Campus Life: Considering Poly: would like some opinions/answers
Strychnine
Posted: 10/23/09 02:26 AM
Views: 5, Replies: 5
Views: 5, Replies: 5
Hello,
At first, Poly was my #1 choice. That was before I visited this forum. Now, I am scared.
It seems to be an universal opinion that the administration blows. Will this completely ruin my experience, or can it be mostly ignored? Will I need to deal with the administration very often?
Everyone says the campus food service is rubbish. I guess that means I will have to rent an apartment off-campus. Will I be able to get a clean studio (no insect infestation) less than a 25 minute drive away from the campus, for $1k or lower? I really don't care how small the room is, I just want it to be clean. A bed, a computer desk, a bathroom, a heating system. That's all I need. Possible?
I am planning to major in Computer-Science or Cybersecurity. I hear in other threads that CS classes get a ton of off-topic, insanely hard math courses thrown in for no reason. Is this really true? I'd like to study computer software, internet security, etc. Not math. However, I could take the math courses if it is really necessary. So how hard are they? I earned A's in every math class I took in high school (except precalc, B+). But I have not taken any calc classes in HS. Will I be able to handle Poly's math classes?
I have heard about the CS MS/BS Accelerated Honors program. Is this worth it, or is it way too much work? Do you really get both a MS and a BS in 4 years?
Another problem I have heard on this forum is that the professors don't know how to teach. Is this true in the CS department? I don't learn that well from reading a textbook. Will CS professors respond to my questions (and actually care?), or will they just give me a short answer and leave?
Are there any other problems I should know about when considering Poly?
How does Poly compare to Stony Brook in terms of academics, cost(I am not a NY resident), work load, overall experience? Which school do you think has a better CS program?
I *think* that I will get a 18~20k/year scholarship, which would leave about 30k per year in tuition+rent+food+etc. Will I get any help with this? Loans, work, etc?
I would really appreciate some answers as well as your thoughts and opinions. Thanks!
At first, Poly was my #1 choice. That was before I visited this forum. Now, I am scared.
It seems to be an universal opinion that the administration blows. Will this completely ruin my experience, or can it be mostly ignored? Will I need to deal with the administration very often?
Everyone says the campus food service is rubbish. I guess that means I will have to rent an apartment off-campus. Will I be able to get a clean studio (no insect infestation) less than a 25 minute drive away from the campus, for $1k or lower? I really don't care how small the room is, I just want it to be clean. A bed, a computer desk, a bathroom, a heating system. That's all I need. Possible?
I am planning to major in Computer-Science or Cybersecurity. I hear in other threads that CS classes get a ton of off-topic, insanely hard math courses thrown in for no reason. Is this really true? I'd like to study computer software, internet security, etc. Not math. However, I could take the math courses if it is really necessary. So how hard are they? I earned A's in every math class I took in high school (except precalc, B+). But I have not taken any calc classes in HS. Will I be able to handle Poly's math classes?
I have heard about the CS MS/BS Accelerated Honors program. Is this worth it, or is it way too much work? Do you really get both a MS and a BS in 4 years?
Another problem I have heard on this forum is that the professors don't know how to teach. Is this true in the CS department? I don't learn that well from reading a textbook. Will CS professors respond to my questions (and actually care?), or will they just give me a short answer and leave?
Are there any other problems I should know about when considering Poly?
How does Poly compare to Stony Brook in terms of academics, cost(I am not a NY resident), work load, overall experience? Which school do you think has a better CS program?
I *think* that I will get a 18~20k/year scholarship, which would leave about 30k per year in tuition+rent+food+etc. Will I get any help with this? Loans, work, etc?
I would really appreciate some answers as well as your thoughts and opinions. Thanks!
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Posted: 10/23/09 05:48 PM> It seems to be an universal opinion that the administration blows.
Yes.
> Will I need to deal with the administration very often?
Yes. See above. And yes it'll ruin your experience. We don't call it the "Poly Shaft" for nothing.
You're better off elsewhere. Run while you still can. -
Posted: 10/28/09 08:04 PMYou want to major in CS but aren't interested in Math?
To answer some of your questions, the administration sucks, possibly more than average. The professors are a mixed bag. I've had great professors and terrible professors. But all of them care about what they are doing, even if they aren't good at teaching. If you ask them a question they aren't going to brush you off (assuming it's relevant). The math classes are for most part standard math classes for CS students. You're going to have to take them regardless of which school you go to. However the structure of the math classes at poly makes them harder (half-semester sections, etc). -
Posted: 10/29/09 12:48 AMMath at Poly used to be brutal, I don't know if it still is. I wouldn't recommend going into CS without being able to take on math courses confidently. It's kind of a mathematical field.
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Posted: 10/29/09 03:19 AMThanks for the replies, I made a new forum account since I forgot my other password...
I think I'm decent with math, I have gotten an A in every math course except the one I am in right now (precalc, I have an 88%). Would I be able to handle the math classes at Poly?
I know that math is a large part of CS, but there isn't really any other majors that include my areas of interest (internet security, web site design, computer forensics, etc). It doesn't seem like these would fit anywhere besides in CS. What other majors would I have as an option? -
Posted: 11/04/09 02:17 PMIt's impossible to tell. I know people who were "good at math" in high school who failed pre-calculus at poly 4 times.
As for your other question, CS is the field you want. But internet security and computer forensics involve lots of math, so I don't know how you can reasonably avoid math while pursuing your math-based interests.
