<p>I am set to transfer to UCSD this fall as a computer science major. However, I have yet to have completed a single programming class. I was enrolled in a Java Class last semester, but I was forced to drop because I was not doing so well. For the record, I did not take the prerequisite class, programming logic, to get in the java course. Is that a bad sign? I am scared of transferring, and then finding out I can't program, which would essentially force me to change my major. So that brings me to my next question? How soon do you know that you are bad at programming? Should I have been able to complete that class? Should I just wait another year at CC and take more programming courses or/and switch to engineering. That would only take some physics courses and one more math class.</p>
<p>How long have you been at the current school? If it is 2 years and you have not complete any CS classes, then you will have at lest three more years to complete the degree as most CS students will be taking major courses by their second year. If you have not taken any CS courses and have no familiarity with the field, what are your reasons for choosing CS? If is it because you think there will be a lot of job prospects, then that is probably not the greatest reason to choose a major.</p>
<p>I think you need to sit down and really think about what you want out of a college degree and what you plan to do afterward. I encourage you to choose a major that you enjoy studying. After all the majority of your courses over the next 2-3 years will be in that field.</p>
<p>Very touchy question…</p>
<p>As for “introductory” programming courses?..you want to take at either the first C++ or Java course sequence because it may transfer to the 4-year degree as well as be a prerequisite for other CS courses. You also want to take a Discrete Mathematics/Discrete Structures course during your first two years for the same reasons.</p>
<p>BUT…try not to take any more CS courses to transfer because in MOST cases, the 4-year school will not accept any more CS courses past Introductory C++/Java and Discrete Math Structures. Once you get the “CS Core” of Data Structures, Algorithm Analysis, Theory of Programming Languages and Operating Systems Theory, the 4-year school would prefer those courses taken there at its school.</p>
<p>EDIT: You may want to take the Computer Organization course at the 4-year school also…due to the fact that not all community colleges include Assembly Language in their CompOrg course.</p>
<p>Assuming you are at a California community college, it is best to at least take the CS courses for which your CC has a course that articulates to a UCSD CS course needed for the major (see <a href=“http://www.assist.org%5B/url%5D”>http://www.assist.org</a> ).</p>
<p>Otherwise, your schedule after transfer will be crowded with “catch up” CS courses, which can make it difficult to graduate in six quarters, and you may have to take more high workload CS courses with programming per quarter than you want to.</p>
<p>I picked CS because I found it interesting and yes, this is my second year at CC. If I transfer this fall, I will only be down three classes: Java, Data Structures and discrete math. I could actually finish the degree in 2 years because of the way general education classes are structured at UCSD.</p>
<p>I could take a java class at another CC, but it is an hour away on the bus. I don’t think that would be a good option. My main concern is that I will not be able to program when I get to UCSD.</p>
<p>Transfer decisions aren’t out yet so how do you know you are going? Transfer to CSE is impacted. Have you seen the recommendations for transfer? I’m afraid without these you won’t be accepted in that dept.
[Transfer</a> Student Curriculum Preparation | Computer Science and Engineering](<a href=“http://cse.ucsd.edu/node/1930]Transfer”>Department Activities | Computer Science)</p>
<p>Why do you think you weren’t doing well and why did you decide to drop it rather than press on?</p>
<p>Actually, CS is not impacted for transfer students, and I fulfilled the TAG requirements, so I have guaranteed admission to UCSD.</p>
<p>I dropped the java class because I was not doing well on the tests. I took two tests and I received D’s on both of them.</p>
<p>You can always look at UCSD’s course web pages and try the examples and exercises:</p>
<p>[CSE</a> 8A: Winter 2013 - Home](<a href=“http://cse8awinter13.■■■■■■■■■■/]CSE”>http://cse8awinter13.■■■■■■■■■■/)
<a href=“https://sites.google.com/a/eng.ucsd.edu/cse-8a-fall-2013/[/url]”>https://sites.google.com/a/eng.ucsd.edu/cse-8a-fall-2013/</a></p>
<p><a href=“https://sites.google.com/a/eng.ucsd.edu/cse-8b-spring-2013/[/url]”>https://sites.google.com/a/eng.ucsd.edu/cse-8b-spring-2013/</a>
[CSE</a> 8B Home Page](<a href=“http://cseweb.ucsd.edu/~ricko/CSE8B/]CSE”>CSE 8B Home Page)</p>
<p>[CSE</a> 11 Home Page](<a href=“http://cseweb.ucsd.edu/~ricko/CSE11/]CSE”>CSE 11 Home Page)</p>
<p>I was going by the info on the website:
“Unfortunately, due to the popularity of the computer science and engineering field, we find that we must begin to limit admissions for freshmen and transfers alike.”
[Transfer</a> Admission | Computer Science and Engineering](<a href=“http://cse.ucsd.edu/node/1926]Transfer”>Student Organizations | Computer Science)</p>
<p>I was going by the info on the website:
“Unfortunately, due to the popularity of the computer science and engineering field, we find that we must begin to limit admissions for freshmen and transfers alike.”
Transfer Admission | Computer Science and Engineering</p>
<p>Well, CS is not impacted until Fall 2015, it even says so right here. You didn’t read closely.</p>
<p>NFORMATION FOR TRANSFER AND CONTINUING STUDENTS ADMITTED PRIOR TO FALL 2015
Although the CSE majors are not considered impacted for you until the start of Fall 2015, we recommend you first take some time to assess whether a CSE major is the best one for you. </p>
<p>[CSE</a> Impacted Major Status | Computer Science and Engineering](<a href=“http://cse.ucsd.edu/ImpactedMajor]CSE”>http://cse.ucsd.edu/ImpactedMajor)</p>
<p>Take the Harvard CS50x class as if you were taking it as a real class. Don’t google answers to the psets and if you do fine then I wouldn’t worry too much. Just learn a language or two over the summer because you will be behind other fellow students when you transfer in that respect.</p>
<p>Just an idea to throw out there because yours truly did it…</p>
<p>Is the Math program impacted?</p>
<p>True, you would have to take more Math courses but one could take the minimum required Math courses for a B.A. or B.S. and there use your electives in CS. You can basically “manufacture” a CS degree out of a Math degree.</p>
<p>I did it because my school had some 3.4 GPA requirement to be admitted…which I did not get. I just switched to Computational Mathematics (College of Science and not College of Engineering) and kept it moving. Yeah, the CS department would initially lock me out of the course but a quick 5-minute meeting with the CS-chair each semester (and proof of prerequisites) got me into the needed CS courses.</p>
<p>In the software world…Math/CS = CS.</p>
<p>Data structures and discrete math are seen as foundational courses, so it would be analogous to transferring into physics without having done the physics series. Thus, I’m of the opinion that without at least those classes, you don’t really know what you’re getting into. You still have the option of accepting their offer of admission and changing your major once you’re there, but that depends more on your finances.</p>
<p>You aren’t “good or bad” at programming, and I don’t mean that in a cheesy “everyone is a winner” way. You can either endure programming or not. After several nights debugging disaster code you should know if you can endure it or not, and if you can endure it you can make enough money to become very good at it with time and make very cool things with it.</p>
<p>Simple solution (edit, I see someone else mentioned similar):
Go to one of the many “learn programming” websites online, see if you can make it through an entire series of lessons on Python or Java or whatever and reliably write a couple simple applications like temperature converters, make a few websites out of HTML/CSS/JS to see how languages work with (or against) each other and the headaches it can cause, imagine yourself doing that for the next couple decades. Try to pick up the basic vocabulary so you know a function apart from a variable. You basically just took CS 101.</p>
<p>There’s no reason to jump into a CS degree without trying programming when you’re on a computer with an internet connection.</p>
<p>By the way, your TAG agreement goes down the tube if you don’t take the classes you agreed to take. Maybe I’m wrong but it seems like basic comp. sci. would be a TAG requirement… I would assume that upon discovering you dropped the class the agreement is void. Doesn’t mean you won’t be accepted, but TAG is very black/white.</p>
<p>Stars mentioned the Harvard class, Stanford also has a pretty decent into to programming/intro to CS series online somewhere, taught in Java(blech). Sorry I don’t have the link handy but the professor was good and had a middle eastern surname, glasses.</p>
<p>You must be referring to [CS106A:</a> Programming Methodology](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/class/cs106a/]CS106A:”>CS106A) .</p>