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The following advice reflects years of experience with students
majoring in Computer Science. It may not apply to you, but you
should read it carefully and try to get what help you can out of it.
In short, assume this applies to you until you know otherwise.
- Either Math 233, Foundations of
Mathematics or Math 205, Statistics
is required for Computer Science majors.
Foundations is a tough course, even for Mathematics majors, and
many CS majors find Foundations very difficult. Knowing this,
some students are afraid of it and put it off until the last
semester of their senior year. Then, if they don't pass--which
does happen--they find themselves in dire straits.
Statistics is significantly easier, so if you find yourself
terrified by Foundations, or if you have been having trouble
with your math courses and have good reason to worry, you should
take Statistics instead.
Why do so many CS majors put themselves through the harder
Foundations class? One good reason is that they prefer to
challenge themselves and learn a lot of math that is important
in Computer Science, particularly advanced study. A second good
reason is that Foundations is required for the minor in
Mathematics, and they want to add the Math minor to their CS
major. These are both fine reasons, so we are not trying to
discourage you from taking Foundations. What we are trying to
avoid are students who take Foundations repeatedly, refusing to
give up and cut their losses. We are also trying to avoid the
trauma of someone not being able to graduate on time, because
she gambled on taking Foundations in her last semester. Please
don't do this.
- Take time to learn the tools and to become comfortable with
them. As busy as you are in your freshman and sophomore year, and
we know that you are, you will be even busier later. Your first two
years are the time to learn to work smoothly with the machine,
figuring out the shortcuts, and finding out how to learn new things
on your own.
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