<p>what was that class that i should take if i haven't got any programming experience??!?! someone tell me!!!!! help please thanks ! was it cs3a? or something like that?</p>
<p>CS 3 is the class you should take if you don't have any programming experience</p>
<p>I personally did not find CS 3 to be very helpful. When you take 61A, you'll find that the CS 3 material will be exhausted in more or less four weeks, and you won't go as in depth. Meaning that in CS 3, you'll be forced to memorize a lot of trivial details about how the Scheme programming language (which you'll be using in 3 and 61A) outputs expressions, and write a lot of complicated recursive and higher-order functions. Whereas in 61A, you're tested for a fairly basic level of understanding. At least this was the case for me, and the same two professors will be teaching again in the fall. For me, the median on 3 exams was often around 50%, while the median on 61A exams was around 80%. As for grades, you'll need a 77.5% for an A-range grade in 3 and 86.6% for the same in 61A. If I had another chance, I'd begin with 61A. So choose wisely -- Scheme is NOT difficult because of its syntax; you'll pick it up in your first two labs. But because Scheme is very different from the popular languages like Java, C, etc., you won't have a significant disadvantage taking either 3 or 61A with no prior coding experience -- everyone else will have to learn Scheme along with you.</p>
<p>It doesn't matter if you have programming experience. Programming is easy, so easy that young kids can do it. The language and schematics do not matter. </p>
<p>Programming is a thought process, you are tasked with a problem and you need to decompose it into small parts to which you address with algorithms and code. After that, you proceed to debug your code until it works as expected under all test cases.</p>
<p>You are given an intro into the language in CS61A and you learn it throughout the semester.</p>
<p>Scheme is actually easier to pick up if you don't have any Traditional (c,c++,java etc.) programming background. Programmers with mainstream language skills often have difficulties pulling themselves out of their OOP mind-set. I agree with #3 - that you will have a grasp on scheme syntax after two weeks. I took CS3 - it was fun and easy but if I were to start over, I would start with 61A.</p>
<p>but don't students take an assessment test before they take 61a?</p>
<p>There is no test. The site has never been update. If your'e still unsure about taking CS61a, go to webcast.berkeley.edu and watch some lectures.</p>
<p>
[quote]
but don't students take an assessment test before they take 61a?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Not anymore. During the Dot Com bubble days, 700+ students used to show up for 61a. That's why they had to filter out some students through the entrance quiz. Computer Science isn't as popular as it used to be.</p>
<p>how's the CS minor look?</p>
<p>Don't take CS3! Unless you think you will really need help (i.e. you have never programmed, are terrible at math, and have no logic reasoning), it will only put you a semester behind others. Getting accustomed to programming will happen quickly in 61A. You certainly do not need an extra semester just for that.</p>
<p>yeah i figured, since 61a 61b first year and then 61c soph year
i'm pretty sure 61abc are prereqs to some courses in the soph year, if i take an extra semester it will push everything a semester</p>
<p>You can take an upper-div. CS course in the spring of your second year, and get a MUCH better shot at securing an internship</p>
<p>CS61B and CS61C (either or both) provide the pre-reqs to ALL (except maybe the 170s series) of the upperdivision CS classes.</p>