<p>I was looking at some of the older posts on CC, and it seems as if this is a pretty difficult class. How hard has the class been recently? Thus far I have no programming experience and the only experience that I will have will be BME 303. Is it still possible to get an A by studying my way through?</p>
<p>hey guys, any information will be helpful</p>
<p>Is it possible to get an A without prior programming experience? Of course. Will it be hard? Most likely. There’s not much else to say, really.</p>
<p>Programming requires a certain mindset-- a very specific type of logic. From what I’ve seen, this aptitude seems to be something that’s innate, not learned (unfortunately). I know plenty of smart people that absolutely struggle with programming and I also know average students that take it in stride like any other class. It’s really a sink/float kind of situation. To emphasize my point, when I was talking to one of the professors about the class, he complained that it was already too easy and that the students were complaining too much. If you’re one of those that’s lucky enough to “see” the answers, you might agree with that professor (and if you look at past surveys, you’ll see that a handful of students do). But if you’re not, you’ll be like the many others who cite this class for their changing majors (and there are a lot of them). This isn’t to say that studying is useless -it’s critically important- but more that students often can’t force the class to “click”. In that case, you’re left with pure memorization, essentially reciting quotes instead of learning how to speak the language.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the textbook is pure crap for that class so reading it won’t help much. Honestly, your best bet might be to secure a reliable partner for labs. But whatever you do, don’t let yourself get stuck with a slacker.</p>
<p>Thanks for the information. I really wish there was some way for me to gauge myself when it comes to programming, but I never had any experience. Great insight to the class, thanks.</p>