Hi,
I’m a “first year” “Computer Science” student at U of T.
Wow, that’s a lot of quotation marks, George!
It sure is! Let me explain:
You see, back when I was fresh out of high school, I started a philosophy and English degree at U of T, but I never finished. I lost interest and took some time off to work but found it hard to advance or get where I want to go in life with my current set of skills. Once it became clear that I could not advance in my job given my current credentials, I decided to pursue that which had been on my mind for several months already. Computer Science.
The timing was rather spectacular since the enrollment deadline was better described by the hours remaining than the days. I went to my registrar, submitted a re-enrollment form, and once everything was up and running, I logged into ROSI to try to register in some courses. But they were almost all full.
I managed to get into Calculus in the first term and now I’m taking CSC148, CSC165, and MAT136. So this is why I’ve put first year in quotes. It’s like I’ve started from scratch but with the great benefit of not having to concern myself with any electives or breadth requirements. That’s all taken care of in the 10+ credits I had already accrued about a decade ago.
But why is Computer Science in quotes? Because you don’t just get to be in CS at U of T. Even if you apply for CS from high school and get accepted to CS, you’re still not actually in CS at U of T. The first year CS courses are the real test, and only those with a high enough average between CSC148 and CSC165 can move on in the program. Unfortunately, new rules have just come out that greatly favour students who were accepted specifically into the CS program from high school. For anyone in that acceptance stream, if they maintain a 74% average in those 2 courses, they are guaranteed a spot in the post. Then people like me who were accepted to U of T as general Arts/Sci students will have to fend for the remaining spots. It’s theoretically possible that even with 100% in both courses there would still not be space for me. It’s very much out of my hands. All I can control is how well I do in my classes now and how much I learn. If I crush these courses and don’t get into the subject post at U of T, that will not be the end of my journey as I’m sure there may be several alternative options to explore.
From the first couple weeks, I’ve already learned a lot and have been exciting seeing my programs run successfully as I build them. The thirst is real.
This website will be the home of my course blog where I will make a post about my successes and challenges on a weekly basis for CSC148. If you wish to read or leave a comment, click on any blog post title and it will take you to the comment page. Enjoy your stay!