go (I use a Mac, myself). The nice thing about OS X is that you can do most of the same Linux-y stuff without dual-booting or opening up a virtual machine.</p>
<p>Also, I prefer 002. It’s a great, noisy environment (during peak hours, at least) that somehow helps me concentrate.</p>
<p>@niksabs - I’m not sure… I haven’t heard of one, but someone else may have.</p>
<p>@physex - It depends. It’s a very competitive major to get into. There are 160 spots for graduation (they’d wish for more, but even with our funding to CSE, this is how many spots we can support) and in my Class of 2014, apparently around 1,000 students wrote “CS” or “CE” as intended major. Obviously, after the intro courses, some drop out, and some will suddenly love CSE so the number will change.</p>
<p>When you apply early on, there are more spots open. If you get rejected, then you just keep applying. If you apply when you’re in junior year (switching majors, etc) then probably most of the 160 spots per graduating class has been taken up.</p>
<p>Honestly, when you apply, they look at your grades and it plays a major role (admitting a 3.8 versus 2.5 student) but the major part is the personal statement. It’s an ‘admissions process’ all over again. I know of people who have 4.0 who got rejected because they didn’t really put any effort into the essay and thought they were easy shoe ins.</p>
<p>My TA from CSE 142 had a 3.6 and 3.7 (ish?) on his 142/143 courses.</p>
sorry! I know there were some tours and students answered questions, but that’s a pretty general answer.</p>