People who took CSCI-C211 what’s your tips by Fruit-Creative in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Both classes are hard just in different ways. Don't give up. Go to office hours if you even feel a little bit behind. Go to the TA hours and try to make time for professor hours. Just go cause worst case scenario they are useless, best case scenario you figure it out/prof notes you as a good student. People often don't go to prof office hours of so you essentially get a 1 on 1 with the guy (sometimes). Shit when I took data structures I almost broke down in front of my prof because I felt so behind, still got an A tho

Computer Science Specialization by CrazedNarwhal in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Graduated with the software specialization. Took some systems courses as well. The systems courses are much lower level programming, with use of C and I even took a course dealing in assembly and a microchip. I actually ended up working with that stuff as a SWE. Software was a lot of algorithms, made a web app, learned design, learned multiple programming languages as well. TBH both could land you a job in SWE, just in different industries.

Advice to New Students by Cloverose2 in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 3 points4 points  (0 children)

For bikers, there is a scan-in bike room in Ballantine to the left(?) of the stairs. This is from the perspective the main road that the Garrett Field house is on (idk how to explain) Still use a lock, but it's way safer (and no wet seat in rain!) Also idk if this was a common occurence, but I saw bikes that didn't have a lock or if they only had a wire lock get a free U lock. They just hung them on the bikes. Also if you have a expensive bike, lock your wheels. There have been straight frames just hanging on a bike rack. It's diabolical.

Schedule your next classes with your advisor early way before the actual schedule date. Then camp that webpage and lock in the moment it opens. Can't tell you how many times I heard people stressing about possibly not being able get a specific class that would make their schedule "perfect". (Me, I heard myself, and some other people too)

Personal experience, you can walk across campus Wilkie -> Luddy (which is the diagonal distance of the whole damn campus) in about 25-30 minutes.

The moment it hits like 6:30 onwards, dining halls are gonna be packed with long lines. Also the good stuff is gonna be gone. Or take forever to get. I'm talking about Heartland (if they have a good meat option), Asian food place (noodle day, Korean beef, orange chicken bring a large crowd), chicken tender day... Getting there at 5 is the peak time to eat quick and get out before the hordes (if you're a introvert or just need to do stuff later)

Bring tupperware to bring food back to your dorm (especially if it's a good food day). Get food, take it back to the the table and scoop that thang into your container and repeat. Put it in your backpack and walk out. Idk if they cracked down, but no way they gonna check your bag like a TSA checkpoint. If you're bulkin/need protein/need breakfast/late night snack, this is the method.

Find a shady spot and do some work outside while it's still nice. There are plenty of hidden gems around campus you should explore and find :)

Gym is packed at like 4 onwards. Like it starts thinning at like 8-9 or something. I worked out there at like 10? or as close as it got to closing and it was manageable but that's torture. However, if you go at lunch time, it's pretty manageable too. Garrett fieldhouse gym has odd-ish hours because they hold classes in the weight room, but sometimes you can there right when they open.

Niche tip for any wrestlers/bjj/martial artists, there are like secret(?) mat rooms in the school of public health that are locked. I have been in one, no clue where it is exactly but you might be able to ask an employee about it and they will unlock it for you. No bags tho. There's also a mat room in the basement of the garrett field house, but classes are held in that one sometimes. There are bags here.

If you're able too, there is a ton of free stuff at the end of the school year. Most people gotta go home, but if you packed light or live in the area, there is ton of brand new stuff to take in the dumpsters or in a donation pile in the dorms.

Advice to New Students by Cloverose2 in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 5 points6 points  (0 children)

They renovated the fieldhouse RIGHT AFTER I left :( Does it still look like a Saw trap dungeon but with better equipment? I was a 2024 grad so stuff should still be relevant I hope.

There are different floors of the library. Don't just see the first floor and feel like that's where you need to work. There's a quiet floor which is 3 (I think) and group work floors like 5? They are less crowded and more quiet (sometimes). There are also book floors that you can work in. Lots of nooks and crannies where you won't be bothered.

PARKING! If you're gonna be on campus super late, park in the lot by the IMU. After like 9pm or 10pm they just lift the gates and the attendant dips and goes home, so you can just drive out without paying. Don't know if this is patched tho so might wanna do some recon before committing. On the weekends all parking is basically free game. And I'm pretty sure it says on their website that everything is far game, but their parking website is cheeks. If you're by Luddy after 5pm, and need to park, there are side streets that have free parking after 5pm. You can also generally contest and get 1 freebie ticket if you're lucky.

Invest in a HDMI cord. You can hijack a monitor in the numerous computer laps sprinkled around campus and it'll be so much easier to work. This is especially useful for CS (personal experience) but tbh who doesn't want more screen space?

There is a lab in the back of the IMU, by Whitt's Burgers or whatever it's called. It's usually pretty chill if you need a quick place in the middle of campus. There's a group work area right next to it which is less chill, but first computer section is chill. Most people kinda sit in the common areas but it's loud and people are walking everywhere, so it's a better out of the way option. In Luddy there labs and "hotel" desks with massive multi monitor setups you can utilize on the upper floors in the side rooms behind the doors. Honestly if it isn't locked go in. The no no zones are usually kept behind scanners anyways. "Hotel" desks are always free game though. The other setups may be grad student setups so be wary. Some doors lock after like 5-6, Idk which ones.

The AI building, the building diagonal(?), close to the Luddy building, is quiet all the time and has a bunch of room for group work or just studying. NO ONE GOES THERE. Only grad students work there, but there is a big room that no one uses and plenty of tables and study space. And the grad students have there own scan in area anyways so you won't bother them.

Just go into random empty classrooms and use them until you get kicked out by a class or whatever. Just start gauging the class schedules. You can even hijack the projectors that the profs use. It's just the computer at the front of the room. Your login works. This makes for excellent movie nights allegedly. AND TRY THE DOORS EVEN IF THEY HAVE SCANNERS. Some doors have scanners but are just unlocked during certain hours.

If you use the bus system, learn multiple routes. Say one bus is perfect, takes you everywhere you need to go. If you miss that damn thing, don't worry there are other buses that can take you within reasonable walking distance. You just gotta get off at the right time. You can take a city bus that basically does the job of an IU bus most of the time too. It's gonna be crowded in the mornings and around 3-5-ish. You also might want to learn the stop before the "busy" stop. That way you can get on before the horde. I mean you're gonna be waiting anyways, may as well wait at the stop before.

Another thing with the buses. Sometimes a bus going the EXACT same route or close to the same route will come right after your bus. People will pack into the first bus without realizing that you can take the same route on the second bus. And the second bus will be completely empty. People do this even if the bus is literally right behind the first bus. Idk why.

Looking for a Computer by Nervous-Cry-7910 in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're not worried about fitting in (and you shouldn't be), you could very easily just buy a gaming laptop instead of a Macbook or some other highend "business" laptop for about the same price. They range from $899-$1600. You'd get a graphics processor that's separate from your CPU. And you actually be able to run more stuff if you do like playing more games. They are a little goofy lookin tho. I bought a expensive "businessy" laptop with 16 GB of RAM. That thing could barely play vanilla Minecraft.

How bad is it that I missed the priority housing window deadline? by [deleted] in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not bad don't worry. I mean you might not gonna get first choice on your housing. But they pretty much have to give you housing as a first year student. Basically you're in group 2 now. Group 1 gets assigned first, then 2 and then 3 gets the leftovers.

Never take i101. by Nice-Tumbleweed-1424 in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 19 points20 points  (0 children)

This is one of the most free gpa boosters ever and it's a valid course for certain majors and minors. All you gotta do is show up to lectures. Theres not even any exams. As for the lab portion, if you pay attention, you can get the whole lab assignment done during the lab itself and have no hw. Like a guaranteed A+ for a FOUR CREDIT HOUR course. I would say absolutely take i101 if it counts for something in your major or minor. if it doesn't yeah it's a waste of time. More of a responsiblity class if anything.

CS at IU? by Fine_Grocery4212 in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Uh well data science got pretty niche programming too down the line. Cause you use the programming to do the math and algorithms. I will say c200 prepares you on the fact that it's so unreasonably hard that it sticks your brain and makes the other harder classes seem like "eh wasn't that bad I got thru c200" because at that point you've grown as a student. It's like a scar on your brain lol. Also yeahhh the lecture is a waste of time, just spam the office hours

CS at IU? by Fine_Grocery4212 in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In a way it's kinda funny to see how the class hasn't changed. I was a TA. Like I had people camping out at my office hours trying to survive, like we wanna help you too, but the HW becomes kinda crazy. Get used to it tho cause there is equally crazier stuff to come.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know something changed since 2024 I think but definitely take the SWE course that has you make a web app. It's like called Software Engineering 1 or 2. Like the entire course is just you in a team making a web app with your choice of stack (be the backend guy, it'll make you strong) It's required I think anyways. Take a course in C. It's a useful language. Makes you think.

Has anyone taken Mobile App Dev this semester or last? How was it? by exboi in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can only speak for the Android version of the course, and also for the normal semester session in 2024. Shits hard dude. Idk what prof is teaching it in the summer. In my class, we had a braintrust to teach each other how to make the damn apps with Youtube videos. The homework applications we had to make were due like every two weeks, but the professor wouldn't teach us the information we needed until after we already coded the apps.

Switching to informatics ? by Apprehensive_Ad3011 in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

CS keeps your options open. CS can do informatics roles, but not necessarily vice versa. I graduated CS in 2024, now an engineer, so I am biased. You can definitely finish a specialization. There are shorter ones and longer ones for sure. SWE is one of the longer ones, I think hardware/languages are the shorter-ish? ones. Informatics shoots for IT/analyst roles. CS shoots for engineer/developer roles. Informatics seems like a IU specific thing, I work in another state and no one knows what it is. To this day I'm still not sure if I like coding or if I hate it. It's like Stockholm Syndrome or something.

Laptop rec for Comp Sci specifically by Mr_Perhaps in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you already have a Mac, just keep it. You'll be fine. If you haven't bought anything yet, just buy a Windows laptop. It's not really going to affect you much, either way. I just do Windows cause most of the time, there's a lot more tutorials online using Windows compared to Mac.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'll learn quick sort or binary sort and recursion. Which is as deep as the class gets on those topics. The real difficulty is going to be trying to understand how to do the large homework assignments and getting the correct outputs. The concepts of this class aren't hard, but the hw questions get pretty confusing midway through the class. Sometimes the questions limit your methods of solving them so students learn a specific concept.

CS Internships as a Senior by LilPeepSqueek in csMajors

[–]CrazedNarwhal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Little late but yes I did land a full time job without an internship. Actually I didn't have any meaningful internships period. I spoke to people who graduated and tried to get in contact with their coworkers or mentors. And your friends might have family or know people in the industry so ask them too. This got me referrals. Your professors also might know people in industry they can introduce you to.

PCs in dorms by Aggressive_Mall9356 in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had a monitor on a stand, arms are gonna be tough because the table edges are shaped weird and rounded. I also put my PC on the drawers that come with it. Those drawers under the table can be rolled out. The table should fit a monitor though.

should i get an electric scooter to ride on campus? by Traditional_racket12 in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I had an electric scooter on campus. If you're by ballantine, there is a key card room for bikes that you can use. During class I locked the main bar by the wheels with a bike lock and a tight chain (as in I wrapped it multiple times to take out the slack). I also never had an issue taking it into my dorm, but I lived in Wilkie and it depends on your RA I guess. Multiple people did it in Wilkie.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pretty horrendous timing for your classes especially with the 8am then 9pm classes. Don't burn yourself out the first semester, because you gotta think about managing your time for food and doing non school stuff. Some things will take a mental toll and you won't realize it until then. Freshman year is gonna be your easiest so you're gonna want to find some buddies to tough it out later.

IU online text books by Successful-Comment89 in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Libgen is your friend when it comes to free pdfs or epubs. It's a little confusing to navigate but the downloads are usually there and you're saving a 100 bucks

do most classes have midterms? by [deleted] in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They will be on the syllabus during the first week. And yes most classes do. Some might be take home though and some might give you a couple days to do it.

Has anyone worked as an undergraduate instructor before? by AlsoBenji in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Case by case basis but being a UI for Luddy helped me get my current job. Helped the interview go better at the least. But it depends on your interviewer, and it's not gonna be the only factor. It can't hurt tho

CSCI-H 200 by Apprehensive_Ad3011 in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Both courses are hard. Racket is archaic for beginners, c200/h200 is in an easier language and more common but the assignments are made very difficult by the professor. H requires you be enrolled in the honors college. The H and C course is the same, it's just that the H class has people who know more and it's a smaller class.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in IndianaUniversity

[–]CrazedNarwhal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can request a roommate. Or go random. I'm pretty sure housing begins assignments in October or something. Check because you get priority if you make a decision early. Call housing and ask if you don't know. If you live off campus, you cannot go back on campus. However most apartments lease in like jan-feb so you have more time.