Are Taking Computer Science courses in High School worth it?

[tristanbryce7]

I can tell that most people on here talk about UW, so I'll just assume that most went to HS in Ontario.
CS at UW doesnt actually require any CS pre-req from HS, so If I plan to pursue CS/SE in UW, should I even take CS in Gr 11/12? Would it be a waste of my time, as I am going to have to re-learn everything in Uni anways?

I Wanted to know what other people who have actually taken CS in HS or have done either SE/CS in UW, would you reccomend taking CS in HS. And if I do take CS 11 + 12 in HS, how much of that content would be repeated in introductory CS courses in UW?
Do you reccomend not taking either Gr 11/12 CS in HS and instead take some other courses (perhaps courses in Geo or History[coruses that I wont pursue in Uni])

Was just hoping to hear outside opinions, thanks!

HS = High School
UW = Waterloo Uni
CS = Comp Sci
SE = Software Engineering

[Nathan4102]

I'd definitely recommend it. Even if its not "mandatory", it will give you a head start over the kids who didn't take CS in HS. Not only do you learn a couple of languages, you learn the principles of programming, and work on problem solving skills.

Wouldn't you rather learn and understand these concepts in the slower pace HS then uni?

Nathan

[Tony]

Curriculum varies widely from school to school. Most will not teach useful material _but_ you can treat the class as a dedicated time for self-study on the subject. Having a better idea of the subject will let you make a more informed decision about what University programs you should pursue.

HS CS is also typically an easy way to boost your marks.

Uni CS has a lot of room for electives, so you can easily take some Geo, History, and many other courses.

[mirhagk]

Tony is right, HS CS is usually not very good, but you basically spend the time working on advanced topics, and then in uni you'll be at least a year ahead of everyone else.

I know at McMaster there's a ridiculous amount of electives (half the courses first year are electives), and I'm assuming most universities are the same. Taking Geo, History, and econ are good courses to boost your mark in university (as they tend to be much easier than engineering, science or math courses).

Also if you are interested in computer science, you really should be wanting to do this as much as you can.

[crossley7]

I'll post here as well but I'm saying much the same stuff. Curriculum varies a lot in high school CS but taking the courses will provide you a chance to teach yourself new topics and get a good head start and understand basic concepts. The main reason it isn't required I believe is because not every school is able to offer CS for various different reasons and also because the curriculum is not standardized in the least. However, this is a good time to learn basics and get a bit of a head start on a portfolio of projects for your first co-op term (as first year uni CS courses don't give assignments that would be good portfolio stuff and your schedule will likely be very full to have much time for a huge project on the side)

[mirhagk]

I seriously think it needs to be required by all students in high school (I actually think it should go in at middle school level, when they are forcing all sorts of subjects on students). It'll help with all your subjects, I personally believe.

[Nathan4102]

If it was more standardized, I'd agree.

[mirhagk]

Does anyone know how we can try to push to get this into our school?

[Nathan4102]

To make a proper curriculum? That would be the provincial government I think, or individual school boards. It's not practical without enough publicity or power7.

[tristanbryce7]

yah i think crossley is right. My teacher said that Unis cant make it a requirement because not all schools even offer it. Plus on top of that the curiculum doesnt specify any language to learn. My old HS taught Java in gr 11/12 and vb6 in gr10 . but my current one teaches c++ in gr 11/12 and turing in gr10. Ironically my teachers sons school doeant even offer CS( i think he said because thwy dont have teachers who can teach it or computer labs). honestly. if ontarios gpnna shove four engliah down our throats, they should combine gr nine and ten english into one cpurse and make one CS course mandatory lol. I disagree with a lot of The OSSD requirements, but what can ya do
And about how HS CS courses dont teach much , the teacher told me that by the time youre dpne his gr 12 CS course you could probablly do a job, he said you get pretty advanved in c++, but i cant say for sure.

and as electives go, i saw that CS at UW had tons of electives

(ignore any minor or major spelling mistakes as i typed this on my phone)