If you end up choosing python, a popular first book is: http://learnpythonthehardway.org/ http://learnpythonthehardway.org/ A lot depends on which language is

If you end up choosing python, a popular first book is: http://learnpythonthehardway.org/ http://learnpythonthehardway.org/ A lot depends on which language is going to be helpful in your computational physics class: you should find out which language they'll expect you to work in.