<p>Or in other word learning to code. If you doesn't know how to code at all, could you still enroll at MIT? </p>
<p>I am very interested in applying to MIT in 2014 as a Freshman and if accepted, enroll in computer science courses but I have no knowledge/understanding of coding/programming. In fact, I think this question is a bit more general than specifically about MIT. Could you start learning to code at college with no previous experience? Or do you have to know at least the basic about coding to be able to enroll in a course there?</p>
<p>Does your high school offer a programming class?
If you’ve never coded, how do you know you want to major in CS? Don’t you think MIT admissions will be asking themselves this as well?
I think it would definitely be to your advantage if you picked up a book on Java or C++ and worked through it along with your regular schoolwork, so that the concepts aren’t completely new to you wherever you end up going to college. It also shows that you’re passionate about learning outside the classroom, and if you become proficient enough, you could write a software program, release it publicly, and add it to your resume.
Learning Java will have the added benefit of allowing you to eventually write Android apps, if you’re so inclined.</p>
<p>Not everyone comes to MIT knowing how to program. If you’re admitted, you’ll have many opportunities to learn once you arrive. Or, as the poster above points out, you could start now. MIT students often start with Python, and I think the school offers a free online course in the language.</p>
<p>I’d google “How to Think Like a Computer Scientist”. There’s a free version of it from the publisher online that teaches you (in Java - but I wouldn’t worry about the language itself, since it’s pretty trivial to learn new languages).</p>
<p>For the record, I came into MIT not knowing how to program, started out in 20/7, and then switched to course 6 because I started hanging out with SIPB (MIT’s computer club) too much 
It’s a bit annoying, because the curves are all set by people who have been programming since the age of 11, but it’s doable.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t suggest C++ as your first language. Python or Java would be best.</p>
<p>You should look into 6.00 on OCW or 6.00x on edX. That is MIT’s Introduction to Computer Science an Programming (in Python).</p>
<p>Once you learn the basics of good programming in Python, you’ll can try to move on to C++, Objective C, etc., but those would be difficult if you started with them with no background–they’re beasts.</p>
<p>Another good option for learning Python is through udacity.com. They have an introductory computer programming class for coding called CS101. I also like liberty basic, but that language isn’t used very much as far as I know. However, it is pretty easy to pick up and is similar to python.</p>
<p>[Learn</a> to code | Codecademy](<a href=“http://www.codecademy.com%5DLearn”>http://www.codecademy.com)</p>