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can one take 61A w/out any prior programming experience?
more importantly, i wish to know more about the overall computer science program at berkeley like the environment, student body, professors, job recruiting, internships, etc. i already know computer science at berkeley is one of the best in the nation if not the world so i would like more info. on the everyday life of a berkeley computer science student. thanks!
61A is intellectually challenging for most students, since there are many new ideas and programming paradigms and you need to understand and apply them quickly. Not too hard in terms of programming complexity.
I recommend taking CS 3 if you have no programming experience. I had two years of AP Computer Science, and sometimes I still had some confusion writing recursive procedures in scheme. It was only weeks later that the ideas of recursion sank in. I was happy that I got an A+ in this class after struggling week in and week out.
this has been discussed many times already, try searching for the old topics. general consensus was that yes, you'll be fine in 61a without any programming experience. I took it it with no experience and I found it manageable. Hard class, but you'll be fine if you work hard.
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