CS371p Week 9

What did you do this past week?

Last week was so very hectic. It was the first week back from spring break and I had two projects I due Thursday, one of which my group had barely started, and another I had to wait until I got back from spring break to make any progress because I needed a lot of help from the TAs. I also had a test for Algorithms the day before those projects were due, and I didn't do too well on that. So overall a pretty bad week.

What's in your way?

Currently in my way is starting the two new projects for the classes whos' projects just ended. One project is just a continuation of what our group has already been doing, so it shouldn't be too hard to get started, but the other is a completely new kind of project. I haven't done anything like it before, so I am nervous to get started. 

What will you do next week?

Next week I will start on the new projects. I will go to TA office hours and Lab hours so I can get a good foundation on these projects and hopefully not have to wait until the last minute like I did with the last ones. I will also be preparing for a Chinese test at the end of the week that is supposed to be harder than the ones we have taken before, so I should definitely study for it.

What was your experience of Project #3: Allocator?

Next time this project is given, I think the provided files should be more prominently displayed. I had already finished Allocator before I saw that there was a provided .h file way down in the rubric, when the last time we were provided code, it was in some of the top links in the page. Due to this, I was in a mad rush when I got back from spring break to understand how the .h worked, and how to rewrite my program. Another issue is that while Allocator was not overly difficult in the end, trying to understand the .h file when the first full week it has been released is spring break is not conducive to asking questions.

What's your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?

My tip of the week is that even if you have a group project and some of the time to do it is over spring break, some of your group just won't be in contact during that time, so you can not reliably progress any significant amount during spring break. If at all possible you want to do as much of it as you can before spring break, and if the project is assigned right before the break starts, and due the week you get back, well, you better be good at whatever the project is about.

CS371p Week 8

What did you do this past week?

Last week I took a torrent of tests starting on Tuesday and ending on Thursday, totaling four tests in the end. Two of them were for Chinese, and I feel that I did well enough on them. The other two were for Software Engineering and Object-Oriented Programming, both having the same format and both taking place on the same night. I was not properly prepared for these last two.

What's in your way?

Currently in my way is the fact that while I have been doing well in this class so far, I was not prepared for kind of test that took place, and so I did not do very well at all. The grade I make on it probably won't make me change this class to a pass-fail one, but it will be a close thing.

What will you do next week?

While next week is spring break, I still have a lot of work to do. I have two programming projects to make decent progress on, a test to study for the Wednesday after spring break, a problem set to do to study for that test, and an assignment for Chinese.

What was your experience of Test #1?

Prior to the test, I had no experience with competitive programming, and that was exactly the format the test was in. In hindsight, I should have known better and studied correctly by doing the in-class exercises a lot, but I didn't think to do that and did poorly on the test as a result. I am a very Google oriented programming. I am constantly googling problems I run into because I am never experienced enough. Having to program with no help was an awful experience, but for the next test, I need to. I do think the time was a little short though. I remembered that somewhere said the test would go for 1 hour 45 minutes, but I can't remember where, so I was expecting to have a little longer.

What's your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?

My tip of the semester is to go over the in-class exercises every chance you get, and do as best you can without help from the internet or the answers. It will help you immensely compared to just studying the answers to the exercises.

CS371p Week 7

What did you do this past week?

This past week was a slow one for me. I did take one test at the beginning of the week, but it was a quick test. The beginning of the week was also dominated by finishing up the project due for this class as well as one other project that was due on the same day. Other than those events and the usual homework, nothing of note happened.

What's in your way?

I am still struggling to understand many concepts in my Algorithms class. It takes me a lot of trial and error to either understand how an algorithm or proof works or understand how to create my own for the homework in that class. I seem to be able to learn how to do the problems in the end, but it is always with a lot of help from the TA, and I rarely get the right answer by myself.

What will you do next week?

Next week will be an adventure. Since it is the last week before spring break, a lot of my classes have tests this week. From Tuesday to Thursday, I have four tests from three classes, two of them being back to back at night. This all means that I am going to study a lot more than I usually do and that I need to get the assignments I can out of the way this weekend.

What was your experience of Project #2: Voting?

For this project, I did work with a partner. Last semester in my OS class we also did pair programming, so I knew what to expect going into this project. While I agree that it is very beneficial to have a partner while programming, it is also a little inconvenient to have to meet up with someone for only an hour or two at a time for many days. I imagine this concern is alleviated in an actual work environment since the partners are already in the same location, but for the next project I will try solo again. Another factor in this choice is that the project won't open until the start of spring break, and I don't want to wait until after the break to do the project.

What's your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?

My tip of the week is a pretty obvious one, but it is to start on the next project as soon as you can so you don't have to worry about it during spring break. I know I am going to do as much as I can before I go home so I can at least relax a little during the break.

CS371p Week 6

What did you do this past week?

This last week I spent a lot of time on the project for this class as well as one for another class. I took my first test in Algorithms and performed sub-par. Now from my experience on that test, I know what areas of the class I need to focus more on and hopefully, I will do much better on the next test. I also started seriously preparing for my first Chinese oral test since speaking and listening to Chinese are not my strongest parts of the class compared to writing and reading.

What's in your way?

Currently in my way is procrastination on projects. I know I need to start earlier, and would prefer to, but sometimes it takes a lot of time to understand the problem, and sometimes a specific groups dynamic tends towards doing most of the work closer to the deadline, so I need to overcome these challenges. My Algorithms class is also an issue since if I don't improve in that class, it alone will bring my GPA down quite a bit.

What will you do next week?

Next week I will take my Chinese oral test. One aspect of the test that is both a good and bad thing is that I am the very first person taking the test, so I will both get it done quickly, and at the same time have less time to study for it. I will finish projects for both my classes that have them and start on the next ones at the same time. My Algorithms class will also be getting back to a normal week, with lectures and problem sets, after the test week schedule this past week.


What was your experience of learning the subtleties of C++ arguments, friends, and returns?

While all of the different rules and conditions are difficult to wrap your head around at first, after a little bit of review, it was not too difficult to understand. The most difficult part was understanding when each method of a class is called under what circumstances, and what destructors were.

What's your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?

My tip of the week is that if you get a less than great grade on something that counts for a lot of your final grade in the first half of the semester, don't panic too much. Even though it feels like it, it is not the end of the world. You still have other chances to improve your grade over the rest of the semester, and if you work harder and ask more questions, you can definitely improve.