Computer science and software engineering.

--SmItHy--

Hey, I'm thinking of doing this course next year and i just wanted a personal view on it?...qualifax isn't always helpful!...what's the course like?..it seems to be based on alot of maths..something which i'm not fond of:P...but i can look beyond that as i'm very interested in computing and everything electronical..

pakblue

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=57993184&postcount=3

There is a lot of Maths but if you but any form of effort in you should be ok.

I am a 4th CSSE now but the course has completely changed since I was in 1st year. It was pure CS when I did it but they changed it for the year below me (now 3rd CSSE) and has been the same ever since.

The course is not easy but isn't impossible, they have changed a lot of things to improve grades and people understanding of the modules. If you do your labs and Maths assignment you wont really have a problem.

If you are not interested in the computers I wouldn't recommend doing this course. Lots of uninteresting stuff you have to learn and a good few people couldn't hack it like there is only 6 of us who started together are now in 4th year. By saying that I should say the class size is about 20 now as a good few people have deferred 4th year to do a longer placement.

goonyougoodthin

I'm in my first year of CSSE so hopefully you'll find my input helpful, the maths isn't easy but at the same time it's not to bad, there is a load of support available from the maths support center, maths tutorials and there's even a 1st year maths workshop every week.

Now the downside (for me anyway as I didn't do any science subjects for the LC) you have to do 2 science subjects for the first year between Maths physics, Experimental Physics, Chemistry and Biology, although I think you only need 40% to pass them so it's more then possible as long as you put the work in.

The actual CS stuff in 1st year (so far) is very slow paced, the programming side of things is grand but the theory parts will absolutley bore you to death if you don't have an interest in them and even if you do 2 hours of discussing binary is painful.
If you can stick all of that then welcome! be warned though you do have to put a lot of work in, this definetly isn't a course that you can sit back and take it easy.

Oh just to say as well if your wondering about the amount of hours a week, so far I'm in for around 23 hours between Mon-Fri for lectures,labs and tutorials.
@Pakblue hows your sanity holding up? or has that be drained out of you by now?

pakblue

goonyougoodthin wrote: »

@Pakblue hows your sanity holding up? or has that be drained out of you by now?

I'm not sure if I have any left after 4 years and being in a class that is exclusively male has had its effect on me.

Only 8 more months and I'm free........................hopefully

thomasjad

I guess this can go here seeings as you guys will probably know. Do Maynooth students get free copies of Windows 7?

mp3guy

thomasjad wrote: »

I guess this can go here seeings as you guys will probably know. Do Maynooth students get free copies of Windows 7?

No, you don't get MSDNAA membership here.

goonyougoodthin

pakblue wrote: »

I'm not sure if I have any left after 4 years and being in a class that is exclusively male has had its effect on me.

/Gets coat and drops out
Good luck to the remaining 33 people in 1st year CSSE!

cian1500ww

I'm in 2nd CSSE, few girls in all of my lectures. Second year, so far, has been incredibly boring. A hell of a lot of stuff on the science side of things but next semester should be a tad better. Loads and loads of maths unfortunately, you'll get that with any computer course though.

mp3guy

cian1500ww wrote: »

I'm in 2nd CSSE, few girls in all of my lectures. Second year, so far, has been incredibly boring. A hell of a lot of stuff on the science side of things but next semester should be a tad better. Loads and loads of maths unfortunately, you'll get that with any computer course though.

Just wait until CS335 next semester, that's hard to digest.

And you're doing less maths than people in general science who're doing computer science.

cian1500ww

mp3guy wrote: »

Just wait until CS335 next semester, that's hard to digest.

And you're doing less maths than people in general science who're doing computer science.

Why are we doing CS151 do you know ?? Those doing comp. sci as part of arts did it in first year because they weren't doing any maths but we're doing it in second year along with maths ??

mp3guy

cian1500ww wrote: »

Why are we doing CS151 do you know ?? Those doing comp. sci as part of arts did it in first year because they weren't doing any maths but we're doing it in second year along with maths ??

It crosses over into Computer Architecture and Software Verification, as well as all that formal methods stuff.

ooPabsoo

ye im in 1st csse aswel,the maths is pretty crappy,well one module of maths is god awful,the other seems fine so far! i really dont understand why we have to do biology etc in first year.What do genetics have to do with computers?

Kazuma

Ahh, who is this mysterious Cian, I also am in second year CSSE.
I suppose I should at least know more than one person doing my course

mp3guy

ooPabsoo wrote: »

What do genetics have to do with computers?

See that lab just inside the front door of the Callan Building? That's the bio informatics lab.

encryptix

Kazuma wrote: »

Ahh, who is this mysterious Cian, I also am in second year CSSE.
I suppose I should at least know more than one person doing my course

cian1500ww wrote: »

I'm in 2nd CSSE, few girls in all of my lectures. Second year, so far, has been incredibly boring. A hell of a lot of stuff on the science side of things but next semester should be a tad better. Loads and loads of maths unfortunately, you'll get that with any computer course though.

me too! :P and yeah it hasnt been the most interesting stuff yet for 2nd year , but its not that bad.

DingChavez

--SmItHy-- wrote: »

Hey, I'm thinking of doing this course next year and i just wanted a personal view on it?...qualifax isn't always helpful!...what's the course like?..it seems to be based on alot of maths..something which i'm not fond of:P...but i can look beyond that as i'm very interested in computing and everything electronical..

I'm in 4th CSSE. Its a pretty good course but sometimes I feel I would have been better off in an Electronic Engineering course. So I'd advise you to look them up.

The maths isn't too hard once you give it a go. I learned most of it by myself as I really hated the lecture format of the maths department. You stop having pure maths classes after 2nd year. Some lecture's you'll find interesting and some will make you want to shoot yourself. Many of the modules deal with theory and logic. Just make sure you know what you're getting into. 3rd is quite stressful with the amount of work they condense into one semester and then having to find a placement on top of that. 4th year so far has had mostly interesting modules so I'm glad I stuck it out.

ooPabsoo wrote: »

ye im in 1st csse aswel,the maths is pretty crappy,well one module of maths is god awful,the other seems fine so far! i really dont understand why we have to do biology etc in first year.What do genetics have to do with computers?

The science subjects were added as a way for people to move out of CSSE into another course given the amount of drop-outs in the old format of pure CSSE.

Biology could also be useful in getting your head around genetic algorithms and stuff like that.

...Also, program cyborgs!

pakblue

cian1500ww wrote: »

Why are we doing CS151 do you know ?? Those doing comp. sci as part of arts did it in first year because they weren't doing any maths but we're doing it in second year along with maths ??

I did it in 1st year, and count your self lucky you don't have to do 'Discrete Structures 2' as my year did. You need big time in Software Verification and in your Spec# project at the end of 3rd year.

mp3guy wrote: »

Just wait until CS335 next semester, that's hard to digest.

Well if its done by the same person that did it last year though most of the class came out with good grades.

ooPabsoo wrote: »

What do genetics have to do with computers?

Like DingChavez said genetic algorithms and is mentioned a lot in CS404 - Artificial Intelligence & Language Processing.

pakblue wrote: »

I'm not sure if I have any left after 4 years and being in a class that is exclusively male has had its effect on me.

I should have expanded on that, I didnt mean I had turned gay I meant most of my friends are male.

DingChavez wrote: »

4th year so far has had mostly interesting modules so I'm glad I stuck it out.

But some of the lecturers leave something to be desired in their presentation of their slides and when it comes down to explaining stuff.

DingChavez

pakblue wrote: »

But some of the lecturers leave something to be desired in their presentation of their slides and when it comes down to explaining stuff.

Just one. :pac: I wish the other guy was doing it. Lecturers should really be trained and evaluated to meet a standard. Just because they're educated and know the subject well doesn't mean they can teach.

TouchingVirus

DingChavez wrote: »

Just one. :pac: I wish the other guy was doing it. Lecturers should really be trained and evaluated to meet a standard. Just because they're educated and know the subject well doesn't mean they can teach.

Be fair, there's at least two lecturers involved with the CS department who need this training and evaluation thing you speak of

Griffen262

Well its what everyone kinda asks before going into courses isn' it. "what job could you get from this course?"........I suppose it broadings out, but in general?...What kind of job do ye expect, or would like to get.....(im sorry for changing the subject abit).



G.................:pac:

WHirl7

Hey, didn't think this warranted a new topic but does anyone know what Computer Science is like as an Arts subject?

ooPabsoo

the arts computer science students do the same as regular csse students without the science and maths involved. They also do an extra module( i think)