Getting better at Computer Science

[Unknown123]

Hi, I'm a first year undergrad student currently taking Computer Science Co-op honors. I'm loving it so far but I can't help but notice how hard it is. I need help for alot of the assignments. The problem is though is that I love programming, I just don't think I'm that great at it (or at least anymore I was amazing in high school). I was wondering if any of you had any tips to give as to how I can get better at CS. I know for math, you have to practice or for bio you have to read and understand, but I really don't know what you could do for CS since even if you read over concepts and do problems they always get thrown in a different context and it's your way of thinking that matters.


Thanks in advanced

[SmokeMonster]

What kinda stuff are you finding hard? It is normal to find certain stuff hard in university, esp in the first year where you are being introduced to completely new concepts. I know it's cliche to say this but the best way to become a better programmer is to program. The assignments are supposed to be challenge, you shouldn't let the fact that you are finding them hard get you down. Keep toiling away at those assignments. Trust me by the end of the year you'll look back at the stuff you are doing right now and think it was trivial.

BTW the exams in most CS courses are easier than what they make you do on the assignment in most schools, so don't freak out. The assignments are preparing you to do well in your course unless you have a really crappy professor.

[Unknown123]

SmokeMonster @ Tue Nov 16, 2010 2:18 am wrote:

What kinda stuff are you finding hard? It is normal to find certain stuff hard in university, esp in the first year where you are being introduced to completely new concepts. I know it's cliche to say this but the best way to become a better programmer is to program. The assignments are supposed to be challenge, you shouldn't let the fact that you are finding them hard get you down. Keep toiling away at those assignments. Trust me by the end of the year you'll look back at the stuff you are doing right now and think it was trivial.

BTW the exams in most CS courses are easier than what they make you do on the assignment in most schools, so don't freak out. The assignments are preparing you to do well in your course unless you have a really crappy professor.

Hi, sorry for the long reply, I was trying to get all of my assignments done and study. Anyways, I was just wondering how to be able to think of solutions to problems really quickly because no matter how many times I practice solving problems I can never increase the speed I think of solutions. Plus, my roommates who are also majoring in CS seem to able to think of these problems very quickly and I kinda feel like I'm not that great in CS compared to them.

[unoho]

yes..i cud relate that to myself also.. although im in SE. we have total 9 assignments. first 5 to 6, i kinda did all by myself.. but after that im always asking my friends' help. it kinda makes me feel stupid but ya.. im not really worried about that right now. just trying to keep up on work

[Unknown123]

unoho @ Tue Nov 23, 2010 12:08 am wrote:

yes..i cud relate that to myself also.. although im in SE. we have total 9 assignments. first 5 to 6, i kinda did all by myself.. but after that im always asking my friends' help. it kinda makes me feel stupid but ya.. im not really worried about that right now. just trying to keep up on work

That's pretty much how it went for me, aside from like one or two minor questions, I did the first 6 assignments without that much trouble but from 7 and onward, I've just been asking for help.

[Tony]

One of the points of the University is to challenge you. If all of the assignments come easy, then you are not learning much. So if you need help with some assignment, it doesn't necessary mean that you are doing poorly -- it could be by design. There's a concept of "weed out classes" that challenge student's abilities before allowing them to proceed further into the program.

As for the speed -- it often comes from experience. If you've seen a similar problem before and are able to recall and apply some of the concepts, you might arrive at a solution faster. High school CS varies _very_ much from school to school, so it's natural for some students to do better than others in the first year. The playing field gets more even with each year.