All I hear from my peers and respected elders is that one should have at least a small amount of experience in computer science to do well in STEM (not sure what this quantity of experience entails). I know I shouldn’t heed everything I hear, but this seems to be one of the most popular statements people tell me. I want to major in neuroscience, and so when I visited Stanford to meet a research assistant there who majors in Cognitive Neuroscience (my dad and she have some mutual friends), she told me that I should explore computer science, so that it would boost my college applications. The thing is, I don’t really like computer science. My dad tried teaching me coding as a kid and showing me basic computation, but I didn’t enjoy the experience. I find computer science confusing and not interesting (no offense to those who like it; I’m just not into it). Should I start learning computer science again or take a course at my local community college, so that it will help me with my major, or should I just not bother and just stick to what I truly enjoy?
Full disclosure: I’m a math/CS major.
I actually went to a STEM magnet school for high school and everyone was required to take a CS class to graduate from the high school because of its key importance to many STEM fields. Many STEM majors at many colleges require you to take at least a semester of intro CS. I would definitely recommend it, even if it’s not a requirement for your degree.
@guineagirl96 My school offers only two computer science courses - VS.net and AP CompSci. VS.net is the prerequisite for AP CompSci. A lot of people have told me that no one uses VS.net, and so they are taking the course over the summer to get into AP CompSci. While I don’t want to take AP CompSci, what would be the point in taking VS.net if it is not used anymore?
I would not do VS.net (I actually had to google what that was). I’d see if a community college near you offers an intro CS course you can take. It’s ok if you don’t get the experience while in high school, however. If you can’t try to take it in college.
Yes, you should listen to your Dad and get some CS. It’s the Information Age. You won’t get far in STEM without it.
@guineagirl96 Based on my plan for the next two years of high school (I’m a rising junior), I doubt I’ll have space in my school/afterschool/summer schedule to take an additional course. What if I were to take a CompSci course the summer before college?
I wouldn’t do that unless you have approval from the university you choose to attend ahead of time. Taking classes after graduation can sometimes mess with your status as a freshman admit. Like I said though, its not important to have it before college, you can still take it in college.
@guineagirl96 Ah, got it. Thanks a lot!
It sounds like you should be just fine waiting until college to take CS with your options. But certainly take it then.