From 66e98b7125c87706782b8247b8e0329473dbeb5a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Adam T. Carpenter" Date: Sat, 11 Jul 2020 10:59:50 -0400 Subject: reorganized assets and CSS, added a post --- posts/2020-07-11-why-computer-science-at-w-m.md | 166 ++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 166 insertions(+) create mode 100644 posts/2020-07-11-why-computer-science-at-w-m.md (limited to 'posts') diff --git a/posts/2020-07-11-why-computer-science-at-w-m.md b/posts/2020-07-11-why-computer-science-at-w-m.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..25f2789 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/2020-07-11-why-computer-science-at-w-m.md @@ -0,0 +1,166 @@ +--- +permalink: "/posts/{{categories}}/{{slug}}" +title: Why Computer Science at W&M +categories: + - life +tags: + - william + - and + - mary + - computer + - science +excerpt_separator: "\n\n\n" +published_date: "2020-07-11 14:58:18 +0000" +layout: post.liquid +is_draft: false +--- +Recently a rising high-school senior asked for input on what going to the +College of William and Mary was like for a Computer Science degree. They were +asking about the program itself as well as what it's like on and off campus. +Here's what I sent to them. + +# Quick Intro + +I graduated with a Bachelor's in Computer Science from W&M in 2018. I'm a +couple years in the workforce now but can still remember my experiences well +enough to hopefully add my honest opinion on my time there as well as how it +prepared me for my career. I will also add a little bit about my time on campus +in a dorm and off-campus in Colonial Williamsburg. + +# Courses and Curriculum + +I felt very positively about the array of courses that were offered while I was +a student. I took a variety of core prerequisites, just like everyone else, and +a good mix of electives. The courses I took include Data Structures and +Algorithms, Software Development/Engineering, Computer +Organization/Architecture, UNIX Systems Programming, Computer +Graphics/Animation, and Computer and Network Security. This list is not +exhaustive and I'm sure they aren't all offered anymore. I was also required to +take a few math classes (Calc I, II, Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, and Finite +Automata). + +It is true that the courses listed at `cs.wm.edu` aren't all offered at the +same time. And it is also true that the higher-level electives pretty much all +required my core prerequisites to be completed. The result is that the +electives all came in my final two years. My understanding is the curriculum is +designed to give someone the best possible background in computing as a whole. +A lot of the topics may seem like they would never be useful in the "real +world" but I have found the opposite is true. I am an application developer at +a three-letter company. My day-to-day work is building and debugging web apps, +but there's been a lot more to it than that. My first assignment on the job was +scraping bytes off a remote shell and writing a parser to sift through them. +The level of understanding I gathered from my core classes helped more than I +expected they would. I think as a whole they give me an edge at work and help +me teach my colleagues about algorithms, performance, and systems +administration. + +That being said, course registration was always nightmarish. It was very +difficult to get into the limited seats in the classes I was most interested +in. Eventually the heads of the department had to pass around a sign up sheet +and organize every student into courses, classrooms, and professors so that +seniors would graduate on time and we could all get _something_ on our +schedules. I hope the shortage of teachers has caught up since I graduated. I +learned from a long-time faculty member that this is largely a result of the +exponential growth of incoming CS degree-seekers. The program has grown very +popular in the last ten years and I like to think grads are catching on to +that. + +# Teaching + +CS@W&M had neutral to good instructors for me. Some were far worse than others, +as with all subjects. When I was there, lots of the older faculty were retiring +and quickly being replaced with younger, newer instructors, which added to the +growing pains of the program. The most important thing again was making sure +there were enough teachers to teach all of the students. + +I know a few of my peers were very upset about what they described as a lack of +communication or availability from their professors. Some have also mentioned +they didn't like having to learn material on their own and wanted more to come +from instruction. I don't deny that the material itself was difficult and there +was a lot of hard work I had to do on my own to understand very involved +concepts in intense, fast-paced courses. I think that hard work has paid off. I +don't think there's realistically anywhere someone can learn about computing +where they won't do any learning on their own. I am also a very visual, and +hands-on learner so I suppose your mileage may vary. + +The most important takeaway from this for me was the ability to pick up new +concepts and technologies quickly and apply them productively. The majority of +professors had project-driven courses. Lots of due dates meant learning how to +transform what I read or learned in class into practical applications in short +amounts of time. This has become, according to those I work with, one of my +greater assets. I am constantly learning new things in my career and I don't +have a lecturer to explain things to me. It's very powerful to have that and I +am thankful for it. It also helps me teach that knowledge to my colleagues so +we can move faster as a team. + +# Campus + +I agree with my peers about the conditions of classrooms and buildings on +campus. Some are old. I guess that comes with an old university but there are a +choice few that haven't been kept up as best they could. Since CS is growing so +fast it's also long outgrown its own offices. Classrooms are scattered +throughout every academic building on campus and I probably had a CS course in +at least 80% of them. That meant jumping from one side of campus to another and +back again in between periods. + +The College itself isn't too sprawling. I am long-legged and I found I could +get from one end of campus to another in fifteen minutes on foot. I rode bike a +lot to get to classes where I only had ten minutes to do it. It's also pretty +marshy and woodsy in a lot of areas, so during the rainy season some walking +paths got muddy or flooded. Good boots required. I have never been in as good +shape as when I had to do all that walking but I definitely got soaked and +winded making those transitions. + +I appreciate history and architecture and was drawn in by the look and feel of +William and Mary as a result. Without getting too romantic, it's definitely a +beautiful place to attend classes. The ancient Wren building still holds +classes and it's a monument to the College's tradition. However, I really +appreciated the modern academic buildings on the other side of campus where all +of the new construction was taking place. Modern lab equipment and the library +lived there. + +The dorms were nothing to write home about. Lots of them were nested in the +woods and built ages ago so they were a little tired and even dingy. Others are +brand new and well maintained; ask around and get opinions on which ones to go +for first chance you get. I made do with what I got for the first couple of +years by keeping it clean and decorated. My last two years I lived in a couple +of off-campus apartments. It was well worth the switch. Depending on where you +are on campus you may need at least a bike to access local restaurants, shops, +and the grocery store. A bike is a good idea anyway but it's not necessary for +every dorm. + +# Colonial Williamsburg + +Lots of my peers didn't appreciate CW as a "college town" but I enjoyed my time +there. I can't speak about parties or clubbing, I was boring and didn't do any +of that. I made a great group of friends and we would walk into town to get ice +cream, see historical attractions (most of which are free as a student, IIRC), +and see movies or plays when we weren't studying or playing video games in the +dorm. There are some good, sort-of-affordable restaurants but they're kind of +driving distance. + +The best part about living there was meeting my wife. We would go on long walks +to get away from studying and wound up seeing horse-and-carriages and the +Governor's Palace and things like that. We would also escape with her car to go +to some of the surrounding towns to get away to nice grocery stores and fun +places to eat and explore on the weekends. I also have family in the area so it +was easy for me to stop by home and say hi, although I know lots of students +wanted to get as far away from home as possible. + +# Parting Words + +I don't consider myself a gung ho alumnus. There are lots of things I think +could be improved, both in CS and at W&M as a whole but I do not regret my +going there. There is no such thing as "everything is great" or "everything is +terrible". It's not so definitive. I had my fair share of gripes and at times +it strained me. There were pros and cons but I think I have a lot to be +thankful for (I landed my job through W&M recruiting and the career center as +well, which are fantastic resources). I cannot say "do this instead of that." I +haven't gone to any other colleges and don't know enough about them to +recommend them as better or worse. What I can recommend is the same path I took +for folks who want to pursue a degree in Computer Science. I think you'll come +away from it all the more knowledgable, resourceful, and dedicated. + + + + -- cgit v1.2.3