High School Student going to University.
Author
I have a few question! and i would like if some of you could give me feed back on them and answers thats direct to me and the questions.
1. Schools as in college i should think about to learn programming.
2. Majors?? Computer secicne? Game Design? I like to do App and game programming. and learn more if i can.
3. Books i should read over the summer to get my self started and ready for school and know the basics.
if these question is already answered please link me up!! thanks!
I can't really recommend a college for you to go to. If I could pick any I'd probably go to CMU, but I'd be hard pressed to get into that and be able to pay in real life.
About your major. Some people say you should take Physics, Math, computer informational sciences, or other computer related majors because you can learn all the stuff you need to know to make games without a CS major. This is up to you. Seeing as you have no experience I'd recommend you take CS because you'll need it to help out. However if you are going to college all that's important when you're done is a degree that has something to do with computers.
On to books. It really depends on what you want to learn. If you are absolutely new you may want to pick up a book on object oriented program theory. If you have some more time after that I would get a book on the school you're going to's language of choice (probably java). That's pretty much all you can do to "get ahead", because in undergrad most of the stuff is theory.
[edited by - Ceoddyn on May 27, 2004 6:14:27 PM]
About your major. Some people say you should take Physics, Math, computer informational sciences, or other computer related majors because you can learn all the stuff you need to know to make games without a CS major. This is up to you. Seeing as you have no experience I'd recommend you take CS because you'll need it to help out. However if you are going to college all that's important when you're done is a degree that has something to do with computers.
On to books. It really depends on what you want to learn. If you are absolutely new you may want to pick up a book on object oriented program theory. If you have some more time after that I would get a book on the school you're going to's language of choice (probably java). That's pretty much all you can do to "get ahead", because in undergrad most of the stuff is theory.
[edited by - Ceoddyn on May 27, 2004 6:14:27 PM]
If you want to work in the game industry it doesn''t matter all that much what college you''re going to. Get a MSc in comp sci and make sure you do a bunch of internships while you''re studying. Most game developers will only hire people with experience so besides getting your degree, that''s what you should be focusing on. (Generally the people who''d hire you will ask you about stuff you''ve done and the degree is something that is simply expected from you)
Since I live in Germany I can''t recommend schools for you, sorry. What I can tell you however is how you can prepare for college:
1. Get a book about computer science. You will notice that at first, this doesn''t have all that much to do with programming. You''ll learn about grammar, semantics, complexity, memory management and of course some programming, but not all that much.
2. Get a calculus book. If you''re not a math pro, get "Calculus Demystified".
3. Try to find out what programming language is used at the college of your choice and play with it. A lot of universities use Java, some Pascal, some C and some even Ada.
Hope this helped.
Since I live in Germany I can''t recommend schools for you, sorry. What I can tell you however is how you can prepare for college:
1. Get a book about computer science. You will notice that at first, this doesn''t have all that much to do with programming. You''ll learn about grammar, semantics, complexity, memory management and of course some programming, but not all that much.
2. Get a calculus book. If you''re not a math pro, get "Calculus Demystified".
3. Try to find out what programming language is used at the college of your choice and play with it. A lot of universities use Java, some Pascal, some C and some even Ada.
Hope this helped.
quote:Original post by KrishManohar
1. Schools as in college i should think about to learn programming.
To me programming is something I learn during my spare time, not something I learn by taking (programming) classes. Taking programming classes is the least thing I would do when it comes to learning. So, if you want to learn programming, it doesn''t matter which college you are in, it''s all in you.
quote:
2. Majors?? Computer secicne? Game Design? I like to do App and game programming. and learn more if i can.
Computer Science. Don''t get anything related to games such as Game Design, Game Art major, etc. It just narrows your market down.
quote:What do you want to learn?
3. Books i should read over the summer to get my self started and ready for school and know the basics.
Having a degree is more important than what the degree is in. A company will hire you if they think that you''re a hard worker (which a degree and a decent GPA will suggest), that you know your stuff, that you''re experienced, and that you''ll be pleasant to work with. You can show all of these without having a computer science degree.
That''s not to say a CS education isn''t useful. You can learn a lot from experienced people who teach your classes. You also get opportunities such as research positions, etc... It''s really not that hard to get a research position at ANY university (I am a rising sophomore at the University of Maryland, 35,000 students, and I got myself a research position with a really interesting guy this summer).
Just pick a college you like. If you want to be a CS major, then pick one with a relatively decent CS program. It doesn''t have to be great, but you want to enjoy your college experience. Most of the stuff they teach you you can teach yourself anyway.
That''s not to say a CS education isn''t useful. You can learn a lot from experienced people who teach your classes. You also get opportunities such as research positions, etc... It''s really not that hard to get a research position at ANY university (I am a rising sophomore at the University of Maryland, 35,000 students, and I got myself a research position with a really interesting guy this summer).
Just pick a college you like. If you want to be a CS major, then pick one with a relatively decent CS program. It doesn''t have to be great, but you want to enjoy your college experience. Most of the stuff they teach you you can teach yourself anyway.
Author
www.spsu.edu is like 4 hours away, I am in florida in forthladerdale area, I am not too sure on which college as yet, so far i have been accepted to my community college and FIU(florida In''t University) The both offer CS as a major. I also might get a good financal aid as support for paying out college.
Also like to thank the people who responded!
Also like to thank the people who responded!
I'm going to Western Washington University this Fall and majoring in computer science. The language they're using is ADA (although I wish they stuck with C++) so that they can concentrate more on teaching the students about programming theory/memory management/data structures/OOP instead of syntax. It seems alot of first time students beginning with C++ have trouble with syntax. 
Anyways, I recommend a major in Computer Science. Opens up more opportunities just in case game dev doesnt work out for you. You'll probably have to end up taking alot of math classes and a few science classes like physics before taking programming related classes.
I'm wondering, when does taking math classes end? The third year? I think math classes are finished as pre-requisites and then you start taking actual CS/programming related classes.
[edited by - TheOne1 on June 1, 2004 12:27:48 AM]
Anyways, I recommend a major in Computer Science. Opens up more opportunities just in case game dev doesnt work out for you. You'll probably have to end up taking alot of math classes and a few science classes like physics before taking programming related classes.
I'm wondering, when does taking math classes end? The third year? I think math classes are finished as pre-requisites and then you start taking actual CS/programming related classes.
[edited by - TheOne1 on June 1, 2004 12:27:48 AM]
Author
yeah i heard alot of college does that, i looked into FIU the start you off takeing CS classes from start just to get you totly setup for learning high class programming from ASAM, C#, C++... I also looked for scholor ship the have like 2 which i might apply for.
Of the the professor told me no one really or never even looked into CS scholor ship.
Of the the professor told me no one really or never even looked into CS scholor ship.
Well at least you''re not asking where to go for an english major . Alright I''m done crackin on ya. My buddy is going to umich next year to major in CS, but I''m personally going up a state to Georgia Tech. I agree with Ceoddyn that CMU is definitely worth looking into. Don''t go to FL schools if you can help it.. I''m getting the heck out of this state! Anyway everyone left out the obvious few top-rated schools but who gets into those unless they''re 1. actually smart 2. female or 3. minority. My personal opinion is to major in CS because well algorithms are fun. CS will give you a good background in game design anyway (algorithm-wise, heavy logic and the such). My big gripe about game design is well it''s too mutable, I mean who knows most games could be programmed in some new language by the time you finish college.
. Alright I''m done crackin on ya. My buddy is going to umich next year to major in CS, but I''m personally going up a state to Georgia Tech. I agree with Ceoddyn that CMU is definitely worth looking into. Don''t go to FL schools if you can help it.. I''m getting the heck out of this state! Anyway everyone left out the obvious few top-rated schools but who gets into those unless they''re 1. actually smart 2. female or 3. minority. My personal opinion is to major in CS because well algorithms are fun. CS will give you a good background in game design anyway (algorithm-wise, heavy logic and the such). My big gripe about game design is well it''s too mutable, I mean who knows most games could be programmed in some new language by the time you finish college.
Oh common, all the hot chicks are at FSU and you know it!
CMU is extremely difficult to get into for computer science, and practically impossible to transfer info (the CS program that is, even from another department at the university). And when I say "extremely difficult," I don''t mean it as a figure of speech. I know several people who were accepted at Caltech, MIT, Cornell, etc., and wait-listed/denied at CMU. It''s definitely an awesome school for computer science, but I''m just warning you not to only apply to this school. They have some weird criteria
BTW what high school do you go to? Saint Aquinas (private) by any chance? I just happen to know a few kids who went there from Fort Lauderdale.
CMU is extremely difficult to get into for computer science, and practically impossible to transfer info (the CS program that is, even from another department at the university). And when I say "extremely difficult," I don''t mean it as a figure of speech. I know several people who were accepted at Caltech, MIT, Cornell, etc., and wait-listed/denied at CMU. It''s definitely an awesome school for computer science, but I''m just warning you not to only apply to this school. They have some weird criteria
BTW what high school do you go to? Saint Aquinas (private) by any chance? I just happen to know a few kids who went there from Fort Lauderdale.
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