COMS W1002

First half of the class had 3 projects. Econ section had 3 projects. I found that the projects were much harder than in-class concepts and exams. Lab every week. Useful for review and show the process of how to do the projects. Midterm was pretty easy. Econ section's final was harder than midterm but not impossible.

6 projects, 3 easy ones before the contexts start midway through the semester, then 3 context-specific projects of which one is "supposed" to be harder than the rest. for the bio section, the 3 last projects are much harder than anything seen in the rest of the class.

tbh I would recommend having a bit of coding experience prior to starting the class. The class is split into two halves: in the first half, all the sections are together to learn foundational python skills, and in the second half, you split into your respective sections. I definitely did learn how to code, but since you learn all the foundational skills in essentially 6 weeks, I feel like my skills are still a bit lacking. If you want to actually learn Python, I would maybe recommend an Intro Python course instead of this. For econ section: The second half of the course was much harder and seemed very targeted for those interested in finance. It mostly covers probability and databases; for our projects, we built monte-carlo simulations, did basic financial modeling, and combed through stock data. Practical and useful concepts, although I found it very advanced for a class that is supposed to be for beginners and non-majors. FOR BARNARD ECON MAJORS: this class does not fulfill econ reqs. do not make my mistake. take only if interested.

Computing in Context, in case you are unfamiliar, is a class lectured primarily by Adam Cannon but has different sections, much like UWriting. There are three undergrad contexts available: Humanities, Finance, and Biology. I was under the naive and optimistic that, as a biochemistry major, the biology section was going to teach me useful skills and techniques in Python that I could use to both complete the class and do better as a scientist. Unfortunately, Pe'er is the lecturer for the biology context. I should have seen the first red flag for what it was: when Cannon informed us that there was only one recitation section (per week) and one TA for the bio section, while humanities and finance have at least 15 of each, due to the lack of people who choose to take the bio context. I thought it was because not many people in the class are interested in bio, but of course that doesn't make much sense considering CS is a STEM field. Instead, it turned out to be because Pe'er is undoubtedly, unequivocally, the worst lecturer I have ever had the displeasure of witnessing. Of the 6 or 7 lectures he gave throughout the semester, not one was well-thought out or lectured intuitively. He seemed to not know where his own PowerPoint was going, and was entirely too often surprised by what the next slide showed. He has a heavy accent, which in itself would not be a problem if he didn't have a…

Adam Cannon is a brilliant professor. He is funny, competent, and passionate about teaching. His jokes are extremely funny, and I wonder if he prepares them before class. He is the type of professor I hope to get each time I sign up for the class. He is very fair and understanding and does not display any biases at all. I feel like I learned a lot from him and would encourage anyone to take his class just once if they haven't before. He is extremely approachable during office hours and tries his best to explain things in a simple manner. He has made my tuition well worth it. He appreciates students putting in their best effort, and for that I am so very grateful. He even thanked students for sitting in the front at the end of the class, and I really do not think it's because of course evaluations. Even if I don't get an A, I can live with it in this case because I know he's a wonderful professor.

6 projects, 30% Fair grading, but make sure to triple check your code Hours studied per week: ~10

I took this class because I wanted to learn how to code, and it accomplished this purpose. Cannon is an engaging lecturer and explains complex topics in simple terms, but he also cares about his students. He goes as far as to memorize names and grade midterms himself. However, I do not feel like this course prepared me for the second half of the semester very well, as the professor for my post-midterm section had far higher expectations and covered difficult concepts. I believe some people even withdrew. Still, I am happy with my experience in his lecture and would recommend the class, just know that there is no easy "intro to CS" course at Columbia.

For the first half, there were ~weekly problem sets and then a midterm on python. Second half depends on context, art had 3 projects and a final that was really chill and less code based, more history of art technology.

I honestly recommend this class as a non-STEM person. Some of these reviews scared me off before taking it because they made it seem like if you have no prior CS experience, it'll be impossible. I disagree. I definitely needed to put time and effort into it, but I think that would be the case with any CS class or any class that is entirely new to you. The effort I put in was so rewarding. Coding is honestly really rewarding (as someone who does not intend to ever code again). The class is set up where the first half you learn python with Adam Cannon (who I absolutely loved, such dad humor), and the second half you break off into your context with a different professor. I especially recommend the art context if it is offered. We coded music, animations, and honestly played around. It was hard and I definitely attended more office hours than I have in any of my humanities classes, but really fulfilling for me.