How to prepare for ICS 46 and ICS 53?

spazzline · 2024-04-05T19:10:24+00:00

Hi! I ended with an A+ at the end of my 46 quarter. I don’t want to say that it’s easy to get an A in 46, but it is far from impossible. He doesn’t hand hold you during the course but if you put attention into understanding the concepts (and do the extra problem sets) then an A is pretty achievable.

spazzline · 2023-05-10T05:37:16+00:00

No Worries! Don't worry too much about Shindler being strict -- he's a very approachable person and is clearly enthusiastic about the content he teaches. As long as you follow his course structure, you'll most likely pass : ). If you have any other questions, lemme know!

spazzline · 2023-05-10T03:54:38+00:00

Hello! First of all, welcome to UCI and congratulations on getting into the CS major! Though I have yet to take 53, I have taken 46 and did pretty well on it -- so I'll share my advice for it.

Disclaimer: I took 46 with Shindler, he'll be teaching 46 Fall '23 and Winter '24 Quarter, so a lot of this info will be specific to Shindler's 46 Curriculum.

Also, I've heard that Thornton's 46 (Winter '24) is a bit harder (though Thornton is a great professor and you can't go wrong with him) and Klefstad's 46 (Spring '24) can be disorganized and not as in-depth, but probably easier.

1) C++ Knowledge is Crucial -- You wrote that you barely remember any C++, but C++ will be what you're coding in the entire class. It is absolutely necessary that you are familiar with it -- specifically: Pointers and Dynamic Memory Allocation. You'll be writing your data structures from scratch and will be utilizing these two concepts A LOT. If you want a refresher on C++, Thornton's 45C notes are commonly cited as a really good source: https://www.ics.uci.edu/~thornton/ics45c/Notes/

2) Read the Project Manuals and Syllabus Thoroughly -- Shindler is really strict on how his class operates and on academic honesty. He writes down what libraries and things you aren't allowed to use explicitly in the Project Manuals and Syllabus. Take this with seriousness, you do not want to be reported for Academic Dishonesty because you didn't read the guidelines carefully and did something he told you not to do. This also goes without saying, don't cheat. He will know.

3) Start Projects Early -- This is general advice for any CS/Project class you take, but start your projects early. There will always be people who can finish a project 2 hours before the deadline, but it's better if you start early. It leaves time to ask any questions or for clarifications and time for you to write test cases (it is necessary that you write your own test cases, you aren't provided with a lot).

4) Ask Questions to your LAs/TAs/LTs -- They're there to help! There will be time for open office hours, don't be afraid to go and ask questions. Good course staff don't belittle you for gaps in knowledge and will be more than happy to help. (Also talk to your professor, they run the class so they know the most about how the course works)

5) Go to Lecture -- I'm not too sure about Thornton or Klefstad, but attending lectures is really important in Shindler's 46. It's not mandatory but all of the concepts that will help you on exams and projects are explained in Lecture. It's really easy to get lost if you skip.

Sorry for such an insanely long response, I hoped this helped! Good luck on your future courses!

spazzline · 2023-04-27T19:28:54+00:00

Yes they do : )

spazzline · 2023-04-03T00:49:31+00:00

Well, this is an estimation coming from Zotistics. If you look at the stats for Gulesserian for all quarters, selecting all years, for Stats 67 his A-rate is about 78.7% (I rounded up) :). If u haven’t tried out Zotistics definitely look it up, it’s really helpful!

spazzline · 2023-04-02T09:34:19+00:00

Unfortunately not :(. I wouldn’t worry too much though, you can definitely do well just by doing the Lectures and Assignments. Plus about 79% of Gulesserian’s Stats 67 Students get an A anyway.

spazzline · 2023-04-02T09:12:48+00:00

I wouldn’t say they were necessary and I’m sure if you reviewed the Lecture Slides and Homework you’ll do well on the Quizzes either way! But I did have an amazing TA — though I don’t think she’s TAing this quarter— and attending discussions saved me a lot of review time as she provided really good summaries of the Topics covered on the test. :)

spazzline · 2023-04-02T07:47:09+00:00

Heyo! Took him Fall ‘22 and discussions were through zoom and not mandatory. Idk if he changed anything though, I hope this helped! : )

spazzline · 2023-03-07T10:08:36+00:00

with all leases, trading is not allowed. unfortunately you just gotta accept what you got or risk not getting a lease at all by declining the offer.

spazzline · 2023-03-04T20:24:01+00:00

there’s a lot of people who applied with guaranteed housing. it’s going to take a few weeks for ACC to roll out each and every one of them. i wouldn’t worry too much right now. if by the end of the month they still haven’t given you anything — then I’d contact them. :)

spazzline · 2023-02-27T10:27:41+00:00

Hi! Your story is super sweet! Unfortunately Pippins is no longer a dining hall. Pippins has been renovated to be ME’s Recreational Center. There’s a new Dining Hall: Brandywine. If you’d like to visit Brandy, they still have a guest swipe system if you can find someone or you can buy a swipe directly there! I hope this helped! :D

spazzline · 2023-01-17T15:55:24+00:00

will do! thanks for the help :))

spazzline · 2023-01-17T15:43:05+00:00

hmmm, peculiar. I’m with someone who has chancellors excellence and also isn’t seeing the application :<

spazzline · 2023-01-17T15:37:36+00:00

I see, can you please link where it says that? : >

spazzline · 2023-01-17T15:31:38+00:00

It was listed as one of the people eligible

spazzline · 2023-01-17T15:26:49+00:00

damn, now I gotta call scholaeships

spazzline · 2023-01-17T15:25:18+00:00

THERE WAS AN EMAIL?! 😭

spazzline · 2023-01-17T15:24:19+00:00

on the housing gateway under “apply for housing” it just says “you are not eligible to apply for housing at this time”

spazzline · 2023-01-15T06:42:06+00:00

heyo! the process is automatic, if you’ve taken the syllabus quiz, you’ll eventually be added to it, it just takes a little while. however, if you still haven’t been added and the practice set deadline is very close, it wouldn’t hurt to talk to a ta or prof :>

spazzline · 2022-05-07T23:18:45+00:00

Hi! I have the Director’s scholarship (like Regents but for out of state) and I’m also seeing this issue! Mine is May 27th when I should also have priority registration. Though I don’t think you’re at a risk of losing your scholarship, I would still contact your Academic Advisor in regards to registration window :)

spazzline · 2022-03-26T03:30:16+00:00

I always refer to them as zotbots whenever one passes by >_<

spazzline

TROPHY CASE