----------------------------------- jeremy709 Thu May 20, 2010 8:05 pm Should I take CS 115 or CS 135 for first year comp sci at waterloo with no previous programming experience? ----------------------------------- I have no experience in computer science at all, and a lot of people told me CS majors hae to take CS 135. Does that mean if I take cs 115 I will be behind? ----------------------------------- Tony Thu May 20, 2010 8:14 pm RE:Should I take CS 115 or CS 135 for first year comp sci at waterloo with no previous programming experience? ----------------------------------- Technically speaking, neither course is required to graduate (I don't have either). The requirement is one of CS 115, 135, 3xx or 4xx http://www.cs.uwaterloo.ca/current/courses/checklistsandsequences.shtml The suggested sequence http://www.cs.uwaterloo.ca/current/programs/suggested/2010-2011/bcs.shtml says that you'll be 1 CS course behind the other sequences, while staying on par in MATH and STATS; with a chance to catch up during 2nd/3rd year. You'll graduate at the same time from either course sequence. ----------------------------------- chrisbrown Thu May 20, 2010 8:23 pm Re: Should I take CS 115 or CS 135 for first year comp sci at waterloo with no previous programming experience? ----------------------------------- Learn to crawl before you run a marathon ----------------------------------- jcollins1991 Thu May 20, 2010 8:27 pm Re: Should I take CS 115 or CS 135 for first year comp sci at waterloo with no previous programming experience? ----------------------------------- The only way you can get around taking 115 or 135 is by taking 145, which the OP probably shouldn't do considering he doesn't have any previous programming experience... If you don't take 145 then you have to take 136 which requires 135 or 116 (which itself requires 115)... 135 goes at a reasonable rate even for people who have never done cs before, while 115 goes a bit slower... IMO the choice should be about what rate you want to learn at and how much effort you're willing to put into it in terms of the weekly assignments... If you want to relax a bit more during first year I'd say take 115, but also that 135 would be worth the extra bit more of effort... ps. As I'm sure someone else will mention, prerequisite programming experience has very little to do with what you're going to be doing in UW for the most part, and in some cases is actually bad because students have to unlearn the programming practices they learnt in high school... I know someone who started at 135 and is doing well even with no previous programming experience, and other people with previous experience who are having to redo or are doing poorly... ----------------------------------- Prabhakar Ragde Thu May 20, 2010 8:27 pm Re: RE:Should I take CS 115 or CS 135 for first year comp sci at waterloo with no previous programming experience? ----------------------------------- Technically speaking, neither course is required to graduate (I don't have either). The requirement is one of CS 115, 135, 3xx or 4xx Jeez, Tony, sometimes you are not helpful. You don't have either because you transferred from another UW program and they accepted your computing courses in university as substitutes. The requirement is written that way because currently CS 145 is followed by CS 2xx, and so a 3xx/4xx is needed to make up for one missing first-year course. But CS 145 should only be taken by someone without CS experience if they have a very good Math record (as in over 80 on the Euclid). For someone starting in UW Math, there is no way into CS without taking one of CS 115, 135, or 145. I am not sure if they are currently letting CS majors take CS 115/116 in first year; it wasn't the practice in the past. Someone starting with CS 115 has to take CS 116 and then CS 136 before taking second-year courses, so for a while they will be one term behind. But a fair number of students do not get through CS 135 or CS 136 on the first try. Also, students take multiple CS courses in later terms, so "catching up" is not going to be an issue. One can start with CS 115 and still graduate in eight terms. ----------------------------------- jcollins1991 Thu May 20, 2010 8:31 pm Re: Should I take CS 115 or CS 135 for first year comp sci at waterloo with no previous programming experience? ----------------------------------- Learn to crawl before you run a marathon Nah, more like a light jog through the park :P... CS is interesting enough that learning it is more fun than a challenge :) I personally went through the checklist of all the cs courses I want to take and don't even have enough room to take them all XD ----------------------------------- chrisbrown Thu May 20, 2010 8:43 pm Re: Should I take CS 115 or CS 135 for first year comp sci at waterloo with no previous programming experience? ----------------------------------- Nah, more like a light jog through the park :P... CS is interesting enough that learning it is more fun than a challenge :) Grade 12 "CS" is a light jog. Be prepared to be hit by the truck that is UWaterloo. I agree that it is interesting and generally fun, but the program is far from easy. ----------------------------------- jcollins1991 Thu May 20, 2010 8:50 pm Re: Should I take CS 115 or CS 135 for first year comp sci at waterloo with no previous programming experience? ----------------------------------- Nah, more like a light jog through the park :P... CS is interesting enough that learning it is more fun than a challenge :) Grade 12 "CS" is a light jog. Be prepared to be hit by the truck that is UWaterloo. I agree that it is interesting and generally fun, but the program is far from easy. Assuming that was directed to me... gr12 cs was like sleeping, even up to where I am now (cs241 and 245) everything has been a light jog, except for the cs136 final which definitely hit me like a truck >______