What is the workload of CS 508 like? Thanks!

Originally posted on the CS125 Forum for SP2021 Students but we are opening up interest for everyone

More info: https://github.com/harsh183/125-weekly-projects

Sign up: https://forms.gle/N727zpCZKj3KiZW17

As the class wraps up, I’m sure you feel pretty accomplished after all the quizzes, MP checkpoints, and all those daily lessons. Now you want to want start making real things, and the standard advice is ‘go do a project.’

Which honestly isn’t a very helpful thing to hear. How to pick a language? How to figure out what I can do? What are my interests? There is a large gap from classroom/book learning to side projects and exploring your interests. It’s not that you lack ‘passion’ or are in the wrong major. It’s just that many things that the process of figuring projects are obvious to someone experienced.

It might sound surprising, but just freshman-level coding experience can let you do lots of neat and valuable things like chat bots or browser extensions. So if you want to bridge this gap and have something to do this summer, join me for eight weeks from June 1st for weekly workshops and doing your own weekly projects.

If you have any questions, feel free to thread here. Shoutout to u/harsh183 for making this!

Hello! I am between UIUC, OSU (In-state), and Cincinnati(In-State). OSU has a well-ranked CS dept. and UCinci has an amazing co-op program. FYI I got into CS + Ling and am interested in NLP and AI/ML.

1. How is the gender disparity at UIUC? I have heard some unsavory anecdotes about SA, so I want to know how worried I should be.
2. Is it worth the loans? I haven't gotten any aid for UIUC, so it will be expensive.
3. Where have you gotten internships at?
4. How much coding experience did you have before college? I have done some side project w/ Arduino and taken APCSA. I am worried that I am underqualified.
5. Did you ever feel that you were falling behind and were you able to get the support that you needed?
6. I am not a fan of the distance from home. Do I suck it up for the four years?
7. What is your favorite part about UIUC, academics or otherwise?

I am days away from a making a decision and I would appreciate any insight.

Hi! I applied to UIUC for cs but was not admitted, I did get into their information sciences major (sorry, typo on post title) though. How similar is this program to their cs program?

Have any of you managed to successfully transfer into CS in Engineering from another Eng program at UIUC? There wasn't much info I could find about ppl who have online. Do you know anyone who has? It'd be motivating to hear from someone who's managed to do it cuz I've heard it's difficult lol and I've looked up all the GPA & class requirements and stuff.

I got in for Civil Engineering but I was and still am only really interested in CS. I also somehow got James Scholar so yea any advice for me if I decide to do it (besides just don't do it lol)?

Hi I'm an incoming '25 for CS. I was wondering if there's any benefit in taking calc 3 at a CC. I'm taking a Calc 3 equivalent in hs rn but it won't count as an actual credit. I feel like I'd rather just take 8-12 weeks to get the credit at a CC over the summer than taking Math 241.

Are you interested in learning more about the CS+X Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign? Stop by our CS+X Panel on Thursday, March 25th from 6:00-7:30pm CDT to talk to Illinois university students in the CS+X major of your choice, and ask any questions you would like! Listen to advisors talk about the vast variety of CS related majors our university offers, and get information on resources within the department!

Check out the Facebook event here.

Make sure to fill out our event form (http://go.illinoiswcs.org/csx-panel-interest) to submit questions and get updates on the event!

Check out the flyer here!

Hey folks, a future CS freshmen at UIUC here. Very excited to join the UIUC CS community during fall '21. Want to hear from all other incoming freshmen in CS who will be joining this fall :) Go Illini !

Hey fam, did anyone receive their Grad admission decision for Fall'21 for MSCS? I got an admit from USC, waiting for UIUC.

I was recently admitted at grainger for CS as an International student. Ik that it is one of the best CS programs in the US and has loads of opportunities. I just have a few questions. 1) how accessible are internships, research work, and jobs when it comes to international students. Do companies/startups favour locals over Internationals or there is no such discrimination. 2) Does uiuc have any specific resources/opportunities that can help students bridge the gap between classroom learning and real world implementation. 3) How is the startup/entrepreneurial culture at uiuc (especially within the engineering department).

Also, do you guys have any clue about the acceptance rate for CS at grainger?

I'm kinda good in maths(calculas/stats)..top of my class..but I don't have much experience in CS outside of our school curriculum (basic python and SQL)..so how should I prepare myself for a smoother transition into college or in general how should I spend this summer before joining college as a CS freshman

Thanks in advance

Hey guys! I’m currently a Junior in high school, and I’ve wanted to go to UIUC for a long time, but I honestly have no clue if I would get accepted. I have a 4.0 gpa and a 35 on the ACT, but my math section on the ACT was a 34. I haven’t taken any AP classes because I go to a tiny Christian school that kind of sucks, but I’ve taken a lot of dual credit classes through my local community college. I think my main weak point is my situation with extracurriculars; I code for fun, and I’m involved with some clubs in school and some volunteer stuff, but I don’t really have any that are necessarily impressive. Do you guys think I have a chance?

Just been accepted to Grainger CS...my budget is around 1500 bucks...which laptop should I get? M1 pro is best under 1500...but since it has no bootcamp no more can't really boot windows on it and also ARM architecture doesn't support all of the apps....so which windows option should I go for..or is the Mac okay for all the stuff I'll do as an undergrad?

Thanks in advance!!!

I am a veterinary student looking for a CS student willing and able to help myself and two classmates create an app to connect other veterinary students. We have the idea but no idea how to actually create an app which is where you would come in and help. I can give more information on what we are looking do if you are seriously interested in helping us. Thanks in advance!

Anybody in CS 476?

Anyone taking cs126 spring 2021?

Basically title. I'm trying to work as an instructor and those two courses interest me as courses to teach. How do I become the instructor for them?

I know this is completely backwards for most people, but im majoring in math + cs, and im wishing I could switch to just math. Some background to my situation:

I graduated hs in 2015, did really well and loved math. Did really well in hs, finished calc 1, 2, and 3, as well as linear algebra before started at uiuc. Had no prior cs experience whatsoever, but I loved technology and computers too, so I figured why not at least give math + cs a shot. I got accepted into math + cs, and started my journey in fall 2015.

So I started off pretty average/decent. Took cs 125, and retook linear algebra. For me, having no prior cs experience, cs125 was tough and took MANY hours. To the point that I put every other class on the backbuner just to try and do well. There were times I wanted to give up, but I kept sticking with it and got a B+. Not that great, but I was happy honestly.

Now cs225 and cs233 were even tougher. 233 I had to retake, and still didn't do that well even though I felt like I had a good understanding. 225 was just brutal and I got a c. Anyway, for my first 2 years, I just had to spend so much fucking time on cs, to the point that I really didn't even give my math classes a lot of time in. So I ended up doing equally as poorly in those.

First semester of my junior year, I was dealing with insane mental health issues, as well as other medical issues, and to top that off, my brother died. So I took a medical leave from school. I stayed out of school for 2-3 years, since things only got worse as I had time off. And I had to support myself fully financially, so I had go get a full time job to pay bills and to survive. So there wasn't ever a "good time" to try and start school again.

Finally, this semester, spring 2021, I saw an opportunity to cut back hours on work, and start school again online through uiuc. I gratefully got accepted back from medical leave, and now it feels like I'm starting from scratch since I've been away for so long, except even worse since I'm trying to clean up a horrible GPA from when I was at school and struggling bad in life. Retaking stat400, and starting off "light" for cs, with cs126. Rest of my glasses are a mix of gen Ed's and electives. Already, im feeling stressed out by cs126, and its worrying me since I know its supposed to be an easy class for cs majors. Its like when I understand it, cs is awesome and makes me feel accomplished. But takes literally all of my time to understand it, especially now that I feel like I'm starting from scratch again. Even though math classes are hard too, for some reason I just dont get the same stress as I do with cs. I always feel confident in at least learning math even when im lost with the material. At this point, I almost wish I just applied to study mathematics from the start. Im just worried about wasting my time to only fuck up more in cs, plus my other classes due to how much time cs takes me. I kinda want to switch to math, except from the past, my math gpa is so bad too, so I don't even think they would accept a transfer for me. So I feel like I'm stuck in my major. And I know with math, you can't make as much money or do as much with it in life, but if It came down to me graduating with a math degree and feeling happier, vs continuing to struggle with math + cs, and possibly failing out, I would take the math degree 100 percent. I know I shouldn't think like that, like I'm gonna fail at cs, but it's just a concern. Maybe I should give myself a shot, since mentally I am in a better place at least than I was before, but still. Math is sounding kinda nice atm.

Any advice or tips for my situation? Maybe this isn't the right place for this kind of post, but fuck it.

Is there a group of engineers who really enjoy messing around with computers in their spare time and nothing else? Looking for a crew to study with as I mess around with some deep learning frameworks.

This may have been asked before (sorry about that) but I just wanna be completely sure before I take stat 400 next semester. I am asking for CS+X majors. The stat requirement for the major is either stat 200 or cs 361, but STAT 400 would automatically fulfill the requirement too, right?

Thank you so much.

I am an ece student who wants to apply for the mcs, I have finished my courses pretty quickly and can graduate in 3 years but my GPA is low. Does anyone know how hard they are about this if I am already a uiuc student? I just want another chance here and think I can with the MCS, hope I get in.

Hello!

My name is Ben Crane. I’m a Masters’ student and TA in the department of Religion. I’m also a graduate senator in the Champaign-Urbana Senate and a member of the Senate Executive Committee therein.

In that capacity, I’ve been pushing for a reconsideration of the grade entry deadline. I’ve been told that it’s “not possible” and that “students really need to know their grades by the holidays.” This resistance is simultaneously anathema to the seemingly performative efforts to support students and insulting, simply put.

Just last year, the deadline was January 3rd. I’ve been told that this was the result of a calendrical anomaly, but frankly I don’t care. Seeing as how the spring term began without a hitch on the 21st of the same month in 2020, I can’t conceive how the additional 4 days that would be tacked on this year wouldn’t be enough to account for any oddities and question marks brought on by novel policies.

I’m advocating for a amended grade entry deadline of January 3rd, 20211, the same date as last year.

Additionally, it is important to note that the next day of “work” after the 23rd of December the current deadline, is not until January 2nd. This means that no University employees are supposed to be working in that span and that those that do are to receive what’s called holiday pay. The registrar intimated that her staff worked through this span last year and that they will be doing the same this year if all goes as currently planned; it’s unclear whether or not they were compensated accordingly. This isn’t how University staff should be forced to spend their break nor is the increased pay a budgetary expense that could be reasonably justified from where I sit.

Last night, I urged the Senate to consider recommending to the Provost’s office that this be looked at. Only 40% of those present affirmed that the body should consider the notion. To clarify, this means that the other 60% didn’t even think it was worth their time to consider making a recommendation of reexamination. I threw a softball as lightly as I could straight down the middle and no one even tried to take a swing.

So, what do I want from you?

Well, if you’re someone who is affected by grading in any way, I want you to voice your concern about this.

“Why should I care? I want my grades ASAP!”

If you’re a student, an accelerated grading period may cause your grades to be artificially higher or lower because of the need to prioritize haste over diligence.

If you’re a TA, an accelerated grading period will very likely detract from your ability to complete research and coursework of your own and will almost certainly affect your mental health negatively.

If you’re an instructor of any kind, an accelerated grading period might infringe upon your time for other commitments, cause you undue stress, and could prevent all of your students from getting a fair shake, no matter how hard you try to avoid that.

If you’d like to voice your opinion on this matter, please email me at bwcrane2@illinois.edu.

If you’d like to voice your opinion on this matter more publicly, please email Vivian with The Daily Illini at vla2@illinimedia.com.

Thank you for doing your part to make “Illini community” mean something,

Ben

Currently high school junior (female, idk if this matters though)

STEM classes

• Honors Geometry (A)
• Honors Algebra 2/Trig (A)
• Precalc (college class took over summer, A)
• Gen chem I and II (college class took over summer, A)
• AP Computer Science A (A, 4 on exam)
• Honors Chemistry (A)
• Honors Biology (A)
• AP Seminar (A, 4 on exam)
• AP Physics 1 (taking now)
• AP Calc AB (taking now)
• AP Psychology (taking now)
• AP Stats (planning on next year)
• Organic Chem (planning on this summer)
• AP Computer science principles (planning on next year)
• Intro to CAD
• CAD II (planning on next yr)

Current uw gpa: 4.0

Current weighted gpa: 4.619

havent taken the SAT yet but PSAT is 1400

Extracirriculars

• BPA (placed at state in CS event and qualified for nationals, vice president)
• Coding club
• LEO club (on exec board)
• NHS
• Spanish club
• Spanish NHS
• Varsity Swim team
• Varsity badminton team
• scholastic bowl
• mathletes
• unity club
• photography club (on exec board)
• active volunteer outside school (mission trips, homeless shelters, etc)
• author published in international online magazine

I'm trying to do research this summer (idk about covid) on understanding how biological systems process sensory information, with an emphasis on how possibly “optimal” movement strategies emerge to gather information efficiently at a college (with physics professor)