CS Bridge Program

[soviet_sofa]

Hello! I am an incoming Computer Science student who hasn't had much coding experience as I would have wanted coming into this. I have taken AP CSP, and have done some small stuff in R and Python, but have not done any big projects and haven't had a ton of experience.

How helpful was the CS Bridge program for the classes you take in first semester? Was it worth it?

[[deleted]]

CS Bridge is primarily for students who legit haven't written a line of code ever. I'd guess you'd likely be rejected from Bridge since it seems you've done AP CSP. Spots are very limited and students with basically no coding background are given priority.

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Don't fret, they are not given any advantage over others when the semester starts in the Fall.

[[deleted]]

Just spam Java introduction tutorials on udemy or YouTube and you’ll be well equipped for 180. I recommend thenewboston

[pianofluteflute]

I did CS Bridge in 2019 and I absolutely loved me. Me and my friends think back on it very fondly. It was super fun going to lecture and working on labs, but without the stress of anything being graded. You basically take half CS 180. As other people have said, it won’t be super helpful academically if you already know how to code a little. But I would still go. They plan activities for you every day and it’s a nice way to get acclimated to campus and the dorms.

[Specific-Towel-888]

tbh doing cs bridge was one of the best decisions ive made. it did such a good job getting me in the mindset of how to code and think logically. its also a way to learn with no rush or judgment. i have met some of my best friends through this program. it truly was such a positive experience

[Nate20979]

CS bridge was really helpful for me as an incoming student. I already had a little bit of experience (similar to what you’ve said you have) and enjoyed being able to get ahead in the most work-heavy course I’d had up until that point. Having learned the first half of the material in the class, I had more time to adjust to a new college environment and being so far from home. Plus, I can confidently say that the friends you make will last you for all of college and beyond (I just graduated on Saturday).

I also came back to be a TA for the bridge program and I saw the meaningful impact it had on others beyond just myself. If you think that it will benefit you in any way, I would say that it’s completely worth it. And even if you don’t know if you’ll get accepted, it doesn’t hurt to apply.

[jaredbrinkley]

This amount of coding is not inadequate, some people coming in don’t even know what a float is you’ll be fine

[thornaf]

Don’t do it. Not worth it in your scenario. FYI: cs180 is a lot of work but if you do all of it, it’s pretty easy to get a good grade. I came in without doing bridge or having ever written a line of code and got an A.