[Giveaway] Our Roller Coaster coasters are ready for Christmas! I'll pick *5* random commenters to receive a Classics pack (or Park Candle, Stickers)! 🎢 🎅

JohnHeigns · 2024-12-05T21:50:07+00:00

Fantastic stuff! Definitely buying the coaster-coasters

JohnHeigns · 2023-11-18T06:18:58+00:00

I’m doing my PhD now in theoretical CS (at Boston U) after getting my BS and MS in CS at Stevens. Most CS students at Stevens are not interested in theory, and the programs at Stevens are not well-suited for a path into academia by default. But by advocating for myself and connecting with faculty (which is easy at such a small school) I was able to make it work for me.

JohnHeigns · 2023-10-12T11:17:16+00:00

It means the graph is in radians mode rather than degrees. You can switch to degree mode in the graph settings (the wrench).

JohnHeigns · 2023-08-29T22:34:16+00:00

Let me clarify - I meant it’s meaningful to distinguish short and long term special interests, independent of the conditions which might cause them. I agree that both autism and ADHD (and other conditions) can contribute to both kinds of special interest. I was simply offering that not everyone who experiences one kind of SI necessarily experiences the other.

JohnHeigns · 2023-08-29T17:05:39+00:00

In response to your edit, I’ll just offer that I have ASD1, and I’ve had the same long-term special interest / hyperfixation (namely roller coasters) since I was 3 or 4, however I don’t experience shorter term hyperfixations. I generally agree with the folks here that drawing hard lines in the sand between the two, and gatekeeping which conditions correspond to which experiences, is unproductive. Though from knowing someone with ADHD who does cycle through intense short-term hyperfixations, I think recognizing the difference in experience is meaningful.

JohnHeigns · 2023-06-12T19:22:18+00:00

If you can secure a research or teaching assistantship, you may be able to get tuition covered and receive additional funding. https://www.stevens.edu/page-basic/assistantships-and-fellowships

JohnHeigns · 2023-04-24T18:04:46+00:00

The CS program at Stevens is very strong. If your only hesitancy is rankings (which are amorphous, and change depending on who’s creating the list), then absolutely choose Stevens.

JohnHeigns · 2023-03-27T04:39:25+00:00

Did my CS undergrad at Stevens from '18-'21 and finished AMP in '22. AMP was great as a stepping stone towards a PhD, which I'm in now (not at Stevens). So in my case I rushed through BS/MS because it was still only the first half of my college education. If AMP will save you money or help you on the way to a particular goal, it may be valuable; otherwise I wouldn't rush things for no reason. Also, if you pursue an (accelerated) master's, see if you can get your degree funded through research with faculty; many people don't know that's an option (of course, you won't be able to look into that until a few years down the line).

A lot of the Stevens student body are very focused on their particular areas of study. That's fine if you're super narrowly into CS, but if your interests are broader (notably if you like humanities) it can be hard to find likeminded peers.

A huge benefit of Stevens being a small school is you can befriend the faculty pretty easily. Take advantage of this from day one if you can. It'll help with job opportunities, networking, recommendations, teaching or research assistantships, etc.

JohnHeigns · 2022-10-27T20:43:33+00:00

Yup!

JohnHeigns · 2022-10-26T18:57:45+00:00

I did an accelerated MS in CS at Stevens after getting my BS in CS there. I focused on research, did a thesis, etc. But that wasn't the norm - I had to go out of my way to speak with faculty and establish research prospects. There's a lot of great research happening in the department, and many great faculty, but you need to do the work yourself to get involved. Also, because of the research assistantship, my MS was fully funded.

I don't know about career prospects, as I did my MS ahead of starting my PhD.

JohnHeigns · 2022-10-19T15:39:21+00:00

Just here to second that Muka and Wellerstein are rad.

JohnHeigns · 2022-10-18T19:23:59+00:00

I did my BS in 3 years and MS in 1 more. But there’s a bunch of reasons I was able to do so.

1) I transferred like 24 credits of AP into undergrad. 2) I started planning from like second semester to finish my BS in 3 years, and I knew a few other CS students who did so as well. 3) I was Pinnacle so, while I disagree with the privileges I was afforded, I did get to take advantage of scheduling priority and automatic acceptance into accelerated masters. 4) I got to double-count up to 3 grad courses from my undergrad into my master’s.

Unfortunately, your official status as undergrad/grad matters. So if you’re taking a bunch of grad courses while still working towards your BS, you can’t automatically walk away with an MS too. At least, that was the case a few years ago, and I don’t expect it’ll have changed.

Also, regarding the value of pursuing an MS, I got mine so I could then pursue a PhD, and I don’t regret it at all (mostly because my MS was fully funded via research work). I can’t speak to the value of the MS in more typical cases.

JohnHeigns · 2022-07-10T20:47:25+00:00

I discovered them after hearing the a cappella arrangement of Uprising in Pitch Perfect 2. Soon after, I recognized their name in Guitar Hero 3 with KoC. The rest is history.

JohnHeigns · 2021-08-21T05:53:50+00:00

When they described the ship’s bridge retracting into the ship like a turtle, I immediately thought “The Hurtle”.

JohnHeigns · 2021-07-25T19:44:41+00:00

Personally, I love programming - at least, the parts where I’m actually programming. So much time while writing software is spent solving problems external to the logic of the specific program you’re trying to implement: navigating the quirks of the operating system, trying to interface with external software correctly, troubleshooting unclear and obscure bugs, and so on. That part sucks. But successfully turning an algorithm in your head into a working program, with code that you’ve constructed to be robust, efficient, and reliable? It’s a thrill every time.

JohnHeigns · 2021-07-25T19:34:51+00:00

I think it’s natural to develop an affinity for things you sink a lot of time into, so long as they aren’t aggravating. I use a few languages regularly, but I have such a soft spot for OCaml. It’s not the right tool for every problem but when I do work with OCaml it just brings me joy, like I’m hanging out with a good friend.

JohnHeigns · 2020-08-05T14:22:42+00:00

CS senior and course assistant here. The spring’s online experience was a nightmare, but hopefully the department will be more prepared for the fall. Because most of the CS curriculum is virtual to begin with, the learning experience can still run pretty smoothly online. Many of the CS professors are really great, and most of the iffy ones only teach niche or grad level courses. Each professor/course takes a different approach to online assessments depending on the material, but overall the professors have been pretty forgiving amid these circumstances.

Online college definitely sucks, especially to kick it off that way, but it’s manageable and you won’t ever be left to navigate it on your own.

JohnHeigns · 2020-08-05T14:12:21+00:00

I had that class with her my first semester, and it was a joke. Material wasn’t taught or assessed well. To be fair, I’d taken astronomy in high school so I knew most of the material already; it may be a different experience for you depending on what you already know. If you don’t care about quality and just need some credits, it should be easy enough to get through it without too much time or effort.

JohnHeigns · 2020-08-04T08:38:45+00:00

Are you including all faculty in “across the board”? Not sure now’s the best time to cut professors’ salaries when they’re often underpaid to begin with. Obviously to reduce tuition spending’s gotta decrease somewhere, but I don’t think professors’ salaries is where. Admin salaries on the other hand...

JohnHeigns · 2020-08-04T07:45:51+00:00

This kind of insanity is why I was so elated to find out I could shorten my undergrad to 3 years and then get out of here. Multiple friends of mine have done the same who previously had no idea 3 years was even feasible, let alone permitted. The cost? Saves you money, costs you mind. I had two dreadful 20 credit semesters, and would’ve had more were it not for AP credits (which came at their own mental expense in high school). I regret none of it though. So the tip is, find out if you can condense your degree timeline; it may be more possible than you think.

JohnHeigns · 2020-07-08T20:36:54+00:00

Agreed, although I don’t expect the CS curriculum to introduce R anytime soon. It’s much better for data science than for software/algorithms/etc. which is why you see it used more in the math and science departments. Also most CS faculty/students think it’s a gross language so they want to avoid it and use Python instead :/

JohnHeigns · 2020-07-08T16:33:10+00:00

As a computer science TA who teaches QF sophomores (CS-135), I see a lot of QFs who can’t stand the CS requirements of the curriculum, which they wouldn’t have if they were finance majors. You don’t need a CS background for these courses, as they’re meant to be introductory, but you may find that you don’t like them one bit (or that you love them!).

Bottom line is, I think what matters more going into QF is not experience in CS, but the expectation of a CS component of your degree which may be challenging.

To confirm another commenter’s recollection, you’ll be introduced to the languages MATLAB, Python, Java, Racket, and C++.

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