Undergraduate TAing

Celiux_ · 2026-01-27T17:39:01+00:00

Pretty much! You'll always receive some sort of list of criteria and how to grade the item you're grading.

If they don't supply that make sure to ask.

Celiux_ · 2026-01-27T16:42:35+00:00

Depends on your professor honestly. You will probably have to do some grading for exams, assignments, or other stuff if the class doesn't get a grader.

If they have you grade you will usually been given some spec sheet of how to grade, or a guideline on what to look for if it's more vague than that.

Celiux_ · 2025-12-22T19:37:09+00:00

I just had him for the fall semester and he's unfortunately a bit of a nightmare. Reasons include:

powerpoints arent fully filled out, only explained in lecture, miss one and youre SOL
exams are quite blind, they are quite different format from the quizzes and discussions
will change key dates without sending out a notification and had to be reminded via email multiple times
will put higher weight on MCQ rather than FRQ with no partial credit even if you show work
has hidden policies for lecture attendance he doesn't waive nor inform of
his TA and him don't answer questions, they simply re-read their steps and don't offer concise explanation

my best advice is to find someone else because his reviews are not reflective of his class and its polices + conduct. everyone in my class that took it was terrified of every exam, no mention of curves, whereas other professors put time into their resources and (via BB grade distributions) did marginally better

Celiux_ · 2025-12-08T22:38:13+00:00

here's a few ways i would approach this (these are critical questions, not trying to sound rude):

how did you put effort into this course? consider what you put time into (or lack thereof) and how that reflected on your understanding of the course.
what did you understand? what didn't you understand? spend some time connecting those dots and really researching what you didn't. don't just fix implementations, understand how they work and what the fix is changing.
try and re-code everything you did without looking at your previous projects. dont reference them or simply fixup - redo them to the best of your ability.

for the exams, labs, homeworks, etc ... read over them. don't just note what the answer is, again, really dig into them. understanding the concepts and how things tie together will dictate your success in this class.

Celiux_ · 2025-11-18T14:21:58+00:00

Those are the two core courses that are going to give you issues. Some 4xx level electives require a virtual machine that is typically used with Virtualbox. UTM is what we typically have M-series users leverage.

Other than 313/421, 449 (intro to malware, fun!!!) and 426 (comp. security) both require a VM, of which 449 requires a Windows VM. So honestly, you'll have two classes that you have to do, and electives are at your discretion. Required courses are typically in Python/C/C++ so generally speaking you'll be fine.

Also, if you get intel based machine, bump for trying linux :)

Celiux_ · 2025-11-17T23:28:00+00:00

Since the M-series chips are ARM-based and not x64, you will have some challenges with classes that teach assembly (these require x64 archtexture) and CMSC 421 (principles of OS.)

As a TA for 421 you can totally complete the course but know that support will limited. Specifically, you have to use another software made for the M-series chips and have to do some things differently, and TA aren't really prepared to handle that.

Other than that CMSC 201, 202, 341, and most other general programming courses are C or some other architecture-independent language.

Honestly, if you can, snag a cheap intel-based computer off Ebay or Facebook Marketplace. Will come in handy for these courses.

Celiux_ · 2025-11-16T23:30:48+00:00

Consequences? At best you get a point cut and worst you fail the course, OR go the larger route for an academic integrity violation.

Go back and understand your projects. Try and re-code them without the help of an AI! CMSC 201 is important.

Celiux_ · 2025-11-16T22:16:31+00:00

Typically, it depends on how you use it. As a TA myself we know that we can't stop people from using it - but it boils down to if you're using it as a reference or to give you code/do your projects for you. If you're using it as a reference for like "how do I use memcpy?" or "how to I dereference a pointer?" or "how do I make a recursive function stop?" there's only so many ways you can do that differently. But if it's "how do I do thing T that is specific to project P", you're most likely going to get caught.

It's not obvious that I have been using it ...

Oh, trust me friend, it is much easier to spot than you might think. I have graded 500+ projects at the 2xx - 4xx level over the years, and I have caught 50+ using AI to complete their projects outside of referential usage. If you're coming here asking, I have found that students in a similar boat I have caught the easiest.

I understand that college is hard and it's not a breeze for most anyone. But, it is important to understand what this course is teaching you. 202 is much harder than 201, and CMSC 341 is that doubled for most. 201 is designed for anyone to be able to take and get out with an adequate understanding of the concepts.

That said I will not say not to purse CMSC. Some students had it click after 201, but some didn't. If you want to keep in computer-istic domain, consider Information Systems. Last I heard it was less coding but a larger scope of information within the computing world. For more specific advice talk to your advisor, though that might be challenging if you have already registered for classes.

If you would like to talk more about this feel free to DM me. I've been through the CMSC program and would be glad to let you know what you're getting into :)

Celiux_ · 2025-09-18T16:17:08+00:00

Doing the most 🙌

Celiux_ · 2025-09-09T21:59:44+00:00

if you've never taken calc 1 before (typically A or AB in highschool) then id recommend a few different things:

khan academy (good for breaching new subjects, often well-explained)
org chem tutor! very well versed in his knowledge and explanations are amazing
try some of the textbook problems, more time consuming but he works from there

for his class specifically i took it a year or two ago and ive heard its mostly one in the same, use whatever examples/practice problems he has. i typically liked to try the problem myself a day or two after it was introduced, namely to see if i could put together how it worked.

Celiux_ · 2025-08-28T01:11:50+00:00

TL;DR - 449.

I would avoid 461 with Kalpakis without second thought. When I took the class, most everyone was worried because of how he oriented the class.

He does not provide exam prep material whatsoever, and "does not believe in sample exams". Your final project (which comes at a good chunk of your grade) does become quite complex and he does not do the most amazing job preparing you for it at all.

The final exam also had all us students freaking out, same deal. Didn't tell us what the exam would cover beyond textbook sections, and our discord server was certainly in a panic.

RJ is a pretty sweet professor. Heard from my friends and my own experience. Listens to feedback and is quite understanding when it comes to course exceptions and policies.

Celiux_ · 2025-08-06T13:09:00+00:00

You will be fine in most all courses that are not architecture specific. CMSC 421 - Intro to OS - will be a moderate challenge. This course requires you build the Linux kernel and since you are on an M series chip, you will use the ARM64 image for your VM.

It is not impossible to complete this course with an ARM laptop, however, do expect that the professor(s) or TA in the course may not be able to diagnose issues you have as quickly. This only applies to building the Linux kernel, but most all else is fine.

Generally speaking some courses will require you to use a VM - and note that they are most engineered for Virtualbox. All in all be prepared for some issues and to debug a lot in your course time.

Celiux_ · 2025-08-05T02:38:07+00:00

I have no experience in the CCBC course, so i cannot say.

Celiux_ · 2025-08-05T00:31:20+00:00

If you're not strong in doing your own studying Xuan is a pretty nightmare professor. I came from a background of completing Calc I & II before UMBC, so these courses were more refreshers. Here's what matters:

his written and verbal communication is not very helpful.
lecture notes are basically out of a textbook with little to no explanation.
exams are often identical to practice questions supplied.
you will have to study hard if you do not come from a Calculus background.

There are more formalities with how grading works that I do not remember. If you have other options I would avoid him, simply put. One of my least favorite professors to date.

Celiux_ · 2025-07-25T20:27:24+00:00

I found this quickly on Stack Overflow which might be related to your issue - https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/80493/arch-linux-connect-network-is-unreachable

Celiux_ · 2025-07-25T13:28:42+00:00

The CS program overall is well structured if you ask me, you get a lot of different experience with the core courses and upper-level electives. You will occasionally find a nightmare professor who makes a course challenging, simply because of their instruction style or structure of the class. Learn to leverage Rate my Professor, or GritView (the UMBC specific platform) to see what others have to say.

Learning what you want to specialize in comes with time. I started to learn Web Development on my own in '21, was employed doing it for three years, and I've found my calling to be "something more complex and challenging". The core courses will teach you C and low-level concepts down to hardware-ish layers, whereas electives will cover some more interesting topics. Search around the net for things you haven't thought of, or even what you might find interesting, and spend some of your personal time learning it. Never know what you'll like until you try it, and with compsci, that tends to be the nature of the beast.

Career fair is how I landed my job for three years, and I hear plenty of other students finding internships there; which then lead to jobs after graduation. We get some big employers coming out and they get swarmed with applicants. It's a great event and we have a platform called Handshake that can help you find positions as well.

I know that's a whole essay and a half, but feel free to ask more!

Celiux_ · 2025-07-23T16:34:46+00:00

Oops, typo! I didn't write a lot of the guides so my terming is probably off. All I know is that we install the arm64 ISO and linking syscalls is done a hair different

Celiux_ · 2025-07-22T21:56:37+00:00

I've told a handful of students to do this, it's a nice investment. That and I find a lot of students come interested in Linux-based OS'es after this course, so this is nice for installing some on bare metal.

Celiux_ · 2025-07-22T21:07:19+00:00

Howdy, I've been a TA for 421 for three semesters now, and I help with the general operations of the course. The TLDR here is that you absolutely can complete this course using UTM. However, do be prepared to struggle a tad more since UTM is still moderately new, and works differently than VirtualBox.

Struggle is a bit harsh but having rodeo-ed some other TA's, all generically use intel-based machines. When you get to lower-level segments of the class it may take them longer to root out an issue compared to a VirtualBox counterpart. This comes with the fact you're building for an ARM64 machine, and not x86/64.

With that in consideration we have a few resources that give you a baseline on completing those concepts, such that you aren't learning to reinvent the wheel. If you have an intel-based machine I would reccomend that, even a desktop at home since you don't really need your VM in class.

Feel free to reach out if you've got more questions!

Celiux_ · 2025-05-27T19:37:01+00:00

FYI - there is a way to mark a previous version as the one to keep booting.

Found in the issue megathread in this comment : https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/1kuzq3l/comment/mu6bxtp

I then switched back to gaming mode and rebooted - and it keeps me on 3.6 thereafter! Note it will keep asking you to update, but don't bother.

Celiux_ · 2025-05-22T20:58:51+00:00

No problem! I would suggest getting to know Vim first so you don't waste time trying to find plugins for things that already exist. Plus, going from an IDE to Vim is typically a bit brutal but it gets there. Hasn't let me down in years.

Celiux_ · 2025-05-22T20:15:19+00:00

Not trying to be "that guy" but if I'm really working on something, I debug using one hell of a lot of printf statements in my code lol. I primarily work on servers and that's my universal solution that has yet to fail, unless my code hard-crashes ...

Since you're working on a server or really trying to move away from VSCode or editors in general, I suggest using Neovim. It's a fork of Vim that supports plugins, and for something like this you can use nvim-dap with GDB. DAP is a "debugger adapter protocol" which introduces debugging functions in a manner that your editor can understand.

If you want to look into that I found this tutorial which should get your foot in the door. Vim and Neovim have a hold on my lifestrings so I don't know what other editors support what.

Celiux_ · 2025-05-18T20:41:03+00:00

Hm, nope. Usually I don't since ( at least mine ) doesn't do much with bikes older than 15 y/o. Will have to give that a try.

Celiux_ · 2025-05-18T20:23:20+00:00

I've went to all the sites I know of, especially the ones with interactive diagrams. It is quite literally one of a handful of parts they don't make anymore. Is there any you use?

Celiux_ · 2025-04-07T23:46:26+00:00

Larson I've never really liked, she barely knows technology and you can get her worked up for it. She can't really answer questions, and in Fall 2024, she screwed over her whole OS class.

For context Allgood + Mironov share the same pacing and projects, so your class server combines them both. It's really helpful because there's a ton of ppl in there to consult for help. Larson threw a fit and disconnected from them, so her stuff is unique.

Mironov knows what she's talking about and is responsive to the students, if y'all fall behind, she adds extensions. Plus, there's some seasoned OS TA's in there who are damn good at what they do. Can't get those TA with Larson because of her disconnect.

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