07/04/2019 What makes the Computer Science major so hard?

jor so hard? The CS dropout rate at my school is very high; only 15 percent of freshmen wh…

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Advice About College and University Majors +7 Related Questions

What makes the Computer Science major so hard?
The CS dropout rate at my school is very high; only
15 percent of freshmen who declare a CS major
graduate with the degree. Is the material or logic
hard to grasp, or are the lazy students weeded out?
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Shujaat Hussain, Masters in Computer Sciences, 20 years of software What are the popular hard science majors?
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Updated Oct 11, 2017
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Having spent the better part of my life studying, implementing and teaching CS,
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one problem that I have seen to be the common denominator of many new
students is not being able to think in terms of machines. Let me explain:

A computer really is a “finite state machine” whose states can be manipulated to

perform operations and get results. Problems that can be solved by computers
(yes, there are problems that cannot realistically or even theoretically be solved
by machines) need to be translated into a set of states and rules that govern how
computer will shift from one state to another. This...(more)

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Sven Skoog, MS CompSci, 2000; MBA, 2009

Answered Feb 5, 2016

I would say the latter (hard work).  It's hard to capture, in a 2-3 paragraph
response, just how difficult (and long) (and grueling) some of the programming
assignments can be, esp. those involving complex recursion, automata, or
similar theory.  In many cases, the solution can be like a 'trick Sudoku' or 'trick
logic puzzle' which certain types of thinkers 'get,' and others don't.  The
combination of "grasp the trick" and "do the long, hard coding exercise" can be
easy (on good days) or back-breaking (for hard problems).

[Though I don't like job interviewers asking brain-teasers as a gene...(more)

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John A. Viator, Professor and Director of Biomedical Engineering at

Duquesne University.
Answered Feb 5, 2016

If your university doesn't have competitive admissions and allows students to

declare a major immediately as a freshman, much of the attrition might come
about by students realizing that computer science is not really what they
thought it was.  Some students just want to learn programming, and
programming is not the same as computer science.  They might realize they can
be great programmers and major in something that interests them more than
the formal academic discipline of computer science.  If you look at it this way,
many students who matriculate in any given major don't graduate with ...(more)

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Dave Norris, BS Computer Science University of Missouri 1994.

Answered Nov 2, 2016

Yes, the work can be hard. If it were easy everyone would have a CS degree and
they would be as worthless as a business admin or teaching degree. It is very
hard if your brain isn't wired the way a programmer's brain is wired and much
easier if it is wired that way. People change majors for a number of reasons and
they're all valid. College affords one an opportunity to explore areas of interest.
It is no crime to stick one's toe in the water and decide that it isn't for him/her.

I noticed that no one asked the question of where you went to school. If you are
going to a for-profit institution you may be seeing the results of predatory
enrolling. 85% is a very high drop out rate. You might consider how that
compares to other programs at your school?
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Wes Winn, B.S. Computer Science, University of Washington (2013)

Answered Jun 9, 2018

What made it so hard to me was from a neurological perspective.

When I learned Technical Writing, I could point back to Sociology, Book

Reports, etc. as a connection point. “Oh, this research is kind of like that other
stuff I’ve done, and I just have to add these new ‘technical’ requirements to the
paper.” Simple.

When I learned Chemistry, a childhood of abstract rules of what legos fit into

where and “lab work” of observing stuff in jars and making a clay volcano fit
right in. Similarly my lab book was legible and organized from writing wood
shop plans. Easy.

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The Computer Science came. There wasn’t anything like bit manipulation.
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There was nothing like a for loop. Boolean logic, by its nature, made sense, but it
wasn’t instant, it was a very new concept.

Notice how all the attrition seems to happen in the first year? It’s not that the
classes are weeder courses, it’s that students are required to build a brand new
foundation for the first time in a long time. To venture into something
completely new and unknown that also happens to be quite difficult.
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Yoni Friedman, M.Sc in Mech. Eng. (Technion, Israel)

Answered Feb 5, 2016

It seems that what's making the degree so hard is your university's absurd
standards. 15 percent? Really?

I've studied at the Technion Institute of Technology, a university which is

considered to be relatively difficult, and our computer science majors have a
much higher graduation rate. Their grades might not be as high as they'd like,
they might have some difficulty landing a job if the grades are low, but they
graduate.

If graduates of your university are held in extremely high regard and you believe
you've got what it takes, go for it. Otherwise, it may be worthwhile to look
elsewhere, where the university doesn't boot roughly 6 out of every 7 students.
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John S. Thomas, Trombonist, dilettante, autodidact, INFP, always

quorious
Answered Feb 5, 2016

I've told my children and other young people,

Computer Science is a difficult major, make no mistake. It's difficult enough that
you will need to work, hard, even if you're accustomed to studying little and
receiving good grades.  If you're willing to work, hard, it's a very rewarding field. 
If you're not passionate about studying CS, I would respectfully advise you to
select a major about which you are passionate.

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