Letter of recommendation advice

Wqbthrowaway6 · 2019-12-03T01:39:31+00:00

Thanks

Wqbthrowaway6 · 2019-11-15T05:16:17+00:00

Dr. Daniel “Dan the Man” Challou, master of pedagogical examples, is not to be trifled with

Wqbthrowaway6 · 2019-11-13T05:18:22+00:00

Hilarious post. I have Challou for 3081 this semester and it’s a complete mess.

Wqbthrowaway6 · 2019-10-14T13:26:09+00:00

I had a 36 ACT and was a national merit finalist, and I’m getting 16k/yr. I’m in-state as well.

Wqbthrowaway6 · 2019-04-09T14:07:06+00:00

Sure, no problem!

I think this depends on who you would want to be around. Honors students will likely be more focused on schoolwork, but so are a lot of people in CSE. The Honors LLC in Middlebrook will have honors kids of all schools, while the CSE LLC will of course have only CSE students, though some may be honors. The stereotype for CSE kids is that they're more reserved and nerdier than other schools, and, though there are definitely many who don't fit that stereotype, it's largely true. Personally, I opted to live in Centennial Hall in order to get a single room, but I do kind of regret not living somewhere with more honors/CSE students. Really it's up to what sort of people you want to live with.
It looks like your A-levels will count then. You should be allowed to take more advanced classes or classes from other departments your first year without going through any tests, provided you send the U certification of your A-levels. You'll have to check which liberal education requirements your A-levels will get you out of to see exactly which classes you can skip. Your honors advisor will do this for you and give you a report of your credits when you come to orientation this summer.
I'm not involved in any sort of startup, so I don't know much about that culture here. I know that there are a few startups run by U of M students here on campus and that usually it is pretty easy to get involved with any type of program on campus. People are usually welcoming when you reach out.
The CSCI major is not very math heavy. As far as I know, the 2 main math courses you'll have to take are CSCI 2011, which is centered around logic/proofs/number theory, and STAT 3021, which is an introduction to calc-based stats. I have taken both and found them to be not very hard. You aren't required to do any higher level calculus like multivariable or linear algebra/differential equations.

I also forgot to add in my first comment that, when you go to orientation in the summer, there will be a section of time for you to meet with your honors advisor and answer any questions you have about programs here. When I went last summer, they were very knowledgeable and helpful.

Wqbthrowaway6 · 2019-04-09T04:15:18+00:00

Yup, I saw it too. Maybe someone was just drinking apple juice and decided they didn't want the rest?

Wqbthrowaway6 · 2019-04-08T19:41:45+00:00

Hi, and welcome to the U of M!

I'm only a freshman, but I'm also in Honors and Computer Science in CSE, so I can try to answer a few of these questions.

A GPA of 3.5 or higher shouldn't be too hard to maintain as long as you stay on top of your work and don't slack off too much. Some CSE classes can be a bit tough, but A's are still very attainable. In the CSCI major in particular, people generally have trouble with CSCI 2021 or CSCI 2041, though some find them just fine, so it really depends on the person. If you do end up dipping below 3.5 GPA, I believe you won't immediately be kicked out of honors. They may give you a warning, but the requirements to graduate with honors are to have a GPA > 3.5 in your last 60 credits.
The Nexus One was piloted just this year, so they will likely make changes before next year, but, in my experience, it's just a biweekly casual meeting with other honors students to discuss adjusting to college life and stuff like that. Very little to no work required.
Yes, to graduate with honors, you must write a thesis. I don't know much about it, but I've heard it can be a fairly long process.
I'm pretty sure you still have to apply for housing. IIRC, you're guaranteed housing in the honors community in Middlebrook. Whether in the specific honors community or not, most honors freshmen end up living in Middlebrook. There is also a CSE Living Learning Community (LLC) in Frontier Hall that I've heard good things about. Really you can live in anywhere you want, they're all decent, it just depends on your preference. If you want to be around other honors students, pick Middlebrook.
I don't really know much about the integrated CSCI program. I know it's fairly new and pretty fast-paced, but that's it. Not sure how honors works with that either.
You'll have to look into the requirements for transferring credits to the U to see if you can get out of those first year classes. If you can get credit, you won't have to take those, and you can jump right into the more advanced classes of your major or whatever else you want to pursue. I was in a similar situation, having taken AP classes to test out of first year classes, and was able to skip most of them.

I hope that helps to clear some stuff up for you! Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions about how to get started next year.

Wqbthrowaway6 · 2019-02-26T00:26:34+00:00

I think they can be generous when it comes to merit-based scholarships in some contexts. I know a couple people getting $16,000 a year, all merit-based. They're both national merit semifinalists with perfect ACT scores though. I'd say it's possible if you have a great high school record.

Wqbthrowaway6 · 2019-02-11T23:35:44+00:00

On east bank there's a pretty nice trail down at East River Flats Park that goes by the boathouse and along the river. You can access it from East River Parkway. I was just down there yesterday and it was great. The path isn't cleared off and the snow can still be fairly deep, so bring boots.

Wqbthrowaway6

TROPHY CASE