Computer Science

‘Computer Science’ can be a bit misleading – I imagined learning lots about how computers and networks work. In fact, most of this course is spent either programming or studying how things are computed (sorting algorithms etc.).

If you’re a NatSci taking the Computer Science course you’ll just be taking Paper 1; CompScis also take Paper 2. But if you find you really like Computer Science you can always switch Tripos (at least one person usually does). If you like Decision maths, you’ll probably also enjoy most of this course and don’t worry if you’ve never programmed before – about half of the people taking this course won’t have and you’re taught everything you need to know.

Practicals (called “ticks” by Comp-Scis) are fairly simple programming exercises: in the first term you’ll use the ML language (don’t worry if you don’t know any, no-one else does either and it’s really easy to pick up) and in Lent term you’ll use Java. There are lecture courses to accompany these but it’s only when you put it into practice and program for yourself that things will really make sense.

Every week you hand in your work and (hopefully!) get it ‘ticked’; there are 5 compulsory ticks in each term but there are extra ticks if you fancy becoming an expert programmer. For the CompScis the extra ticks are compulsory so it’s probably a good idea to try and get as much practice as them. There are many ways to solve some problems but as long as you understand why your method works you’ll get the tick.

Other subjects that the Computer Science course covers are: Discrete Maths (covers things like logic and sets); Floating Point Computation (how computers store numbers and the errors associated with them –useful for making sure your programs return accurate numbers) and Algorithms (how to write programs and store data in efficient ways).

Supervisions are organised separately for each module and most of the time they involve doing questions from Past Papers which is really good practice for the exam. The lecture notes can sometimes be a little confusing so make the most of your supervisions and ask as many questions as you can.

In short, CompSci can be a challenging module as it requires a different way of thinking but it can also be really rewarding having a wide range of experience. If you have a question, don’t hesitate to grab an older student or chat to your Tutor/Director of Studies.

Link to course website: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/nst/