Is Computer Science for me?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>I'm a pre-med student with an intended Bio major, but I want to change my major (still pre-med however) since I do not like Biology nor do I want to waste my time memorizing when I could be utilizing critical thinking and become smarter with a different major. The reason I want to pursue Computer Science is because: A) I enjoy and like it and love coding, B) I've taken an intro and AP course to Java in High School and got A's in both courses and also a 5 on the AP, C) I enjoy and like mathematics and physics and am interested in proofs and etc. So based on the criteria above, I would appreciate input from anyone who is reasonably experienced with a computer science major to give some feedback regarding my question.</p>

<p>Thanks,
Allen.</p>

2

<p>If you like math proofs and CS courses, chances are good that you will like majoring in CS. The introductory CS courses and the discrete math course in college should give you a better flavor of what CS is like. You can also check this classic introductory textbook:
[Welcome</a> to the SICP Web Site](<a href=“http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/]Welcome”>http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/)</p>

<p>If you do not like biology and chemistry, doing pre-med may be hard for you; also medical school admission requires a very high GPA and MCAT score.</p>

3

<p>Sounds like you’d enjoy a CS major. It is possible to major in almost anything and still be pre-med: see [this</a> coursework reference](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/214382-coursework.html]this”>Coursework - Pre-Med Topics - College Confidential Forums).</p>

<p>If you don’t like biology, I doubt that you would like medical school. No need to decide on that now, but I wouldn’t major in bio.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the replies. I have already taken my pre-med reqs and got A’s in my Bios and Chems. I like medicine but I do not see the need to take upper-division Biology when I am not required to do so by graduate schools. I always loved computers and in my spare time I ran an emulator-based game server–even though I wasn’t that well versed in coding–and loved coding for it… At least with a comp sci degree I could study what I loved and also still apply to med school you know.</p>

5

<p>You sound like someone who would enjoy the math logic that makes up CS. Go for it.
If you’re fond of hardware as well (and are willing to make up some coursework), you could choose to switch to Electrical Engineering too.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for your reply. I like hardware too and have an interest in Electrical Engineering as well. How does it relate to the Computer Science major?</p>

7

<p>Electronics need to be programmed, and EEs learn a fair bit of programming. Granted, you focus more on the high-performance languages (C, C++, to a lesser extent Assembly) than on more consumer product-oriented languages (Python, Java), but you can pick up the languages you don’t know with relative ease compared to the first few, so you can definitely still work in software.
The downsides of EE compared to CS is that EE is significantly harder and employers that are particularly picky will probably favor a CS degree. It’s not a big deal right now, but the software market has its ups and downs, so keep that in mind.</p>

8

<p>^ By “EE is significantly harder than CS”, I think what you meant to say is that chocolate ice cream is significantly more delicious than strawberry ice cream. I don’t necessarily agree, but you’re entitled to your opinion.</p>

9

<p>To each his own, I suppose. I still stand by my statement though.</p>

10

<p>

As a matter of personal opinion, I agree that EE is harder than CS.</p>

<p>However, they are different fields, and someone good at EE might not be good at CS.</p>

<p>From an objective perspective, however, EE requires a higher level of math that CS does not require.</p>

11

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<p>EE is more likely to need “continuous” math like calculus, differential equations, etc… CS is more likely to need “discrete” math like algebra, number theory, and CS theory (CS theory courses are basically like math courses). Whether one is harder depends on the person.</p>

12

<p>To frame it in a different context, CS typically requires only 1-2 math classes (discrete and linear algebra), and those concepts will only be used ocassionally.</p>

<p>However, EE will require several more math classes (multivaraible calculus and beyond), and use of this math is pervasive in the majority of EE concepts.</p>

13

<p>Which “several” more math courses for EE than CS?</p>

<p>At Berkeley, EECS requires one more math course (multivariable calculus) than L&S CS, though L&S CS requires an algorithms course that is basically like a math course (but other EE and CS courses are like math courses).</p>

14

<p>I think EE is harder not necessarily because of the math, but because of the physics. Circuits, Signal/Systems, Electomagnetics are all unique to EE, and most of these core courses are not exactly easy.
From what I’ve seen (and correct me if I’m wrong), the more in-depth CS focuses more on concepts that are more theoretical (CS Math) and that encourage good practice/ elegance. These are certainly valuable, but I’m pretty sure that these are not harder than advanced physics.</p>