submission_a6hd9r
Why Computer Science at QC is pretty Good/How to Succeed Here
Why Computer Science at QC is pretty Good/How to Succeed Here
As someone who has taken the personal effort to see what Ivy league students are doing, we are all learning the same curriculum eventually and its about who is doing the extra to grow their technical skills. Our CS department teaches us the standard, or who knows I may just have been lucky.
The only issue students have is that they are either lazy or don’t just know what to do or have a lack of guidance. CS field itself is very competitive and meritocratic. For you to succeed in CS, you must be a self learner and be a dedicated worker, like Obrenic says… Just do it!. The only difference between QC and a college like Stanford, is that Stanford has $25B in endowment that allow their freshmen to program electric pants….no kidding, but that does not mean they are the better software engineers. Many of their professors never even went to Ivy league colleges in fact.
In the end its about who a good programmer/software engineer/computer scientist and trust when I say I have met dumb students who go to Ivy schools. We’ve had so many students from QC who have gone to work at top companies, but in the end its them that did that for themselves. Yes, QC is a public institution, there is no denial that things could be shitty/ could be done better but its really up to you to turn the tables.
How to Succeed at QC: You have to think of here as a poor man’s Harvard and do the work, nothing comes easy, ever! By your first year start applying for internships (point is to get you acclimated rather that getting an internship) and Programs/ fellowships in top companies that help students grow their careers. By your first semester, go for every panel/meetup/hackathons/conferences you can find locally and out of state(provided they sponsor you), because this is where you expose yourself and learn more. By your second year, after doing all this, you must have been a better candidate who’s been exposed and worked on some meaningful projects that are up on github… continue to apply for more and more internships!!! You also need a great resume! check peoples Linkedin and see what their resumes look like. Create yours in similar fashion whether your have experience or not…thats why you are doing for those panels and hackathons and conferences, to have them down!. It is also important to make sure your resume has skills directly/or at least somewhat related to the line of CS.
Also, the order of classes you take is important. Be sure that you take Data structures/Algorithms/Theory of computation by your third year, super important! Because recruiting season starts every fall for the next summer, try to see if you can take Algorithms latest by that fall. Do practices online, google interview questions that companies ask their interns… Practice more! keep going you will have a lot of rejections, but for each rejection you will be a better engineer/interviewee. By your third year, you must have gotten an internship, trust me. After your third year, focus less on having a great GPA, instead work on projects… Typically for your first 2 years, try averaging a 3.6. By your senior, 3.1 - 3.3 is fine no one cares at that point, what would speak for your is your experience. Note: Ideally this grade is for individuals not pursuing Academia…i.e PhD’s
Also, by the time you have started getting rejections after doing things right, thats when you know your in the right track and all you need to be is more refined, welcome to the crew you’d definitely succeed in CS career…
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Hope this helps!
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