<p>This is my first post - I wish I had found this resource a year ago - the info here is tremendous.</p>
<p>My son got accepted to the SCS at CMU. Do you have tips on anything he should he doing/preparing this summer? Any suggestions for course scheduling in fall? Is it a good or bad idea to try to skip any introductory courses using AP exam scores? Is there any forward planning that he needs to start to do for his freshman year? I dont think he still has his dorm request form yet - any thoughts on what to seek and what to avoid?</p>
<p>Background - he's strong in math and programming - enjoyed doing a lot of contests in HS - AMC, ARML, Topcoder.com. Has also dabbled in comp sci in research oriented science projects. Scores: Five 5s in AP: Phy, Calc A/B, B/C, and the two Comp Sci Java APs - hasn't taken any non math/sci AP exams. Last year he had a 35 in the ACT and just over 2000 in the SAT, but he did have an 800 math score in the old SAT while in 7th & 8th grades for the Johns Hopkins talent search program. He's done reasonably well in social studies, arts, languages, biology,.. in HS but not with the same passion.</p>
<p>Buy airplane tickets. Have a nice summer. Go shopping but not buying too much.</p>
<p>Be sure he knows to take a shower every day and not just days he thinks he needs it. Pair that with a knowledge of deodorant and how to talk about things other than computers and your son will have a clear advantage over many incoming CS freshmen at CMU.</p>
<p>Don't forget knowledge of how to do laundry!</p>
<p>Skip 15-100. Skip 15-111 only if he thinks he has a really solid understanding of data structures and doesn't mind the freshman bonding that can come out of it. Skip calc/sciences if he feels he knows it and/or won't be taking any classes that depend on knowing it. Take AP credit for a science lab, if possible - the options for the lab requirement are all boring/painful. Don't skip everything and end up with a crazy freshman schedule. Don't skip nothing and be bored.</p>
<p>Forward planning - if he thinks he'd be interested in taking graphics, getting 3D calc out of the way is a good idea. If he thinks he wants to study abroad, focusing on the CS core getting done and leaving electives, both humanities and otherwise, for later is useful. Other than that... the curriculum is flexible, and they'll keep him from doing anything too crazy. Maybe he should contemplate something that could be a minor, and take a class in that area first semester? Most people don't figure out their minors till junior year, though, so no need to worry.</p>
<p>Hi KrazyKow,</p>
<p>I'll be an SCS freshman this fall, and I have some questions, if you'd care to answer them:
1. Do you have any experience with the minor in robotics and/or scientific computation? I'm pretty interested in both and was wondering about their rigor and how, for example, the robotics minor compares to the graduate-level stuff done at cmu.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I've written a smoke simulator based on Jos Stam's Stable Fluids paper (<a href="http://www.dgp.toronto.edu/people/stam/reality/Research/pdf/ns.pdf%5B/url%5D">www.dgp.toronto.edu/people/stam/reality/Research/pdf/ns.pdf</a>). Because of this, I'm reasonably confident that I'm ready to jump into some sort of interesting research. While I've heard that it's obscenely easy to get into a research group as a CS undergrad, how often does an undergrad get assigned grunt work or crap like that?</p></li>
<li><p>Is there a placement test for 15-123? People have told me that it's a pretty boring class, and was wondering if there's some sort of placement test for it. On the subject of placement tests, is there some way to skip 15-111 with <5 on the cs ab test?</p></li>
<li><p>I've looked at physics 1 and 2 for science majors, but none of those have a lab component, which is required for the CS major. Is there some accompanying lab component for those lecture classes, because I'm very interested in the subject and would like to have those count towards my reqs somehow.</p></li>
<li><p>Last one: Which are the least painful humanities courses? Is the pain level in these teacher-dependent?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks,
VL</p>
<p>My son found that the placement tests you're given were accurate. He took Comp Sci AB early on in high school. Self taught after that. His lack of discrete math meant that he took a computer class in the fall which was at least partially review work. I forget exactly what he took, but I know he's in 213 and 251 this spring. He skipped everything that could reasonably be skipped and is working very hard, but also did fine. (Dean's List) He's been taking physics (quantum and relativistic) on the assumption that will probably be his minor.</p>
<p>I agree - showers, laundry and other life skills are more important than academics.</p>
<p>
[quote]
- I've looked at physics 1 and 2 for science majors, but none of those have a lab component, which is required for the CS major. Is there some accompanying lab component for those lecture classes, because I'm very interested in the subject and would like to have those count towards my reqs somehow.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The lab is offered as a separate class (12 units if I remember correctly). It was the easiest A I got at CMU (though I do remember some non-science oriented CS kids struggling with it).</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I'm specifically not a robotics person, so I'm not really qualified to tell you anything, but people I know who like robotics seem happy with the robotics minor.</p></li>
<li><p>Sometimes you get assigned grunt work, sometimes not - it depends on what you know and how useful you can be, as well as who you're working with. I'm sure it's also highly dependent on what area your research is in - theory people probably don't need so many simulators written. You shouldn't expect to be able to find a paid job where you can do whatever you want; even grad students have trouble with that. Whatever it is that you're doing, you will probably learn things that will be useful later on - if you choose to write your honors thesis, you'll be encouraged to do your own thing.</p></li>
<li><p>No way to skip 15-123, unless you're super-amazing. You may be able to skip 15-111 by talking with your advisor, but I know some people who have regretted their choice to skip - you miss out on some of the freshman bonding (most students take 15-111) and your chance to figure out how some of CMU works by skipping it. You probably wouldn't be able to take 15-211, anyways, unless you have a discrete math background.</p></li>
<li><p>The lab component is a separate class that meets something like 6 hours a week. No one has ever claimed it to be a hard class, but my impression has always been that it's very tedious.</p></li>
<li><p>Do you have any humanities interests? The answer to this question is highly dependent on what you like. I like my online Chinese classes, but rather disliked the 300-level Spanish culture class I took. Psychology classes I've taken range from really great to absolutely terrible (just one class, and the professor isn't tenured and never should be). I know people who love literature classes, and people who hate every humanities class they take...</p></li>
</ol>
<p>My preparation for CMU involved having a lot of fun with all my high school friends and never seeing half of them ever again after that summer. Also, you might want to spend a few hours reading about graduation requirements in the course catalog. Just get ready for a whole new experience in life and don't try to carry over things from high school into college because college is not backwards compatible with high school.</p>
<p>A lot of students get hit hard because of a lack of experience in discrete math.</p>
<p>I would skip 15-111 if you got a 5 on AP Comp Sci AB. The course is somewhat redundant. And I think the rule with skipping is that you can talk with the associate dean, and if you convince him, you can basically do anything.</p>
<p>Case in point: Freshman ECE major who had written his own compiler and had done some pretty crazy stuff took 15-410 Operating Systems, in his first semester. NOTE: very not normal case.</p>
<p>eh... I wouldn't skip 15-111. I learned a lot in that class. However, I never took the AP test. Also, 111 varies greatly by professor. Just take the hardest section. :p</p>