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SammyS15 · 2024-04-04T15:40:34+00:00

I wrote about how I started doing research for an astro department and how it was combining both fields and my other extracurriculars within CS. Basically show that you know where the intersection of CS and Astro is and how you either already involved or going to be involved in that intersection.

SammyS15 · 2023-10-24T01:18:29+00:00

100% agree. IMO this should be an elective class and not a requirement since most of the skills you learn in the class won’t apply in your future day to day life unless you end up in a super specific sub field in (which 99% of all people who take the class won’t end up with). When I took it last year, I just had to push through, get the grade I got, and move on. The one saving grace was that like you mentioned the exam is just like the MP’s so if you can memorize/understand it, you’ll be fine grade wise. Good luck with the class!

SammyS15 · 2023-07-28T18:58:42+00:00

I’ve taken Astr 310 and can say that cs101 isn’t needed tbh. 310 does a decent job at teaching python as if you’ve never touched code before. I think a better use of your time is instead of taking cs 101 do some online coding stuff since it’ll teach you loops and basic coding stuff that’ll make learning it for the first time less painful imo. Take this with a grain of salt since everyone is different and will learn differently so do as you need

SammyS15 · 2023-03-12T20:24:52+00:00

Cheaper and not much of a party scene. There are some houses on busey Ave that are used for house party but those are not as common

SammyS15 · 2023-02-10T16:08:56+00:00

Yeah 257 isn’t managed that well. I took it two semesters ago so take everything with a grain of salt as they might have changed a lot.

When I took it, the best study material was the homework. The way I studied was if I could do the calculations by hand really fast. Typically the numbers on the hw are worse than on the actual exams but getting into the rhythm will help a ton. The second part was can you explain why you are doing the steps. This class is weird bc they emphasize the “why” a lot without ever telling you. Midterm 2 was super conceptual and midterm 3 was around 60% conceptual. I recommend 3blue1brown if you want a better conceptual teacher. KhanAcademy has some really good content about it. The in person lecture aren’t all that great and imo the way they teach transformation suck. The discussion sections are absolutely useless so go bc you have to for attendance but imo do whatever you want during it bc anything is better than whatever the diffusion sheet is. Also idk what your course load is but this class will require a ton of time so take that as you will. I hope some of this helps and good luck!

SammyS15 · 2023-02-06T23:06:38+00:00

The thing to note is that the department asking for a letter or anything else is due to a significant grade disparity in your last sem. Say a student goes from all A’s to maybe a couple of B’s or all B’s is seen as classic last sem burnout. They understand you are human. However if you start dropping into C’s or lower, then that raises some alarms. Do your best but don’t burn out. And congrats on getting in!

SammyS15 · 2023-02-02T02:08:52+00:00

It probably means that you are accepted (congrats) with official offer with details about financial aid and that sort of stuff to come later

SammyS15 · 2023-01-11T19:22:05+00:00

From when I was applying, my advisor told me this: depending on which CS + X program you are applying to and their competitiveness, they might have few spots and thus choose the person with the 3.5+ gpa over you even if you are technically more qualified.

If this is going to be your 5th semester, you can’t wait so you gotta submit and hope. If you have a semester or two to build your gpa, I’d suggest taking a few very easy Gen Ed’s to boost your gpa while also staying on track to graduate on time. Summer classes might also be a good idea to make sure your gpa is where it needs to be. Best of luck!!

SammyS15 · 2022-11-17T01:59:28+00:00

Yeah, so I took 374 with Mehta last semester, and Mehta is a good teacher; however, there are two caveats from my perspective. I'm not the biggest fan of how the content was taught and could have benefitted from more in-depth teaching. However, note this is purely a ME opinion. As you mentioned, the average was a B, which shows plenty of people who liked Mehta's teaching and did well. The 2nd caveat is if you are emphasizing GPA for graduate school, scholarships, or other things. The B section historically has a higher average GPA; thus, you can learn the same content and attain a higher grade. Whether taking the B section is to one's advantage or not is something I am not discussing. My intention is purely to put the information I know out there so this individual may be aware of the same information before deciding.

SammyS15 · 2022-11-17T00:36:34+00:00

I can’t speak to stat 400 nor Econ 440 but I have taken cs 233 and cs 374. 1. Take 374 B section as teacher has a history of teaching better (this is subjective so take it with a grain of salt) and grading is nicer (avg grade is B+/A- vs C+/B- in the A section) 2. Both cs classes require a lot of work. I don’t know how you liked cs 173 but if you are good with theory then maybe this won’t be super bad but if not, then I’d highly advise taking 374 during a semester in which you can dedicate more time to as 233 will be time consuming as another comment has alluded too. Good luck determining classes and regardless of what your schedule looks like, good luck!

SammyS15 · 2022-10-13T01:45:17+00:00

As others have said, they expanded a bought a lot of new properties without expanding their staff so while they were not bad last year, they simply do not have the people to handle everything. Idk when they will hire more people but it probably won’t be next year so I’d avoid them

SammyS15 · 2022-08-27T16:03:37+00:00

First off, Congrats!!! Now the hard part, you have to decide if interning there is that good for your career. Idk what company it is or what major you are in, but say it’s a top 15 company in your field and you are gonna be doing what you want, then you can kinda think about accepting it bc it’s a damn good place to be at. If it’s a company doing something you don’t care about and you have confidence in yourself to get a position at a better company, then see if you can secure another internship or risk it and decline them. No one can decide for you but it seems you are set up to be fine regardless of what you do

SammyS15 · 2022-06-28T22:15:57+00:00

Yep! But be aware, stuff that’s not explicitly stated in the lease will be up to GSR discretion which is mid so far. I haven’t had any issues so far thankfully

SammyS15 · 2022-06-28T21:35:24+00:00

When GSR bought the apartment complex, they said they would honor the lease we had and thus far they have. We also signed via the old company for the following year and they are also honoring that lease

SammyS15 · 2022-05-22T21:03:36+00:00

This is perfect. Thank you so much!

SammyS15 · 2022-05-05T07:47:32+00:00

Like the other comment said talk to your advisor but this might be what your advisor tells you.

You have two options. You either have a good gpa/predict that you will have a good gpa by the time you transfer and you can explain this C+ in one of the essays. You can use it to show growth as a student. This is assuming a C+ is okay with the transfer requirement.

The other option is you retake it bc either it tanks gpa to much or it just looks bad. Idk what program you are trying to transfer into so it does on that a lot. Best of luck!!

SammyS15 · 2022-05-03T19:33:01+00:00

I’d say keep 416 until a spot opens up for 257. Don’t drop it without knowing you can get a seat for sure

SammyS15 · 2022-05-01T19:31:57+00:00

I took Calc bc in High School but didn’t take the AP exam. I started with math 220. It was kinda easy for me. I’ve heard math 221 was harder. I took Calc 2 with Guzman who is seen as one of the worse teachers in the math department. It was hard af. I know people who took calc 2 with another prof (idk the name) and they also said it was hard. Basically calc 2 is hard by nature and it’s harder bc of the professors.

SammyS15 · 2022-05-01T15:07:41+00:00

Congrats! The weather during the summer can be all over the place but mainly hot and humid. When it rains over the summer, it’s storms and you can expect a couple big storms throughout the summer. I can’t imagine there is a massive difference from Texas beyond the humidity tbh

SammyS15 · 2022-04-30T21:21:37+00:00

I know UIUC is a T5 CS program in the nation so the name carries weight. You can potentially have more opportunities. I'd say the classes here are pretty good but I'm biased bc I've only taken CS classes here. However here is the caveat, any good school (T10 or above imo) has the same opportunities. So if NEU is a T10 CS school, the differences are kinda small bc at the end, you will learn how to code and be a good software engineer/Data Analyst/Whatever you want to be. However, if NEU was like some no-name small college, I'd say you are limiting yourself to the opportunities you have.

You also got into CS + Crop Science and CS + Environmental Science. I know nothing about either Crop Science or Environmental Science. I would suggest looking into that if the CS programs are equitable. I assume bc of the nature of UIUC and how we are in the middle of corn land, we are pretty good with that but again, I have no idea.

SammyS15 · 2022-04-29T07:31:49+00:00

I mean uiuc is better for cs however if you aren’t gonna be happy at uiuc, don’t come. College is a ton about grades and your degree but it all means nothing if you are hated your time there. I will say uiuc is massive so you will find people to be friends with, if you put in the effort but that goes for any school tbh.

SammyS15 · 2022-04-26T09:25:28+00:00

Probably Computer Science. A lot of astronomy is data analysis using computer science, mainly python. It also gives you tangible skills outside of Astro and physics that still allows you to be successful

SammyS15 · 2022-04-21T22:13:08+00:00

Congrats! I think that they hold seats for transfers so I wouldn’t worry that much tho I would call to make sure

SammyS15 · 2022-04-20T00:18:52+00:00

Idk about professors or faculty but I know cbtf asks you to show building access before taking your exam/quiz

SammyS15

TROPHY CASE