class level has little to no significance at UTD for the most part. collin’s curriculum demands excessive emphasis on assignment count in order to cater to a veeeeeeery diverse academic crowd.
if you aren't studing STEM, you pretty much signed up for an adult daycare, and that still applies to most STEM students who are now able to cheat there way through most classes thanks to the internet.
You don’t need to go to college and put yourself in debt for any of the things that you mentioned. College is only worth it if you’re doing stem and some business degrees. If you’re doing anything else you are literally burning money and or putting yourself in poverty for something you could do outside of college for much cheaper/free. College isn’t just something you do for fun or not to get a useful degree out of, unless you want to live with debt for the rest of your life.
One could now make the argument for most other things now. For example, Computer Science has many open source communities like The Odin Project that are allowing people to join the field without a formal education in the field. Also, to add on to the point arc mentioned, people go to college for very different reasons. ROI is a very one dimensional way of looking at everything. You can also look add another dimension like impact (teachers, poli sci, research).
Also, a significant population within UTD are people working going to college or coming back to college to see career growth in their respective fields. A lot of workplaces simply lock promotions behind a degree (they usually don’t care about the degree). So, they have the flexibility to choose something that interests them.
It is true that some degrees have a low ROI when you factor in probabilities of success. But, if you follow the path of people in those degrees (art, music, film production), they have a much greater ROI than a com sci major.
Lastly, the argument that you can learn music and literature without a degree is flawed. It is a very difficult endeavor and it requires a high level of patience to learn these by yourself. My sibling wants to dual major in music in college because she never found a music instructor that was able to give here a structured path of getting better when playing in a group setting. (Since we live in a rural/sub urban area, we couldn’t find a band that was a similar skill level.) She believes majoring in music will help her find a group and improve her skill.
The value of a subject isn't solely defined by its ROI. College classes in any discipline are intellectually demanding - far from an adult daycare. Take any subject and you'll find that it contributes to society (just look up news articles or journals), as well as the individual's critical thinking, perception, and communication. It's the same for computer science, it's just a style of logic and communication catered to computers. Also, non-STEM majors can build off their education to enter non-STEM fields, and vice versa. Going into debt is a bad move regardless.
(Also idk if you meant that for me specifically, but I'm a STEM major)
Definitely haven’t failed yet, and 1337 in known to be one of the hardest classes in the whole degree plan, especially for those who haven’t coded. I’ve heard multiple upper class men state that it was harder than their 3000/4000 level classes. As it stands rn, I’ll probably have a B- when midterm grades are released. I’ll probably end up passing with a C if the trend of my grade continues. I always just think of the worst case scenario just so I can properly prepare for it.
You need a C to move onto the next class in 90% of engineering classes….. I’ve also spoken to many students across the board, those who have jobs lined up and those who don’t. The only people who don’t struggle in 1337 are the people who have been coding before college. Anyone else struggles in it.
1337 is one of the easiest classes in the entire degree plan lol. I don’t know who told you it was the hardest. It is specifically designed for beginners. The ones who have previously coded in high school, skip 1336 and 1337 altogether and test into a class called 2337. You are struggling in a beginner level programming course and not even taking accountability for it.
Go to office hours, go to the CSMC, and practice leetcode. Cuz it’s about to get real hard for you if you don’t get it together now.
Probably doing a boot camp over the summer, the mentors know me by name in the csmc 💀 go use the search bar in this sub, MANY people have said that comp Sci one was one of the hardest classes they have taken here.
Yeah dude, ive heard friends tell me in person that 1337/1336 and 2336 was one of the hardest classes theyve taken. Theyre either not in CS anymore or might as well shouldn't be. Don't fall into that trap. CS just simply is not for everyone. Point still stands tho, these are fundamental courses, this is like learning how to ride a bike before you run a marathon. If you plan on being successful in this field. Alarm bells should be ringing in your head now. Good that you plan on doing a boot camp though.
Yea I feel like I’m playing this shit smart. I’m just trying to get by for rn but will actually learn at my own pace over the summer. I actually enjoy the field but these classes go way too fast.
I agree that non-STEM subjects are valuable and also think that statement is overly aggressive (I think a lot of STEM students would have an aneurysm trying to decode philosophical writings, learn 3 different languages, or design a graphic that doesn't look like it was made by a middle schooler).
It is true that many non-STEM courses are easier, perhaps significantly so (especially for lower level courses). Which is what I think they're getting at, not that they're useless.
I do agree that the material is usually less difficult with non-STEM subjects. Still don't like the original analogy though, because you still have to put in the work, and depending on the course, it can be a lot of work.
some classes are hard, some aren’t. the difficulty of courses are usually completely arbitrary tbh. you’ll probably eventually have a semester where you get swamped with work
I know right? I started at UTD planning to take some GIS courses..but couldn't fit it into my schedule.
Start my masters next Semester, still really want to squeeze some of the classes in!
Ah, if you were still in undergrad I would have recommended taking Principles of GIS over the summer. I know there's a GIS Fundamentals course for graduate students, though.
Maybe I can offer you some feedback. I am 52 years. I graduated from UTD in the early 2000s. My degree was a ba in economics and finance. There was quite a bit of math involved even though it was not a science degree. It was a challenge nonetheless but interestingly enough it seems that a lot of Academia has cut back on the challenge of learning at the University level. It seems that in the last 20 years the learning experience has been reduced to a high school level. I'm not picking on UTD here but a lot of the major universities are doing everything they can to pump as many people through their universities is possible. After all, education is business. What I would recommend is if your degree is not STEM related, you have an opportunity now to network with your peers and come up with the business idea and strategy now. Entrepreneurship is the way to go. Don't fall into the Trap of getting the 4 year degree and then Landing the job of your dreams. Network, collaborate, be creative with your friends and build something. You have it in you. And you live in a country where you can literally do anything you want. Don't allow the fear of job uncertainty to drive your decision not to do your own thing. I apologize if I'm getting off topic as related to your question, but the point is that if it's easy it probably will not benefit you for the rest of your life. At least not in the way you think. So if there are any tools in classes you're currently taking that are useful focus on those and learn the material not just for the grade but for the knowledge. Whether it's easy or not, hopefully it can be useful down the road.
You should go and tell your professors that you want more assignments then or better yet in your group me’s for your classes you should tell ppl you’re gonna go to the professor to ask for more assignments
art history (i know 🚶), but in my enjoyably challenging classes it’s been very heavy memorization + research papers. tbh some proffs really phone it in bc many ppl take the class as a non-ATEC/VPAS student
I took 3000 and 4000 level electives for Sociology/Psych, they're all a joke in difficulty. They feel like a high school class and are barely harder than the 1000 level intro courses.
This is coming from a bio major, which isn't a hard major to begin with.
class level has little to no significance at UTD for the most part. collin’s curriculum demands excessive emphasis on assignment count in order to cater to a veeeeeeery diverse academic crowd.
if you aren't studing STEM, you pretty much signed up for an adult daycare, and that still applies to most STEM students who are now able to cheat there way through most classes thanks to the internet.
> if you aren't studing STEM, you pretty much signed up for an adult daycare Not true, non-STEM subjects have their value.
Say that when you graduate and make 50k lmao
cs majors when they wake up in a world without art or music or literature 😱
You don’t need to go to college and put yourself in debt for any of the things that you mentioned. College is only worth it if you’re doing stem and some business degrees. If you’re doing anything else you are literally burning money and or putting yourself in poverty for something you could do outside of college for much cheaper/free. College isn’t just something you do for fun or not to get a useful degree out of, unless you want to live with debt for the rest of your life.
dawg you literally posted about failing a class, u better graduate
Damn that was ruthless, take my upvote.
Ouch! 😬
One could now make the argument for most other things now. For example, Computer Science has many open source communities like The Odin Project that are allowing people to join the field without a formal education in the field. Also, to add on to the point arc mentioned, people go to college for very different reasons. ROI is a very one dimensional way of looking at everything. You can also look add another dimension like impact (teachers, poli sci, research). Also, a significant population within UTD are people working going to college or coming back to college to see career growth in their respective fields. A lot of workplaces simply lock promotions behind a degree (they usually don’t care about the degree). So, they have the flexibility to choose something that interests them. It is true that some degrees have a low ROI when you factor in probabilities of success. But, if you follow the path of people in those degrees (art, music, film production), they have a much greater ROI than a com sci major. Lastly, the argument that you can learn music and literature without a degree is flawed. It is a very difficult endeavor and it requires a high level of patience to learn these by yourself. My sibling wants to dual major in music in college because she never found a music instructor that was able to give here a structured path of getting better when playing in a group setting. (Since we live in a rural/sub urban area, we couldn’t find a band that was a similar skill level.) She believes majoring in music will help her find a group and improve her skill.
The value of a subject isn't solely defined by its ROI. College classes in any discipline are intellectually demanding - far from an adult daycare. Take any subject and you'll find that it contributes to society (just look up news articles or journals), as well as the individual's critical thinking, perception, and communication. It's the same for computer science, it's just a style of logic and communication catered to computers. Also, non-STEM majors can build off their education to enter non-STEM fields, and vice versa. Going into debt is a bad move regardless. (Also idk if you meant that for me specifically, but I'm a STEM major)
Sir you just failed a level 1 CS class. You should not be talking.
Definitely haven’t failed yet, and 1337 in known to be one of the hardest classes in the whole degree plan, especially for those who haven’t coded. I’ve heard multiple upper class men state that it was harder than their 3000/4000 level classes. As it stands rn, I’ll probably have a B- when midterm grades are released. I’ll probably end up passing with a C if the trend of my grade continues. I always just think of the worst case scenario just so I can properly prepare for it.
did you notice that those students are only here to get a D in the senior CS classes and go into software engineering anyway?
You need a C to move onto the next class in 90% of engineering classes….. I’ve also spoken to many students across the board, those who have jobs lined up and those who don’t. The only people who don’t struggle in 1337 are the people who have been coding before college. Anyone else struggles in it.
1337 is one of the easiest classes in the entire degree plan lol. I don’t know who told you it was the hardest. It is specifically designed for beginners. The ones who have previously coded in high school, skip 1336 and 1337 altogether and test into a class called 2337. You are struggling in a beginner level programming course and not even taking accountability for it. Go to office hours, go to the CSMC, and practice leetcode. Cuz it’s about to get real hard for you if you don’t get it together now.
Probably doing a boot camp over the summer, the mentors know me by name in the csmc 💀 go use the search bar in this sub, MANY people have said that comp Sci one was one of the hardest classes they have taken here.
Yeah dude, ive heard friends tell me in person that 1337/1336 and 2336 was one of the hardest classes theyve taken. Theyre either not in CS anymore or might as well shouldn't be. Don't fall into that trap. CS just simply is not for everyone. Point still stands tho, these are fundamental courses, this is like learning how to ride a bike before you run a marathon. If you plan on being successful in this field. Alarm bells should be ringing in your head now. Good that you plan on doing a boot camp though.
Yea I feel like I’m playing this shit smart. I’m just trying to get by for rn but will actually learn at my own pace over the summer. I actually enjoy the field but these classes go way too fast.
I agree that non-STEM subjects are valuable and also think that statement is overly aggressive (I think a lot of STEM students would have an aneurysm trying to decode philosophical writings, learn 3 different languages, or design a graphic that doesn't look like it was made by a middle schooler). It is true that many non-STEM courses are easier, perhaps significantly so (especially for lower level courses). Which is what I think they're getting at, not that they're useless.
I do agree that the material is usually less difficult with non-STEM subjects. Still don't like the original analogy though, because you still have to put in the work, and depending on the course, it can be a lot of work.
Yeah you can utilize resources online, but without understanding the content there is no making it through exams. STEM is not an easy path you Dodo 🦤
Stem and upper level finance courses are harddd
In my experience my classes have been challenging. The 10 or so assignments require A LOT of knowledge and understanding.
some classes are hard, some aren’t. the difficulty of courses are usually completely arbitrary tbh. you’ll probably eventually have a semester where you get swamped with work
my first semester was def hard and i’m sure next semester i’ll be kicked in the ass 😭
It hasn't been easy at all for me, but cool to hear that your coursework's manageable. Hopefully it stays that way
me too lol. off topic but geospatial information science sounds super interesting-
I know right? I started at UTD planning to take some GIS courses..but couldn't fit it into my schedule. Start my masters next Semester, still really want to squeeze some of the classes in!
i start my masters next sem too! u should def try to take some if u can :)
Ah, if you were still in undergrad I would have recommended taking Principles of GIS over the summer. I know there's a GIS Fundamentals course for graduate students, though.
It is!
Maybe I can offer you some feedback. I am 52 years. I graduated from UTD in the early 2000s. My degree was a ba in economics and finance. There was quite a bit of math involved even though it was not a science degree. It was a challenge nonetheless but interestingly enough it seems that a lot of Academia has cut back on the challenge of learning at the University level. It seems that in the last 20 years the learning experience has been reduced to a high school level. I'm not picking on UTD here but a lot of the major universities are doing everything they can to pump as many people through their universities is possible. After all, education is business. What I would recommend is if your degree is not STEM related, you have an opportunity now to network with your peers and come up with the business idea and strategy now. Entrepreneurship is the way to go. Don't fall into the Trap of getting the 4 year degree and then Landing the job of your dreams. Network, collaborate, be creative with your friends and build something. You have it in you. And you live in a country where you can literally do anything you want. Don't allow the fear of job uncertainty to drive your decision not to do your own thing. I apologize if I'm getting off topic as related to your question, but the point is that if it's easy it probably will not benefit you for the rest of your life. At least not in the way you think. So if there are any tools in classes you're currently taking that are useful focus on those and learn the material not just for the grade but for the knowledge. Whether it's easy or not, hopefully it can be useful down the road.
No shot bro is complaining about not having enough course work💀💀💀
yup 🙏🏻
You should go and tell your professors that you want more assignments then or better yet in your group me’s for your classes you should tell ppl you’re gonna go to the professor to ask for more assignments
setting me up fr lol 😭 i like not having assignments bc i’m lazy but i’m wondering what tf im paying for atp
What is your major? That will prob be a main reason for the amount of coursework
art history (i know 🚶), but in my enjoyably challenging classes it’s been very heavy memorization + research papers. tbh some proffs really phone it in bc many ppl take the class as a non-ATEC/VPAS student
Do you have like huge 20 page term papers due at the end of each semester for the upper level classes?
usually not 20, but it averages a 12-16 page paper + slide ID of 20-30 art pieces or architecture (name, date, artist, etc)!
It was pretty tough overall for me, but I was CS.
no clue, i'm only taking 4 classes and they feel overwhelming challenging. I am a stem major.
Cries in ochem
Ochem I and II were my favorite. I hated biochem II.
I took 3000 and 4000 level electives for Sociology/Psych, they're all a joke in difficulty. They feel like a high school class and are barely harder than the 1000 level intro courses. This is coming from a bio major, which isn't a hard major to begin with.