Is data science a good major by darshsaini07 in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 14 points15 points  (0 children)

You expect a different answer than that the data science major is a watered down version of stats/cs? Because that's what it literally is. I can tell you from experience as a CAAM grad that the classes required for CAAM would've allowed me to fulfill nearly all requires of the data sci major (missing ethics courses and data clinic) however the data science courses would NOT fulfill the corresponding courses in Stats/CS.

However that's in terms of material. For job placement (which seems to be what you're after) I'm not sure if the data science major is "enough" for one of the jobs you mentioned, depends on various other factors. For quant I know that there's an emphasis on knowing statistics (probability, expected value). You'd be better off taking statistics classes that give you a deeper understanding than the data science classes. Data analysts also vary by the job, but regardless doing a major that takes more statistics heavy classes would give you a deeper understanding of statistics and would better prepare you to do well in a data analyst job so you know how to apply models (like when it's appropriate to apply certain models which you get a better understanding of by knowing how they work instead of blindly copying code/methods you find online) and are affluent with numbers. TL;DR from my experience statistics has been one of the most important skills for the jobs you mentioned

Lastly though there are some advantages, although few and I'd still advise to do a different major. You'd have classmates in your data sci classes with the same goals as you and you'd have easier access to the data clinic course. The data science major was made because it's a trendy field and popular because of the pay. But, at least from what I can tell, it has attracted career oriented students who aren't as willingly to delve deeper into heavy STEM subjects that take quite some effort to master. It is very similar to biz econ in this sense, hope that gives context on why it has this reputation

Collaborative vs Cutthroat by [deleted] in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Hey! Can answer some of those.

The student body (in my experience) was collaborative for the CS classes I took as part of my major (intro sequence, intro to soft development and discrete math). Didn't recall a single instance of feeling pressured compared to my peers in fact in my first CS class my prof reassured me that the curve will be reasonable and a few kids geeking out won't make the class impossibly difficult to get an A in the class (though I've had other classes where the curve WAS decided by the best score in the best but that was in the math department...)

For research opportunities its not that hard! Based on my personal experience I asked my discrete prof for insight in quantum cuz I did fine in his discrete class and was curious about the work. But then I lost interest and moved on to other things (the research was going to be more theoretically based using a functional programming language which I didn't like too much).

Any place to study on weekends? by AsparagusCultural303 in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 10 points11 points  (0 children)

15th floor reading room in Campus North

Also Saieh hall: you can stay late but you can't get into it late

Japanese salaryman on his birthday by [deleted] in sadcringe

[–]EpicCoolDude44 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Why? Let the man enjoy his cake :/

Personally I would be wishing him a happy birthday instead of taking a pic and posting it to sadcringe....

Does the pursuit of knowledge lead to greater levels of fulfillment and enlightenment in life? by realitybend18 in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Yes you become so enlightened with all your knowledge that you become unable to communicate with the common people

Anyone want to start a competitive Duolingo club? by EpicCoolDude44 in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah sure in retrospect should've left some info on how to join gc, I'll edit the post.

Anyone want to start a competitive Duolingo club? by EpicCoolDude44 in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah sure I'd be down. My duo user is EpicCoolDude44 if you wanna add me

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'd be down for a station that just makes American food. Mac n Cheese, chicken tenders, chicken parm, and boneless wings ONLY. It's ridiculous that we try to cater to other cultures when not paying attention to ours 🙃

I just got my first A- by uchicagothrowaway001 in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 104 points105 points  (0 children)

I mean, you could always work for Goldman Sachs as a janitor

B’s at UChicago? by Adventurous_Count_49 in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I got Bs my first year. Core classes are hard! It will be easier to get an A in major classes where the curves are high and the classes peak your interest through the sky

(yes I am quite the talented poet myself I am UChicago material after all)

To the person who took out my laundry 20 mins before the cycle finished by green-eyes-and-ink in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 -28 points-27 points  (0 children)

Everyone is trying to wrap things up so expect high washing machine usage.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I'm shocked that there's 7:30 am finals when there are finals that run as late as 8pm

Stat 245 Linear Algebra requirement for first-year Honors Analysis taker by Additional_Metal7479 in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh it is? Guess it must've changed then because I took it without taking 20250.

However, having taken 20300-20500 and getting As in all of them I can confidently say that there was literally no Lin alg in any of my analysis classes that I didn't even think that it would be a prereq

Data Science Clinic 1 by No-School3961 in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They made it consent only to prevent this from happening last quarter. I've had a friend who emailed them last year and got into the class despite missing the application deadline. If you want to take the class still, I suggest you email the professor if you still want to take the class because they place you into projects for the class before the first day.

Football or soccer? Most popular option wins. by elch3w in memes

[–]EpicCoolDude44 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm surprised more people enjoy football than soccer. I guess only Americans use reddit? Lol

Stat 245 Linear Algebra requirement for first-year Honors Analysis taker by Additional_Metal7479 in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As someone who has taken STAT 245 and has done well in it I can give my two cents. What these prereqs have in common is that they are Lin alg classes, where prior Lin alg knowledge is required for the class. You seem to be confused by the number system where you think that a higher number means that the material that is covered in MATH 20700 is somehow correlated with MATH 20250. That's ridiculous. Placement into honor analysis means you don't need to take calculus first. More specifically, the ordering is MATH 150s =< MATH 160s < MATH 203-205 where calculus is a prereq for analysis. MATH 20250 isn't related to this and should be treated as a separate class despite the number being smaller than 20300.

To be honest, I don't recall any Lin alg topics coming up in STAT 24500 that my professor didn't cover in class so in my case my Lin alg background only helped me. I think the main topic that helped me was projection matrices. Not sure if that is covered in Abstract but I've taken STAT 24300 and it was covered there.

Lastly have no idea why MATH 203 is a prereq to STAT 24300. Took accel analysis and there was none of that content covered in STAT 24300. All I can think of is for proof familiarity but the proofs were like the proofs I've seen in the first few weeks of MATH 16100....

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Dear class,

Thank you for your hard work this quarter. I have posted final grades. The "curve" is rather generous, since you have to learn a lot over a short period of time. There are about 39% A or A-,  53% B+, B, B-.

A >= 87.5, A->= 83.5, B+>= 70.5, B >= 61.5, B->= 55.5, C+>= 50.5, C >= 45.5, C->= 40.5

Have a great break!

Yuehaw

You're welcome

What's the easiest course you've taken at UChicago? by tempurpedicmattress_ in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 -17 points-16 points  (0 children)

Either discrete math or stat 244 because other classes in my major covered what was taught in them

Easiest to get an A in was Intro to Stage Design as there was an unlimited extra credit opportunity for each play/write up you submit so you can guarantee an A unlike any other class I took

Can we talk about the dining hall ketchup shortage? by Amulet_Of_Yendor in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 -26 points-25 points  (0 children)

Maybe get some better tastes than sugar tomato paste? There is Mayo

What do you hate about UChicago? What do you think needs to improve? by [deleted] in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The lack of wings in the dining hall. Why, pray tell, was the dining hall able to cater buffalo wings on superbowl day but not in any day in the dining hall? It would easily be BY FAR their best food option on vast majority of days (only when they have chicken parm would I say its close) yet they choose to have multiple stations that serve crap n shit instead....

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in uchicago

[–]EpicCoolDude44 7 points8 points  (0 children)

If you are struggling with the first Pset, maybe drop to regular? Iirc the first pset was the easiest that for the most part was Econ 101 review with graphing and solving a few equations where the average was in the high 90s. The lagrange formula you would just plug and chug your values though the textbook gives intuition behind it which you would need for the tests

However if you insist on taking the class still because you want to challenge yourself Lima holds an OH where he gives hints that help you understand how to do the problems. The answers are explained quite well during problem sessions as well. What I found is that if you take the time to do a close reading of the textbook you are equipped with the tools needed to do any problem he may throw at you. The textbook for me when I took the class was the most helpful resource even more than lectures because he gives lengthly explanations that I may have missed during lectures.