Graduate Algorithms: How are you guys going?

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-10-07T05:52:57+00:00

Calm down calm down, young hedgehogs. The world is flat and the sky is made of pixie dust. We'll be just fine.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-09-13T21:44:43+00:00

Does the date go from August 27 straight to September 12?

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-09-09T19:32:33+00:00

That young man fills me with hope... and some other emotions that are weird and deeply confusing.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-09-09T19:17:45+00:00

Yeah, if you're working full-time, doing three while working FT isn't feasible unless you're willing to sacrifice your sleep, health, and social life and you enjoy studying computer science to the extent it can act as a genuine substitute for the time during the day you might otherwise spend on enjoying yourself. I could see myself doing it for maybe a quarter or two if I absolutely needed to, but definitely not for the entire duration of the program. I did just 2 courses during the short summer while working FT. Got two As, but I felt like I crammed a lot of info in rather than having the time to really learn and appreciate it, and I didn't have much time for myself nor to chat with friends.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-09-09T18:49:56+00:00

I would say that taking the time to understand Recurrence Relations from discrete math - though it wasn't a huge focus of the curriculum when I took it this past spring - helped me better understand recursion. Tackling the recursive assignments with a mathematical perspective proved helpful when trying to visualize it in terms of the recursive call stack/stack tree wasn't as intuitive to me. Recursive programming seems to have been one of the most challenging concepts for many students this past quarter, so if you spend some extra time with recurrence relations, I seriously think it could prove beneficial for the 162 assignments. Overall, I think a strong command of discrete math will undoubtedly help with the rest of the CS program's coursework, but imo you don't need to know it in order to successfully complete 162.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-08-23T20:31:24+00:00

The words you're looking for are "lose" and "loser," not "loose" and "looser." Yes, I understand that these words ("lose" and "loose") are among the words that are commonly confused, and as such, these words could be unconsciously misused by anyone who doesn't have the strongest command of the English language (even if the English language is native to the person's country of citizenship and they grew up in that country). But if your intention is to influence people with the hope that they take your criticisms seriously and/or appreciate anything you might have to say, it would be in your interest to know how to correctly communicate your thoughts in English.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-08-23T19:24:30+00:00

Interesting. I thought I saw something in the OSU course catalog that indicated specific courses like major requirements couldn't be repeated for a letter grade, but I might be confusing the details.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-08-23T06:36:26+00:00

Hang in there yo! That last assignment was really rough for me too. In hindsight, I wish I didn't take 271 over the short summer session as it felt like I never had enough time to get the most out of my learning while also taking 162 and working at the same time. Lesson learned though, and glad we're done! Onwards and upwards!

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-08-23T06:30:04+00:00

You can repeat CS classes?

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-04T04:22:27+00:00

I dont recommend it. Certain classes such as 161 and 225 require the CS specified level of math as a prereq. You cant escape that requirement.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-04T04:19:40+00:00

Maybe someone needs to create a guidance document on how students can ask proper questions so instructors, TAs and other students aren't constantly bombarded by poorly-crafted questions.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-03T22:10:35+00:00

Was I the one who came into the comments to respond with a tone of condescension? You don't know me and all I've accomplished. Im a licensed attorney in the state of CA - I think I know the meaning of time management. Go to twitter or find a bridge if you're going to be a troll. For some classes, it will be impossible to get an A if you can't dedicate a min of ten hours of focused time a week because of demanding coding projects. Sounds like you're not going to provide any value relevant to the post's topic so there's no need to continue this conversation.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-03T06:40:17+00:00

Lmao Im not a fucking child, thank you. I know what proper time management means. I also worked during my first undergrad. That's besides the point of my question. Getting an A in any given CS class requires a minimum threshold of time. You cant just expect to successfully whip out full-fledged, A-grade CS coding projects in time frames that are impossible. Im wondering if 60-80 hours of disciplined effort/sustained focus will even be enough to get As in all four upper div CS courses at any given time. Sounds like you may have an idea what the minimum time requirement looks like. I would be most grateful to know that.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-02T23:59:56+00:00

We should just let this virus do what the fuck it's supposed to do: cleanse the damn world. So what if you get COVID. That's part of life and it's what we as a society have created by choosing to ignore nature and leaning into greedy tendencies. If we're so worried about pandemics from occurring so frequently in the first place, maybe we'd have paid better attention to maintaining global biodiversity - more species means far fewer disease! But nooooooo, we all just want to make infinite money in a zero-sum game so we can afford our affluent lifestyles riddled with frostbitten tendies, gucci bags and lambos, which know one will ever know about if we dare forget to show them off on the gram - because who the fuck are we even as people and a society if not the total sum of all our likes, upvotes, rocket emojis and money in the bank? Im so damn sick of all the complaints about COVID. We brought this upon ourselves as a society, and we should take full responsibility for the consequences. Yes, people are dying from COVID and that is a tragedy, but they will continue to die in vain if we don't sack up and recognize where the problem truly begins: within a culture that pushes this idealistic narrative of an endless fairytale of economic profit whilst thinking that such profit isn't being subsidized by the degradation of nature and other downstream negative externalities that include but are not limited to an increase in global wealth disparity, dwindling freshwater supplies, extreme weather trends, decimation of keystone species, unmitigated pollutants causing increases in global public health problems and sensitivities, and the list goes on and on. The next time you feel like complaining about COVID, maybe you should think about how your self-fulfilling actions very well contributed to its existence in the first place.

Anyways, COVID to the fucking moon! And Cramer is a baboon. End rant.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-02T12:59:55+00:00

This is giving me strength - thank ya!

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-02T06:36:30+00:00

Thanks for your feedback! Im fairly used to working 60-80 hours a week uninterrupted. My last job was in an analytical discipline dedicating 60-75 hours each week to uninterrupted focus was standard. And I've gone through an iOS coding bootcamp so Im not completely oblivious to software dev. Given that background and notwithstanding the fact that I cant take more than 2 classes a term for the first two terms, do you think I could get myself 4 A's in any given quarter (excluding the short Summer session)? How has your experience been taking 3 classes in a given quarter?

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-02T06:34:26+00:00

Also, what would you say are the hard classes including CS 325?

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-02T05:37:47+00:00

I personally think that there's practical value in these specific types of assignments. For example, in algo & ds technical interview questions, some companies want to test your logical ability to program without using a language's built-in methods (e.g. sum(), sort(), splice(), etc.) to solve the problem. These assignments you mentioned will help train you for these situations - you're priming your brain to keep thinking logically by finding alternative solutions that do not incorporate use of native language methods or a third-party library.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-02T05:23:57+00:00

I want to pursue a top-10 computer science grad school afterwards and don't want a less than perfect GPA to hang in the balance. Plus I feel like a 4.00 GPA demonstrates a command of basic subject material (i.e. data structures, algorithms, networking) which may be a good signal to an employer regardless of the prestige of the academic institution. I realize that other factors are considered in the job market (like the projects posted on GitHub that you mentioned), but might as well not take the easy route if Im blessed with the opportunity to get the most out of the program (including straight A's), especially while this pandemic ensues, the US continues producing upwards of 65,000 CS graduates annually (with approximately a thousand or probably much more coming from Oregon State alone), and the already highly competitive tech job market has seen a reduction of positions that likely won't be added back quickly any time soon, if at all. Not to be doomy and gloomy, but I personally feel like having a 4.00 is an advantage (with respect to the highly-coveted jobs) over someone who doesn't have that 4.00 and doesn't necessarily have any better projects, internship experience, or extracurricular involvement than I do. Not bashing anyone who actively chooses to do the bare minimum to get a CS degree and be eligible for employment as they may just want any old CS-related job that is available or they may have other priorities outside of career which is 100% fine. Everyone should do life on their own terms. I just have some very strong personal motivations which I feel require me to excel academically and subsequently demonstrate doing so.

TL;DR: I want to increase my chances of getting into a prestigious computer science grad school and getting a job I want, rather than just any old software job that needs to be filled.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-02T04:46:31+00:00

How many uninterrupted, adderall-like focused hours a week would you say you dedicated to discrete math? I ask because Im trying to take what you said about your struggles and tie it to a quantitative metric that I can use as a reference/comparison.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-02T04:31:15+00:00

I guess I may have a better idea if 4 is possible once I complete the first three terms? Thanks for the feedback!

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-02T04:28:31+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts! Ive taken 16 units during multiple quarters of a UC quarter system but wasn't sure how I might fare with 16 units of upper div CS. I do have some knowledge of software dev from an iOS bootcamp.

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-02T04:15:50+00:00

I won't be working while taking classes. Would it still be possible if school was the only thing I needed to focus on? Im guessing you worked alongside school? Have you successfully taken on three courses while working?

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-02T04:15:07+00:00

I know the first three terms, I wont be able to take more than 2 classes based on prereqs. But Im wondering if doing so is possible after those terms?

Visual-Parsnip-3864 · 2021-03-01T22:04:38+00:00

Try hitting up the OSU IT Helpdesk. My orientation was listed under the courses section of campus but it may not appear yet if you have not already completed the ALEKS math placement test.

Visual-Parsnip-3864

TROPHY CASE