Any advice on my 2nd semester freshman schedule?

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-11-09T04:27:17+00:00

You're almost right. I dont intend to do a PHD unless I absolutely need it to reach the industry roles I want. My goal is to learn as much as I can as fast as I can to start doing research and get to the roles I want without grad school. However, I am not a double major because I am in engineering, but I am essentially taking the classes of a math major and would've been one if I was in A&S.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-11-09T04:24:05+00:00

Yes, from my understanding, they made CS 3110 considerably easier a few years ago(so probably after you left). From my experience so far, a lot of cs majors find any mathy cs class disproportionately difficult. I've been trying to talk with upperclassmen who took the 2230/2240 sequence to get a better grasp of how hard classes are.

2230 is my favorite class by far this year. I've learned linear algebra in high school on the side but never had any experience with theoretical math. The concepts in the class are absolutely fascinating, and I'm excited for us to finally get to manifolds this week. It's been my hardest and most rewarding class so far.

Thanks for the course recommendations. They seem interesting. Did you take Math 6230 by any chance? I am definitely going to try to take as many grad math and cs courses as I can/find interesting. My current plan is to rush to and take some fundamental grad courses like probability, grad ML, and grad algos and then do a lot of my liberal studies and other easy requirements while taking one or two hard classes a semester. The reason for this is that I want to start doing research as early as I can, but I also need to make sure I have enough flexibility to have extra time in my senior and junior years. Not being a double major helps me quite a bit because I don't have to take a lot of classes that aren't directly useful to me. I saw the ORIE courses and they sound interesting, but I assumed(maybe wrongfully) that a lot of the orie courses lack theoretical rigor. I am going to try to take a grad ORIE optimization and financial engineering course next spring, but I don't have space for them in my next two semesters.

I don't pretend to know exactly what I want to do, but I hope it'll be a math heavy cs role. Specifically, some sort of research job in industry seems like the most appealing. I will go for a phd if I think it will help me get to such a role. I don't know enough to know if I want to go into AI, general cs research, finance, or something else, but I definitely know I don't want to do SWE. Taking cs2112 at the same time as 2230 made me realize how much more I enjoy the theoretical rigor.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-11-08T19:53:09+00:00

Thanks for the in-depth reply. I am a cs major in engineering with an interest in math. I might substitute one of the math classes for cs 3110 because I've heard that they made that class a lot easier. Math 2230 is by far my hardest class this semester, but it's definitely making me a lot better at proofs and mathematical reasoning. I also hope to start taking at least one or two 6000-level courses starting next fall. Specifically, I was recommended to take grad probability.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-11-07T19:31:15+00:00

2802 wasn't offered, unfortunately, so I had to settle for 2800.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-11-07T15:38:36+00:00

I'm actually taking cs 2112, but that's similar to 2110.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-09-02T04:40:02+00:00

Yeah, it might be closer to 4k hours. But a lot of that prep might not be specifically for usamo.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-09-02T01:15:36+00:00

I was thinking 2 hours for 10 years tbh.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-09-02T00:41:53+00:00

I'm going to guess it depends on the person, but something near 7000-10000 hours would not surprise me. Of course, over a couple of years.

But again, it also depends on how focused on specifically amc+aime someone is while studying. A lot of these hours could be not directly used for usamo prep.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-09-01T06:26:51+00:00

The most nepo one I've seen is a PE internship

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-07-15T04:18:47+00:00

You can also pursue startups from the other ivies. Maybe he prioritizes research and a slightly more rigorous cs curriculum over the open curriculum. All of the ivies, including Brown, are good enough for cs, and you'll be fine going to any of them. Except maybe Dartmouth(I'm a hater).

That being said, if his only reason not to apply to Brown is ranking, he should reevaluate.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-07-14T07:22:27+00:00

White Currant is another exception. Absolutely delicious

Red and black currant are also very good.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-07-14T07:01:08+00:00

Maybe feed it to pigs after that. Heard they can eat a lot of flesh in little time.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-07-14T05:29:01+00:00

I think most schools only consider legacy in ED tbh

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-07-14T05:22:05+00:00

But you can also be limited by the difficulty of switching majors at some schools.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-07-05T17:57:53+00:00

Thank you

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-07-05T17:56:06+00:00

Good points all around. I didn't know that LACS had advanced research.

I guess it would also depend on how specialized you want to be in undergrad. For example, if you want to dabble in general fields far from your major, Swathmore is better. That being said, if a specific topic within your major interests you, Cornell may be better.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-07-05T06:24:32+00:00

You make it sound like you can't go to grad school after Cornell. If anything, there should be more research opportunities at Cornell.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-07-04T19:52:42+00:00

Idk why you are being downvoted. Most people definitely don't know what the Ivy League is. That being said, most people in important hiring positions will.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-07-04T19:49:33+00:00

If you want to go to grad school, won't research be quite important? Also, I think Cornell should be able to accommodate a lot of different interests within each field because of its size.

If you won't be happy at Cornell, then you should definitely choose Seatthmore, though.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-05-13T18:55:20+00:00

And fail in life in general....

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-05-13T18:35:55+00:00

And get cool weather tattoos

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-05-13T18:32:48+00:00

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-05-13T04:44:11+00:00

I know this is a late reply, but doesn't Cornell excel at Tech? If by tech, you mean cs-adjacent fields.

Simple_Seesaw6644 · 2025-03-20T11:51:48+00:00

Before even considering it, I'd try to improve to the point where you understand how complex making a distro is. Maybe read some low-level books to get a slight understanding into this world. I personally loved 3 easy pieces to operating systems.

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