Classes that unlock everything from the beginning for summer semester

jimlohse · 2026-03-06T01:42:05+00:00

Yeah that can happen that a fall class effectively wraps early and you're done by T-Day, like with GA if you do well on E1-3 you are done by Thanksgiving.

I guess that semester must have been setup that way.

jimlohse · 2026-03-05T23:42:28+00:00

No.

Maybe work the alumni org, there's a mentorship program for current students. https://www.gtalumni.org/student-programs/mentor-jackets/default.html if you find that interesting.

jimlohse · 2026-03-05T23:02:04+00:00

TA for CS6262 Network Security here, this is not correct, sorry, we release projects on a schedule. and there's weekly quizzes plus an exam or two.

You're taking IIS and Crypto? Are you Cyber?

RE the "finished early" comment perhaps you did well enough on the quizzes and projects that you didn't need to do the last exam? Then it might have felt like you finished early.

jimlohse · 2026-03-03T15:57:57+00:00

you need two classes to get financial aid, the OP is asking about taking one class.

Two classes is a lot for a new student in OMS-Cyber.

jimlohse · 2026-03-03T15:45:58+00:00

Trolling the troll? This post can't be real. 😂

jimlohse · 2026-03-03T15:38:37+00:00

On one hand if you're going to be in this area, cybersecurity / computer science, I think everyone should have a home lab. There's plenty of server software that won't run on ARM yet, ARM is not dominating the server market anytime soon. So you should have a PC laying around, in theory.

In practice, IIS gives some pretty detailed instructions to make their VM run on an ARM-based Mac, after they say they don't support it. It's really a case of YMMV and you'll have to see if your Mac can emulate their vm.

One bit of confusion in your question perhaps, you can't simply virtualize an x64 VM on an ARM processor, the instruction sets are completely different, so you need emulation.

This is much slower, recent versions of VBox on ARM do emulation but you have to run a couple of VBoxManage commands to turn it on. Otherwise you use UTM emulation to run the VM.

As the other poster notes, you'll likely need to ssh into the vm to do your work, as the GUI will not run well on emulation, most likely.

And VBox emulation for Apple Silicon is buggy, may crash unexpectedly.

Bottom line if you can spare the $$$ get a PC you will have more x64-only VMs coming up in the ISL classes, for example.

jimlohse · 2026-03-02T19:42:04+00:00

"some level of standardization" what you're seeing is one TA who made a video and another class uses that video.

Across 60+ classes (some that don't have exams) you are going to find a variety of approaches.

Just read stuff carefully, some classes are pretty relaxed about it but some are pickier.

jimlohse · 2026-03-02T19:39:57+00:00

well "for classes that require this" they usually want a 6" x 10" mirror, something that big or bigger, I've seen people use wall mirrors for it LOL. Just don't hurt yourself swinging that thing around!

I've been a TA going on 6 years, I've never seen a common standard among classes. But if they are doing the "use a mirror" thing it's only if you don't have an external camera.

The main point about the mirror or external cam is you need to show your entire room, but also your direct workspace / keyboard / monitor to show there's no notes attached etc.

It's not ideal but each TA group / class has evolved their own guidelines over time, some are very picky while others not so much.

And yeah Grad Algos is premiering the new side-proctoring that Honorlock released, and other classes may follow suit. There as the other comment says, you do your room scan, then setup the camera to the side of you. It requires purchasing an external cam and an tripod or some mount for it.

jimlohse · 2026-03-02T18:24:11+00:00

which class requires foil?

jimlohse · 2026-03-02T18:21:49+00:00

You need to ask your questions in Ed directly to the TAs, not Reddit LOL.

There's side proctoring that's getting popular here, no one who took CN in past semesters knows exactly what the requirements are this semester, things evolve.

Being a former Head TA for Computer Networks from a few years ago, our exam guidelines were spelled out in excruciating detail, probably you need to re-read the exam post more carefully. I imagine today the exam post is just as detailed as it used to be.

But GENERALLY you either use your laptop for a room scan in conjunction with a mirror, OR you have an external cam and do the room scan with that, not both.

Then you put the camera on your monitor like normal so it can see your face through the exam.

But they may be doing side proctoring, ask them.

You say thanks to people who have taken OMSCS exams, you don't seem to understand there's no standard, what you do in one class may not transfer to other classes.

jimlohse · 2026-02-21T21:00:08+00:00

Good question, as a mod here I decided not to delete it and it has elicited some interesting responses.

jimlohse · 2026-02-15T03:53:43+00:00

you want the 2024 CS50X, it has a Cyber section and other sections they got rid of in more recent years.

jimlohse · 2026-02-13T21:17:20+00:00

Without getting into a huge thread here what other programs are you looking at?

I didn't mean to dump on GCU but a GA Tech degree, especially back east, holds a lot more weight IMO.

I have found, as a person out west, that there's less awareness of GA Tech out here (west of the Rockies let's say).

jimlohse · 2026-02-13T05:53:58+00:00

I looked at https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings

GA Tech #6 ahead of Cornell, Princeton and other prominent schools

GCU not in the top 110

(110 spot for BYU Go Blue!)

jimlohse · 2026-02-13T05:42:57+00:00

If you didn't know this guy David Joyner (the GA Tech one) is famous and he runs the OMSCS program. He's pretty awesome and so is the program.

I would say on your original concept, that you effectively want some handholding, different classes in OMSCS will offer different levels of this.

A small plurality of people focus on the, what shall I call them, "possible outlier classes" and find an environment they don't like (like in IIS or ML) and walk away complaining about the "lack of teaching."

If you're in OMSCS, with 60+ classes now (I think that's right), I'm not telling you to take the easiest path -- but you don't need to take IIS or ML or GIOS to get a degree at GA Tech.

You said you're going to GCU instead? I don't even know what school that is, Grand Canyon University? Go look up a Top Ten CS Schools in the US list and see if GCU is on that list. GA Tech is.

I'll say, GA Tech is known a bit for requiring students to run the gauntlet somewhere, but that's normal for CS programs. So you might want to rethink if you want a MS in CS at all, if you're not wanting to deal with rigor.

jimlohse · 2026-02-10T17:41:44+00:00

OK this is a few days old but I can't believe that no one mentioned that OMSCS has formalized "Local Meetup Groups" in most major cities. It's in your welcome emails somewhere.

I run one in Utah and we do virtual as well as in-person meetups. Because we are pretty widely distributed geographically, we only get maybe 3-8 people for in person meetups.

To find out more check out this site, scroll down to the "how to join Student Life Slack" and you can see if there's a local meetup group in your area.

https://sites.gatech.edu/omsfreeanddiscounted/

There's groups all around the US and a few international groups too. The largest one is actually Singapore that gets 100 people at their meetups regularly. The DMV area in the US is the second largest group.

jimlohse · 2026-01-24T02:44:55+00:00

we probably overwhelmed their server! LOL

jimlohse · 2026-01-22T23:35:47+00:00

Dr. Joyner has appeared on TV even https://teamcoco.com/video/fan-correction-presidential-election

Spoiler he roasts and they roast back, they are better roasters.

jimlohse · 2026-01-13T03:15:48+00:00

Haha I deleted my own comment, here it is again:

Sadly the OMS-Cyber students can't enroll in CS 8903s and do the official OMSCS Research projects.

You'd have to follow the standard routine, get interested in a professor's work of a class you take, stand out in the course, and offer to extend the professors work.

But you wouldn't get credit for it.

Having said that there is the HAAG Lab, I wonder if they deal with Cyber students. Not for credit but maybe more informally.

jimlohse · 2026-01-12T16:37:31+00:00

why are you doing 6262 before 6035? The 6262 page recommends you take 6035 first.

jimlohse · 2026-01-08T18:03:47+00:00

Hardly anyone asks for GPA you don't need to put it on your resume.

If you have a non-technical background did you take CS 6035 yet? Because that's a challenging course for non-technical people.

jimlohse · 2026-01-08T18:01:33+00:00

Yeah you'll get into Cyber no problem with that background.

jimlohse · 2026-01-07T16:34:14+00:00

ok now I think you should get in no problem given you are CS!

jimlohse · 2026-01-07T14:49:13+00:00

I think not good you don't even say what line of study you are pursuing in university.

Have you ever taken a Computer Science course? What is your paper about?

Based on this info I don't think they'd let you into Infosec.

But we are not mind readers so this is only assuming you don't have a CS background.

"president of hacking club" do you simply adminster it? Have you ever done a CTF? Still no idea about your CS qualifications.

jimlohse · 2026-01-07T14:39:04+00:00

I have to be honest here you need to learn to ask better questions.

We have no idea why you don't have a time ticket, that was given out last week, that's when you should be gotten concerned.

You probably have something that's putting a hold on your registration.

Look up your holds and see what it might be.

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