What advice would you give to a Computer Science major student that you wish you were given when you started learning Computer Science?
Never rely on your education only. Classes are can sometimes be too bland or too theoretical. A lot of CS programs don't even teach what you will do working in the industry.Take Math and problem solving seriously. You use the same skills in programming every day.Focus on the big picture generally - learn the big concepts of computer science, don't get caught up in language specific details.Polish your communication skills. Never excuse yourself to not be social and outgoing because you are a 'computer science nerd'.Work on a balanced healthy lifestyle in eating and exercising. Do not give the excuse again of 'I'm a computer science nerd'.Work on side projects/other interests. The best programmers don't only program. They learn about other topics they are interested in. Programming/Computer science is only a tool like writing or speaking; it must be applied to some area. Forget GPA. Keep above a 3.0 or 3.5 if you must. Work on programming Go to hackathons. Two points for this - socializing, networking, working on projects.Always try and apply for things you don't think you are qualified for. Do not skip out on the career fair, especially if you are a freshman. Be informed of programs like Google Engineering Practicum and Google Summer of Code.Talent is overrated as always. Think of the best programmer you know. A year of hard work can put you on their level.Start competitive programming as early as possible. Master one programming language for interviews.Concepts in computer science aren't mastered in one go. Repetition is important. Consider being a TA for a class. Patience is key to intuition.Have an online presence and blog.Work on hot area topics. Make some apps in data science, machine learning, computer vision, or map reduce just for experience.Work on a fast breadth-first search rather than a fast depth-first search. Do research. Then work for a big company. Then work for a startup. Then work on nonprofits/open source.
Need help choosing classes that look good for college?
so im a junior that has done dorrible in school. i didnt care that much freshman and sophomore year so my gpa is a 1.69, which isnt weighted cause i take AP and honers classes this year. but its terrible, i get straight Cs and the occasional D or even F, i dont know how my gpa is that low, but im choosing my classes for next year, and realized you need two years of a language and you need to pass both years, last year i got straight Ds in french, which isnt a 70 average which means that year was pointless. should i retake french 2 for my senior year? also im taking one Ap class and 1 honors class. also an art 1 class cause i heard its recommended for high school students to take 1 year of the arts, so should i take french 2 again. im just so nervous right now cause i didnt care about school two years ago, now im in a hole.
Should I still become a math teacher even though all of the math classes I have taken were regular, besides AP calculus AB (plan to take BC in my senior year)? I don't have straight A's for all of the math classes I took. Not yet sure what to teach.
If you want to be a high school math teacher after you graduate college, there will be numerous opportunities for you. No one will care about your grades. They only care about you having the appropriate undergraduate degree and credential or license.You don't need straight A's. You just need to pass state licensing exams. And that is only to work in public schools. Private schools don't even require that. If you have a degree in mathematics or a related subject, you should be able to pass the exam.There is no reason to believe that the best math students make the best math teachers. Teachers who had some struggles as students are often better able to understand and correct student mistakes.Teaching at the college level is a different matter altogether though. Your graduate degree and performance will be very important to securing a job as a professor.
I'm 16 (11th grade) & legally allowed to drop out; I plan to pursue a GED afterward. Is it wrong that I feel school isn't for me anymore?
It’s not wrong, but it’s a profoundly bad idea. No one honestly considers a GED equivalent to a high school diploma. Nor should they. It takes more work to graduate high school than it does to pass a GED exam. It’s hard enough to make a living wage with only a high school education, much less without it.You’re hamstringing yourself. Push through and finish high school.Do the MathMoney isn’t everything, but the average annual salary with a HS diploma is $35k. It’s a full $10K less if you lack that important piece of paper. If you make it through a Bachelor’s degree, the average almost doubles, to $59k. Unemployment rates also go down, markedly, as educational attainment goes up (8%, for less than HS diploma down to 2.8% for those with a Bachelor’s degree).[1] As the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts it, “the more you learn, the more you earn.”[2][3]Don’t Rule out CollegePeople often say “college isn’t for everyone.” I tend to think most everyone would benefit from an ndergraduate degree. It’s a big world and there are a lot of fascinating things to know. College is still one of the primary methods of exposing yourself to that vast world of ideas and learning how to be a part of those discourses, in a way that is more substantive than superficial, social media interactions.I mostly disliked high school and considered skipping college because I feared it would be more of the same. But I loved college and it made a huge difference in my life on many different levels. I’d probably still be working in restaurant kitchens if I hadn’t gone to college.Footnotes[1] The Average Salary by Education Level - SmartAsset[2] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics[3] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
I want to go to pre-med school but my gpa sucks?
Ever since middle school i knew i wanted to be a nurse ( more specifically and er nurse ) and then i wanted to get my MD but reality has struck and when i got to high school i didn't try at all ! ive failed at least 7 classes between my freshman and sophomore year i just started my junior year a month ago , my accumulative gpa is like a 1.3 ( i know horrible ) but my counselor put me on this plan were i signed a paper and get no lower than a 2.5 , i just got my first report card and i had a 3.0 ( HIGHEST IVE HAD SINCE IVE BEEN IN HIGH SCHOOL ) :) i was pretty proud of my self but then we started talking about colleges this week and she told me med school is highly competitive and take like 3.4s and higher , ! even pre - med schools are hard to get into . My worry is that get my gpa up high enough by the end of my senior year and ill be stuck . i cant see my self doing anything else , can someone please help me on what to do , this is my dream and i really want to get in ANY THING I CAN DO ? I really want to go ! and i have my heart set on this , will the colleges over look the fact that i sucked my first two years but did aw-some , my counsel told me colleges like to see some one suck and improve than be great and start to get lazy also ive gone to a purdue college program , im going to job shadow a nurse this year and im in the iu health care program
What are some crazy SAT/ACT stories?
I was in a study group when one of my peers shared his story:He was ready to ace the SAT with his two pre-sharpened pencils and a fresh eraser, however during the middle of the exam, both his pencils’ leads had broken off.He did not have a sharpener. How he forgot or neglected to bring a sharpener beats me.Someone around had a sharpener, so he raised his hand to ask for the proctor’s permission to use her sharpener. The proctor refused and went back to reading. Sweating profusely and hands trembling under the stress, he pleaded, “Please, let me sharpen my pencil. I’ll do it in front of you if you have any suspicions of me cheating!”But, the proctor was not budging. My friend was not having it; he paid for the exam and most importantly, he knew he was going to do well because he studied immensely.So what did he do?He broke his pencil in half with his teeth and gnawed around the tip to break down the wood, enough so that a considerable amount of lead poked through.He bit the wood off this portion of the pencil and not the other because he thought he would likely wind up with the taste of graphite. He successfully, after a good 10 or so minutes, managed to have a pencil good enough to write with but only if he applied stable enough pressure to not break off the tip.Just imagine the sounds and grunts he made along the way and the uncomfortable looks of the other students, but they weren’t the ones suffering.I think he finished the exam, but did not have enough time and therefore, did not get quite the score he expected. I’m pretty sure he took it again and this time, with a sharpener.So my fellow students and exam takers, you see these:And these?They save lives, I tell you. Please bring a sharpener.
Low GPA of 1.6 any way i can raise it? Whats the highest? (im a senior now)?
I messed up my freshman sophmore an especially my junior year, but ive realized school is the most important thing in my life it finally hit me... I want to goto college soooo so bad a universoty but now that my gpa is a 1.6 my wants are CRUSHED, my senior year started its still 1st marking period i plan on gettin high grades (a's & b's) but i dont know if thatll raise my gpa up to the 2 range even though thats still bad , i wi do anyclass any amount of classes to raise it i take 7 classes my senior year an im trying hard to get A's, what should i do i need help my parents never finished high school so i cant ask them for help so i ask you guys what is the highest i can raise my gpa because i want to goto a nice university so what should i do ??????
Can i get into UF as a freshman with a 4.7 weighted GPA (3.65 unweighted) and a 1360 on my SAT's?
I am also in the International Baccalaureate Program (even though i may not spell it right). I know UF accepted about 1150 IB students during the 2004-2005 school year; however, I have also heard that they cut down on letting in IB students. Also, many of the IB students at my school last year did not get accepted at UF with average scores. I pay special attention to extra-curricualr activities and I have emphasized my quality leadership positions in a limited number of clubs. I know having too many clubs looks kinda tacky. I have a cousin at UF but i have heard that only immediate family is considered as alumni. I really want UF to be my primary college and want to be accepted into the honors program. I plan to take the ACT's tomorrow and again in October. Also i will be taking the SAT's again to crack 1400. I got a 2010 composite after taking it twice. Also, will the ACT that i take in October be accepted as part of my application? Or is that too late? Thank you