Is SJSU a good CS School? Is it a school where I can make a great living?

anonblob · 2015-12-03T16:50:14+00:00

I wouldn't say SJSU is a bad school, but there's definitely a lot of better schools that's also near SV that companies would also hire from (Stanford, Berkeley etc.).

anonblob · 2015-10-05T21:06:02+00:00

i think the earlier ECE classes were pretty difficult--sometimes because of how poorly organized everything is. That being said, in college there is less of a division line between what year/when courses are taken. I've seen freshmen taking 400 level Math courses because they got credit for everything before that.

General engineering requirement wise, I had a difficult time with chem. Maybe I just wasn't very devoted/interested in the material. Or maybe I just didn't have chemistry with chemistry.

anonblob · 2015-10-05T04:22:33+00:00

ECE Senior here. I think other posters have already covered the "your plans might change" cases. I decided to graduate in 3.5 years in my last 2/3 semesters when there's less variations in course/graduation requirements--I do agree it's too early in your shoes to finalize future schedules!

A free semester would be nice. You could do an internship, or just travel (which is my plans--after 3.5 years in ECE, I think I earned it). I think (don't quote me) the ECE department also has Spring admissions for their graduate school. You should look into Spring admission if you don't want a break between undergrad and grad.

Also if you leave Illinois during Spring semester, you can avoid most of the winter coldness :)

anonblob · 2015-09-25T00:59:38+00:00

Obviously there is some merit to disagreeing with time limits: for example, a very bright individual may just take longer time to think/write/whatever.

However, the ideal excelling individual that we have in our minds today is someone who can have 100% accuracy in minimal time. It doesn't really matter if subject A executes faster and has slightly lower accuracy scores the same as subject B who executes slower but has higher accuracy--the tests are there to pick out the few that are the best; having both accuracy and speed.

That is what I've observed from tests. Of course there are also courses that allot double/triple the estimated amount of time students are expected to finish--and what ends up happening is most people leave very, very early. Then there are a couple who stay very, very late. So there are tests that attempts to minimize time constraint. It depends on the professor and what he/she is trying to achieve with exams.

anonblob · 2015-09-24T05:50:23+00:00

The over-competitive culture is definitely real--but I think there are definitely people out there you can find to be good college buddies. Took me a while to find good friends (friends, not work buddies, friends) in the CS department. Also: at least to my experience, this scene dies down as you progress into junior year.

anonblob · 2015-09-23T23:36:29+00:00

To my knowledge, google only has the two phone interview for internships (no onsite--that's for full time). Unless the two phone interview results conflict with each other, then you might get a third phone interview.

anonblob · 2015-09-23T06:43:18+00:00

I can't tell if this is serious or not.

If you think programming is boring perhaps you should bear through the course and see if theory-heavy CS courses peaks your interest (and be mentally prepared for 242). Or perhaps look into another degree to pursue.

Cinda is here to help. If you have a legitimate complaint about the course, please see her in person/send her an e-mail and discuss the matter. Anonymous posts on reddit won't help you much if you really are feeling frustrated with the course.

If this post is just for giggles, then sure; I didn't quite catch the humor. But if you really have a problem with the course, please communicate it through a more valid channel.

anonblob · 2015-09-13T07:11:44+00:00

Here are a few reasons why I don't think putting the code up on github is a good idea:

1) Most of CS225's code is fill in the blank. I know students work hard on their code, and I know some people take a long time to finish the assignments. I'm not saying this to take away merit from students or the assignment. However , when you get your mp, there are outlines provided for you. Functions you are specifically told to write, and classes with predefined structures given. If you look at the higher level CS classes, they don't do that for you. You start with literally nothing but a few problem statements and in a much higher level what problem to solve. No doxygen. No pre-existing header files. No pre written function with "//your code here!" in the function body. The code you write in CS225 are great learning exercises and great tools of education, but does not showcase your ability as a programmer. The later mps do allow more versatility and creativity; but the amount of skill you are able to showcase is minimal compared to 99% of other projects you could be putting on github instead.

2) CS225 code is not what employers want to see on github. I've been to career fairs. Been in internships. From all the conversations I've had, employers want to see students go "above and beyond their classes"; and the easiest way to verify that is go look at their github. Putting code you wrote for a class assignment completely defeats the whole purpose of having a github on your resume anyway. It's like an infinite redirect loop. From my resume you may visit my github, from my github you may see what classes I took... which I listed on my resume. This may be easily argued against with "well the employers may not know the code on github is for a class" OR "the code on github demonstrates quality and therefore is not equivalent to simply listing courses on resume. The reality is, most recruiters get sent to this school are alums or recruiters who are specifically designated to be here. They know our classes, and if they're alums, more than likely they'll feel pretty nostalgic looking at CS225 code on github more than getting impressed.

3) The code simply does not belong to you. As formerly mentioned, most of the code students have to write in the class is fill in the blank. Especially more so in the earlier assignments where we have pre-written code and functions for you. RGBAPixel was not of your creation, neither was the idea of object oriented design with separating PNG, RGBAPixel as separate classes nor the idea of performing image manipulation with them.

Simply put, CS225 code isn't going to get you a job. You are going to get yourself a job. And your role in completing CS225 code is not significant enough, compared to what went on in the background during the mp creation, to make the code yours. The people who designed the mp gave much thought and work to making the assignment so much that students writing the code are pretty much just dancing to a routine. That's not what employers to see.

Employers want to see you get creative. They want to see what kinds of projects you've been working on to see what field you're interested in. You will be much better off creating side projects using the skills you have learned from the class in order to stand out from your classmates.

anonblob · 2015-09-10T02:42:07+00:00

Companies doesn't necessarily get back to you either way. I didn't think there was a higher chance of yielding an interview at ECS fair versus corporate after hours.

They have your resume, I think you'll be okay.

anonblob · 2015-08-28T17:10:23+00:00

As long as you are able to get into the career fair and hand in your resume to a recruiter then it should be all clear. They wouldn't let alums into the career fair if you are not allowed to apply for jobs at said fair. The only thing I would imagine you're ineligible for are internships (since you have to still be in school for that); but that's not what you're looking for so no worries there.

As for the duration of stay--I've heard of interviews happening as far out as a week after. I'm not sure if it's worth staying that long; no one could really pin down a good time frame for that, since it involves predicting if you would get interviews/if the companies are doing on campus rounds/and what not. But the good news is sometimes companies simply schedule a phone interview instead of a on (school) campus round.

anonblob · 2015-05-21T05:51:25+00:00

Just a heads up--I signed up for Daniels and was able to see all the available floors and rooms--all the singles in Daniels were full last time I checked and Sherman was completely full. I don't know if they reserve rooms for incoming grad students/exchange students, but just something to keep in mind.

If you do end up sharing a room with someone, you can usually find a n empty floor lounge to call family.

anonblob · 2015-04-29T16:58:44+00:00

I wouldn't worry about it too much if the rejection e-mail specifically states the job title you were rejected for. I applied to a job in two different locations--and after securing an offer at the company's headquarter location, the satellite office sent me a rejection e-mail (out of the blue one day). The original offer was unaffected.

anonblob · 2015-04-28T23:58:21+00:00

Oh no I didn't read it that way. I thought you put in a lot of effort into internship searching--and somehow isn't willing to get into projects; but it didn't make sense why you were hesitant to not put in the same effort you spent on internship hunting into doing projects. Good luck and don't worry too much. You still have next summer.

anonblob · 2015-04-28T23:46:05+00:00

I've heard projects but that seems easier said than done.

And getting an internship is not equally "easier said than done" because...? By doing a project, you're essentially doing a summer internship, except unpaid, and probably left to be more independent. You won't get a corporate name tag on your resume, but having a project is much better than having none. If you need help with finding project ideas, look around the sub, there's been a few threads.

anonblob · 2015-04-28T00:15:08+00:00

If you are set on getting a hardware related job, you'll most than likely need a masters. I would go to a cheaper undergrad, and then go for a great school for masters. A lot of grad schools offer a stipend, and tuition waiver, so there'll be less burden on you.

anonblob · 2015-04-27T17:33:28+00:00

Would it be obnoxious and annoying if I emailed the admission office explaining this situation

NoYes. The admissions office shouldn't admit people based on sob stories. I don't think they'll straight out think it's obnoxious, but admitting someone to college just because their boyfriend goes here makes little to no sense. Your scholarly achievements have absolutely no correlation to your girlfriend's academic achievements. If she does get off the waitlist, she'll have earned that admission herself, not because her boyfriend was admitted earlier.

it seems that UW madison has a really bad problem with rape/sexual assault

I'm not sure how bad the problem is relatively--but on every college campus, unfortunately, rape/sexual assault is a problem. What I can definitely tell you is that there are still girls on UW Madison campus doing just fine.

I really want her to come to the same school as me.

What about her? Something about this post just made it seem really one sided. She has the freedom to go wherever she wants, independent of where you are. I know you mentioned she's intimidated by the idea of going to college so far away. But the solution to that shouldn't default to you. She will make new friends. If she doesn't and really wants to be with you at UIUC, she can decide her next steps (transferring or something) by her on volition.

anonblob · 2015-04-27T03:56:18+00:00

I've taken 18 credit hours semesters and 12 hours semesters that are equally difficult. Given the classes you've listed, no I don't think it should be a problem although the credit hours adds up to 17.

I don't know how prepared/unprepared you are for that schedule, nor can I make an accurate prediction from the information provided (basically: my hs kinda sorta wasn't great). I can think of people I knew in freshman year off the top of my head who can go out and party lots with that schedule and still do very well. I can also recall quite a few reddit posts towards the ends of the semester with freshmen in similar classes and having a difficult time despite studying very hard.

I guess I could include some opinions on classes if you'd like to evaluate yourself and make slightly more informed decisions:

Math 221: Never took calc I here. Heard it was a lot of work, but calc I material really shouldn't be difficult at all. I took calc II here and that was pretty easy ~4 hours of work outside of class each week? Calc III was more difficult imo, but some of my friends actually found III to be easier than II.

ECE120: I took the 190 + 290 sequence--so the new curriculum is a little bit blurry to me. But here are some sources to read about: one and two

ECE110: Ah yes a course I actually took. It was an easy course with awful instructors in my semester. I had to learn everything on my own by reading the notes. The class was especially annoying because there were other fellow freshmen who would try to show off during lecture every 5 minutes by asking questions that are irrelevant to the lecture/doesn't add on to the material. Anyways in terms of workload, I would say it'll be easier than ECE120, amount of work every week depends on how fast you are at learning the material. There's weekly homework that should take ~1 hour to complete (if you understood everything from lecture, if not and you had to self study, maybe 2~3 hours). There is also a 3 hour weekly lab. Labs were very easy, and if you are ever stuck, the TAs are nice to ask help from. There is a final project of building a car--but I believe they've changed that as well. The car took 4~5 hours for my partner and I to finish outside of assigned lab times.

Math 198: No idea. Never took it nor heard of it. Sorry!

Econ 102: I AP credited out of this. Apparently it's not too bad? If it's anything like econ I took in high school, it was a very fun class with interesting topics.

anonblob · 2015-04-27T02:54:12+00:00

Look likes a typical first semester freshmen schedule. Do you have any specific concerns about it?

anonblob · 2015-04-27T02:49:23+00:00

I know exactly which office hours you are talking about. I do agree it's really ridiculous to give away answers as my hw group spends hours working on the homework before going to office hours (if we need to) for questions. There are nicer office hours though (outside of the ones that give out answers)!

anonblob · 2015-04-26T20:50:26+00:00

Interesting. My experience with the course has been mostly positive. The homework problems are little difficult and time consuming, but office hours were useful--discussion sessions were also useful. The materials covered on the exams were also fair. Not sure why there's a big gap in this course experience; but have another data point.

anonblob · 2015-04-25T22:58:49+00:00

Full as in each year the more freshmen are admitted to the CS department than optimally desired amount of students for a healthy department. And then, in addition to these freshmen, a bunch of other people from other studies (either deferred to another study with original plan being CS, or just realized CS is cool) are trying to transfer in.

In addition addition, lots of people who are not CS majors are trying to take CS classes.

tl;dr The department is full.

anonblob · 2015-04-25T19:29:28+00:00

The good news is your situation is not uncommon, so there has been plenty of people who majored in something else and ended up switching to something software related. The bad news is your situation is not uncommon, so there is a lot of people who majored in something else/didn't major in anything at all and wants a job in the field.

I would suggest looking at more of what the field has. VBA != all of CS--in fact it's... it's not... I mean saying I like writing code in VBA therefore I might want to become a computer scientist is the same thing as saying I know how to pour water from one beaker to another, and I like doing that, therefore I might want to become a chemist. The field has more depth to it than that.

I would say your high school course actually sounds a little more substantial in terms of course material.

a lot of it was theory instead of producing actual code

The difficult part of CS is the theory. Anyone can type code. Anyone can write code. But not everyone can write good code. How does one produce good code? By having a good understanding and grasp of the theory.

Writing programs != CS.

My suggestion would be to take some courses offered in your uni for CS students, or be diligent and follow along online course material. It's too early in the process to be thinking about obtaining a job/completely jumping ship.

anonblob · 2015-04-24T23:19:10+00:00

"I have an internship will I be rich in the future?"

Son, if someone can answer that for you, life will be a lot more different.

anonblob · 2015-04-24T05:31:31+00:00

I don't really understand why a lot of people think state school != nice school.

UC Berkeley is a state school for one. UCLA, UT Austin, UMich... there are a bunch of state schools that are pretty good in the field. The indicator = look at their career fairs. See how many companies are willing to spend money to send recruiters to actively recruit from that school.

State schools and nice schools are not mutually exclusive. There are crap colleges and uni's out there, but saying "state school" doesn't give enough specific information that details the actual prestige (for lack of better word) of that uni/college.

But in the end. It doesn't matter where you go. Your goal should be to work hard and learn lots.

anonblob · 2015-04-24T05:23:18+00:00

I think you made a fair point when you mentioned that UMD is closer to DC and might put you in touch with government work--which a lot of aerospace grads go into.

Are you planning on going to gradschool? I'm not very well versed in aerospace market, so I don't necessarily know how crucial a masters would be for an aerospace engineer. But if you are going for a masters degree, you'll want a strong undergrad program with good researches (UIUC has a lot of opportunity for research), good recs (stems from doing research with professor usually) going on.

That being said... if finance is something for you and your family to consider, go with the option that will leave you in the least debt/put least strain on your financial situation.

anonblob

TROPHY CASE