The whole time I was doing my CS program I was thinking that anyone coming in "cold", as is common in many other degree programs, would be totally screwed. Alre

The whole time I was doing my CS program I was thinking that anyone coming in "cold", as is common in many other degree programs, would be totally screwed. Already being quite "good with computers" and having at least some existing familiarity with programming—way beyond what's generally taught in k-12 school—was basically an unstated prerequisite if you didn't want to feel like you were in a living hell. It's more like a music degree program, in that regard, except I think those usually reject people who try to apply without substantial prior experience and facility with music. Or like attempting an art major when you don't already have above-average-for-your-age art skills. Like, I'm pretty sure the 100-level biology classes don't assume you've already spent hundreds to thousands of hours dissecting frogs for fun, but rather, have maybe done a very little of it in high school.