Hello,
I got a 5 on the AP Computer Science A exam which is a Java-based course. My academic advisor at University at Buffalo (not to be confused with Buffalo State), recommended going straight into CSE 116 and skipping CSE 115.
Is anyone else considering this or has experience with this subject?
Also, I am not sure if I want to be an engineer or a computer science major, so I am taking both the Intro to Engineering and a Computer Science class.
Thanks
(originally posted in NY Colleges Section)
115 and 116 are for CS majors and, although taught in Java, are really about programming fundamentals and object oriented concepts. Whether you go CS (lots of programming options) or Engineering (certainly Matlab, and quite possibly Python, C++, or others), these courses are intended to give you a programming foundation to build upon later.
Your advisor likely has pretty good insight, and if you got a 5 you clearly succeeded in your AP class. Note that most full year AP classes roughly correspond to a single semester in college.
I suggest you look at the specifics of 115:
https://catalog.buffalo.edu/courses/?abbr=CSE&num=115
https://cse.buffalo.edu/faculty/alphonce/FA18/CSE115/
https://cse.buffalo.edu/~mhertz/courses/cse115/
https://fury.cse.buffalo.edu/courses/cse115-f17/syllabus
If you see any gaps in your knowledge, or if you really didn’t “get” OO, you may want to fill in those gaps over the summer or reconsider and just take 115. Otherwise you’re likely good to go into 116.
Good luck.