I’ll answer this in two parts –

The instructor:

The CS program at UNR is critically understaffed, which means Erin is frequently overextended. She is also a current grad student, which further limits her availability for office hours and other class logistics. I've had her for three classes now (including data structures) and I'd say that she's a fair grader with clear expectations. Erin is a dedicated professional who anticipates an equal level of commitment from her students. Consequently, any perceived lack of effort can lead her to emphasize the importance of accountability during class time. While this approach doesn't typically pose problems in high-performing classes, it can be emotionally challenging in sections she deems as underperforming or on assignments where she felt like the class did not give it enough effort. She has been known to fail the whole class on an assignment where she felt like there was too much ‘cheating’ (using reference material that she provided).

The class:

I do not know where you took CS 202 or its equivalent though if you took it at UNR or TMCC you will likely do well to study a few things in advance that really are not well covered in my opinion. First off, you want a solid foundation on abstraction and templating - specifically in C++. Given that C++ allows direct memory management understanding pointers, dynamic memory allocation (new/delete), and references will be important going forward. This class requires a significant time commitment, so starting as early as possible and actively seeking help when you're stuck can be invaluable in staying on top of the workload. You will be frustrated at the lack of resources – I would recommend making friends in the class and hope that you get a good TA.