helloworld0987

hi - i'm thinking of computer science as a possible major, and was wondering what current stanford students would recommend as an intro course (or what is supposed to be the standard intro...) i have some basic experience with matlab and python (half self-taught, half "taught" at a summer internship), but nothing serious. suggestions? thanks!

kyledavid80

CS 106A is required for CS majors and is a commonly taken course even for non-majors; lots of students take it just for fun/information. It gives you beginning programming experience, but is challenging even for those with some programming experience. And it would probably be a better option for a possible CS major than CS 105 Intro to Computers (for non-technical majors, and judging by your username, you'd be one of those "technical majors" ).

marchballer

The CS curriculum is changing and CS106A will not be counted towards the major for this years incoming class which I assume you are apart of. 106B is the first class that counts towards the major. They are using 106A as a segway to get ppl excited for the major. Your options are CS 106A, 106B or 106X (or 107 if you are beastly but it doesn't sound like you are).
You sound like a 106A type of guy. It shouldn't be too hard and it was the best class I took this year. I think during NSO there is a small session where they introduce the classes and I would attend it if I was you and decide from there.

kyledavid80

^^ forgot about that change!

marchballer is right--CS 106A is no longer required for the major. However, it is still the best place for you to start. Though you may be strong enough in programming to move on to CS 106B (or CS 106X), you'd need a good AP CS score to opt out of CS 106A. You can view the CS curriculum changes here:

http://cs.stanford.edu/degrees/under...w-04-03-08.pdf

helloworld0987

awesome, sounds like 106A it is. thanks so much guys! (ps im a girl lolz...)