7 ms·

Man, I went to Rutgers, but it sounds like I picked the wrong major. One of my CS TA's literally did not know what the head and tail of a list are (an American

by lg 18y ago

Man, I went to Rutgers, but it sounds like I picked the wrong major. One of my CS TA's literally did not know what the head and tail of a list are (an American, by the by). And to think, math was just across the hall..

yummyfajitas 18y ago
I was an RU math TA. Most of us are not as smart as Eric.
- andreyf 18y ago
  Might be, but the two departments are very different in quality also, at least on the undergrad level (I majored in Math/CS at Rutgers). This is mostly due to the different nature of the subjects, though - CS enrollment fluctuates hugely with tech fashions, and includes people looking to get ahead in their job, people learning "how computers work", etc. Math, on the other hand, can stay to a more strictly academic curriculum, especially with their honors track. I forget where I read this (I think something of Alan Kay's), but I like the thought that CS will go the path of biology, on the undergrad level, by breaking up into several fields. Just as "pure" biology majors are separate from the school of pharmacy, "pure" CS majors needs a different focus than future network technicians and Blub programmers.
  - turkishrevenge 18y ago
    It really depends. The theory classes are there, you just have to take them. My Discrete II & Algorithmic Analysis class with Professor Kalantari was great and and extremely informative. Other classes that I thought were really interesting, like Compilers and Formal Language and Automata theory sadly only had a few students enrolled. I guess theoretical classes are considered boring, although I guess I could see why others think that when compared to Computer Graphics or something that seems a little more hands on. Now that I'm out though, I do regret not going down the Math/CS route at Rutgers.
    - andreyf 18y ago
      > The theory classes are there, you just have to take them. You're absolutely right, I should have been more specific - I was talking about the required classes, which are mostly taught in large lecture halls (Intro, Algorithms, OS). Another great advantage is how accessible and helpful the professors are, esp. in the smaller classes you mention.
    - lg 18y ago
      Those "unpopular" classes like Formal Languages might not be so unpopular if serious profs taught them, instead of the usual lazy, disorganized people who outsource teaching to the TA's. Maybe some people make a point of avoiding the hard profs, but more people avoid the terrible ones.
    - prakash 18y ago
      I took a couple of grad level courses with Kalantari, they were great.
turkishrevenge 18y ago
Yeah I had that too the first year. The prof got rid of her pretty quickly too. Thankfully though, that situation is not the norm. I had many good TAs while at Rutgers.

by lg 18y ago

yummyfajitas 18y ago

I was an RU math TA. Most of us are not as smart as Eric.

andreyf 18y ago
Might be, but the two departments are very different in quality also, at least on the undergrad level (I majored in Math/CS at Rutgers). This is mostly due to the different nature of the subjects, though - CS enrollment fluctuates hugely with tech fashions, and includes people looking to get ahead in their job, people learning "how computers work", etc. Math, on the other hand, can stay to a more strictly academic curriculum, especially with their honors track. I forget where I read this (I think something of Alan Kay's), but I like the thought that CS will go the path of biology, on the undergrad level, by breaking up into several fields. Just as "pure" biology majors are separate from the school of pharmacy, "pure" CS majors needs a different focus than future network technicians and Blub programmers.
- turkishrevenge 18y ago
  It really depends. The theory classes are there, you just have to take them. My Discrete II & Algorithmic Analysis class with Professor Kalantari was great and and extremely informative. Other classes that I thought were really interesting, like Compilers and Formal Language and Automata theory sadly only had a few students enrolled. I guess theoretical classes are considered boring, although I guess I could see why others think that when compared to Computer Graphics or something that seems a little more hands on. Now that I'm out though, I do regret not going down the Math/CS route at Rutgers.
  - andreyf 18y ago
    > The theory classes are there, you just have to take them. You're absolutely right, I should have been more specific - I was talking about the required classes, which are mostly taught in large lecture halls (Intro, Algorithms, OS). Another great advantage is how accessible and helpful the professors are, esp. in the smaller classes you mention.
  - lg 18y ago
    Those "unpopular" classes like Formal Languages might not be so unpopular if serious profs taught them, instead of the usual lazy, disorganized people who outsource teaching to the TA's. Maybe some people make a point of avoiding the hard profs, but more people avoid the terrible ones.
  - prakash 18y ago
    I took a couple of grad level courses with Kalantari, they were great.

turkishrevenge 18y ago

Yeah I had that too the first year. The prof got rid of her pretty quickly too. Thankfully though, that situation is not the norm. I had many good TAs while at Rutgers.