Hey guys,
So I’m going to be a junior this year and last year I took my first AP class by self-studying computer science. I used a good only class called AmplifyMOOC and also the latest Barron’s AP CS book… I have no idea what to do now… I’m in shock and confusion… My school just got a computer science class (as a pilot school for this program) this year after I self-studied, but 1. it’s too late to get in to the class and 2. I don’t wanna take a class of material that I’ve already been through. I’m among one of the few kids in the school that has good CS knowledge. But don’t get me wrong, my school is really tough and is ranked top 50 nationally… So what do I do? Do I take the next CS test my senior year? Self-study again for two years?
Thanks
Have you actually mastered the APCS material and gotten a good Java background? How much coding did you do?
@MITer94 Well I probably haven’t gotten a solid Java background. I attempted it a while back, but have been mainly just doing Python and some other scripting languages. I didn’t do much coding at all to practice. The problem was I couldn’t. The MOOC didn’t really give me any coding abilities. I just watched the videos and copied some stuff. I also copied down Barron’s FRQ answers in hope of understanding them.
@TheAutodidact but you can always install a Java SDK, right?
(note: I’ve never used MOOC or even took APCS, but I am fairly familiar with Python and Java)
“never used a MOOC” It means Multi-user Open Online Course
And yes I have the SDK.
Yeah, if it was earlier in the year, I would’ve suggested doing more coding in Java. There are a ton of Java tutorials and forums on the internet. Of course you know, Python is different from Java in many different ways.
Oh definitely. It’s a whole other beast.
It’s actually Massive Open Online Course
My son took the free Amplify MOOC after school this past year. The course included quizzes and coding assignments. I am wondering if the OP skipped the required/suggested assignments. My son got a five on the AP exam after taking the Amplify CS course.
@Argentina2017 Ah, crap that’s right. I don’t know what I was thinking. Actually I do… I was thinking of a MUD. Multi-user Dungeon Game.
@proudmomofanerd Well I did a little over half of everything in Amplify MOOC. Then my other school work got in the way and there was no possible way I could do it… So I then used Barron’s to fill in the gaps. Obviously it didn’t work… I’ve just pulled up the Amplify MOOC for this year. I’ll probably do it again, but I still don’t know if I"ll be retaking it this school year or next.