How to Thrive in Computer Science
Some sage words of advice from Toby, a LSCS student in the class of 2020. He worked as a CS 161 TA and currently works at NVIDIA. He likes to build and break things at a low level and has a natural curiosity for how things work. A self-proclaimed antisocial once upon a time, he now enjoys teaching and supporting others wherever he can.
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I chose Cal because I’ve heard about the reputation of its stellar EECS department long before applying to college. The famous BSD (which became one of the core components of macOS) was assembled here, FinFETs which underpins all modern chips were invented here, just to name a few. I came to this school with the excitement that the forefront of our field would be within hand’s reach. But instead, reality (always) is challenging and harsh. The competition for opportunities is right in your face since day 1. The 2000+ student class size for 61A almost suggests that you will never interact with any faculty in person. It would be a disorienting experience if you walk through it without any support.
I do want to say upfront that the department is trying as hard as it can to support ALL students who want to be part of the CS program, yet it is not realistically achievable due to things like internal campus politics and funding issues. Reality is that lines will form for office hours and labs, and things will slow down due to logistical issues, especially right before the deadlines. So it becomes a very good approach for students to support each other in academics and sometimes in life. Doing homeworks and projects together and discussing your approaches with others is encouraged in most classes. Reiterating a concept verbally helps yourself to learn and prepares you for TA-ing in the future. Remind each other about career fairs and critique (not judge) each other’s resumes. I think it is healthy and helpful to suspend envy or the desire to compare yourself against your peers because people naturally come from wildly different backgrounds and are at different places coming in. You might ask, “How do I even find a group of close friends?” Your dorm/suite is a good place to start with since the school is likely going to room CS majors with CS majors and put them into the same GBO group.
Teaching and research are the two major ways you can get involved with the EECS department at a deeper level if you have the extra vitality. Understand that some people teach out of pride, and others do it for monetary compensation (TA’s are kind of paid too well TBH). But the department would really appreciate you if you have a teaching philosophy that cares for students at all places and stresses equity in education. The AES application is very short and simple and is usually due sometime after the midpoint of each semester. Do set a reminder for that. Research opportunities are also plenty at Berkeley if you are doing too well in classes for your own good :). URAP application is due before your first semester even starts, but it is totally possible to connect with some professors that way. There are also some more postings on BeeHive. Professors love their search here and they usually announce opportunities at the end of every semester.
And I cannot stress enough that grade is literally just a number. I have met people who finished the 61 series with “less than ideal performance” and went on to do a PhD at Stanford. Research shows that grades do not accurately reflect students’ learning, at least not in the US, since the instructor is usually the person who gives the assessments. So I want to stress again that it is just healthier to not compare yourself against other people, which we as human beings unfortunately do all the time by nature. I was rarely asked for my transcript during my job search process, and it is definitely a lot more important to know and present your learnings and projects to others, especially during an interview. If you walk through problems with your friends together often, this should come naturally right?
-Toby