I must choose a university to go to next year. I applied to 3 universities in Toronto (my choices were limited - have to live at home) for their Computer Science program. CS is the only thing that has any kind of spark at all for me, plus I'm told I can always change my mind later. I got accepted to all 3 I applied to - York University, University of Toronto, and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.

So far I've narrowed it down to Toronto or Ryerson. Toronto is closer, has a better reputation, but it much more intense and competitive. It is supposedly much more difficult, but only yields a tiny notch of additional knowledge and reputation. If I picked UofT, I'd have the option of a summer school math program to pump up my math skills a bit. I have always seen myself going to UofT.

Ryerson presents a much easier course, and it seems to be a very popular course amongst my fellow "average" students. However, it's a bit farther from my house, and the campus is not in as nice a spot as UofT.

I really have no idea which to pick. Everyone around me points me to UofT because they think I'm very intelligent and that there should be no dilemma, but I know otherwise :P.

I'm leaning towards UofT, can anyone offer me any advice? Uoft or Ryerson? Math PUMP program?

Don't bother.

doing computer science will destroy you.

Drop out and become a bum... that's where the ladies are.

I'm in the process of deciding between UW and UofT.

He speaks truth.

Do computer science only if you are genuinely interested in the field. If you decide to do CS because it was the "lesser of two evils" decision, you will hate life.

Not saying you're one of these people, but a lot of people try to hop into CS because they like computers, maybe dabbed in a bit of basic programming, and think it'll be an easy course of action. Then they are in for a bit of a surprise when they get into the real mind-**** that is CS. But that's why schools let you change majors, heh.

ahahahahhaahahahahahahahhaahaaaaaaaaaa

Someone expound on CS-induced destruction.

Yeah, that's me Darth. Except I know it's hard. But seriously, if I didn't do Comp Sci, I have no idea what the hell I would do. 17 year old kids making life-changing decisions = stupid. Even if I was to change majors, I have no clue what I'd switch into. And you guys can't really help me with that :/

Also, if you guys wanna post the programs you're in and what you think of them... that would be nice

I was a CS major, but now I'm switching to IT, because it lets me take courses like Introduction to Game Design and focus more on network and wireless technologies.

YOu can always go in undelcared and spend the first year taking random classes. That's what I did because I had no idea what I wanted to study whenI started college.

P, NP theory
data structures
finite state automata/machines
discrete math
algorithm analysis & "big-oh" notation

Asking a web community to decide your future is like telling a convicted rapist to sleep in your bed with you.

You're gonna get ****ed.

What is wrong with getting input from more people? Rob, if you think that Massassi is all that I consult, then you are sorely mistaken.

Why are you so uppity about what someone over the internet has to say?

Someone, I might remind you, that you can't see, hear, smell (Thank god), taste (You were SO thinking it) or feel (sicko)?

Why does it really even matter?

Rob: Seeing as Massassi has a fair number of people who have gone of to college and picked their majors and such, there's nothing wrong picking people's brains. The more info you can get in a situation like this, the better equipped one is to make the decsion.

Okay.

I dig.


But really, it's sorta something one needs to decide on their own.

But really, asking for help on the internet for a LIFE PROBLEM is a bad idea bout 90% of the time.

You should consult the people that KNOW YOU, not the blind and vague mass that resides in the data stream we all seem to inhabite.

I know where you're coming from. Were this a big *** community, then it would be completely accurate. Massassi's a little smaller and a much closer community than may others.

Obviously I'm not just taking a poll and letting the results determine my choice. No one so far has even addressed my direct question (which is cool, I highly doubted anyone would have experience with both of these schools). I can't really consult anyone - because I myself am not really sure what I want to do. I think I'm pretty much gonna have to stick it out next year and see if I'm really into CS.

Even then, it's not like we all know how each other think.

We don't have like a freaking link... OMG THE SHINING IS REALLLL...!

...

Really, this is something you should discuss with people that, GASP, really know you.

Unless you pall around with each other in real life, I doubt you have kind of insight into the man's life to know what possibly my be a good future for him.

Just to let you know, the Discreet Math you will have to take is Satan in mathematical form. *shudders*

Since when are those bad things? I had a lot of fun in classes like Algos and Theory of Computing. My senior project was solely based on algorithm analysis (comparing a tweaked heap sort to a regular heap sort) and I thought it was pretty interesting.

Taking CS equates to living at the computer lab and never doing anything else, ever. I know a few CS majors who have lived at my house and all they did was work on homework/study. They workload is more than any other course of study I'm aware of.

I believe it. I think I would recommend a course of study other than CS simply because, after a freshman year in which I've been pretty socially active, I still don't know any CS majors. That's not a good sign.

I don't know about that. I have plenty of time to do as I please, since I always wait to the last minute to do assignments (and most CS majors I know do the same thing).

Not entirely true. I'd say my pre-med friends have it way worse than I do, heh.

Then again, I've had friends spend a week working on projects for hours a night in a class that I found to be cake. It all depends on what you're good at and how you quickly you can work and manage time.

LOL! Sweeping generalizations make me look like I know stuff too!

Come to Trent!......I just had to pitch my school.

I'm in Ancient History here, and I'm enjoying it quite well (except for Greek Drama, ugh). I'm pretty sure Toronto has a program for it. The advantage to a big one like that is that it does have a wide variety of programs. A general arts program is a great way to get a feel for what you might like to specialize in, but if you are more of a sciences student, I don't know what to tell ya.

Forensics does sound fun. I met a few friends at Trent who are having a great time in it. I considered it myself, but science just isn't for me.

Well, that's all about I can say, other than read up on as many program and course descriptions as you can. I agree, teens should not have to make decisions like this so soon. That's why I took an extra year to think about it:) .

Good luck!

Mmm...not really true. Yes our workload is intense. But I've still found time to go out. Sounds like your people there took a lot of classes.

Come to U of T. If you do, I'll let you play on my computer.

(This was the same argument I used to try and get BV to come too)

But be warned, CS majors get even less girls than us engineering science people.

....but FSM's and discrete math are fun...

Computer Science is the path to the Dark Side... [true in many ways]

You must only take this step if you know you are truely ready... Which is ironic as you could never be truely ready.

Imagine beating yourself up over binary math for several hours a night, and then realizing that learning Binary math will be one of the easier things to master in your studies.... *shudder*

If you like computers, want to get laid very infrequently, and want to be bald before you turn 30, get in to CS... I did! And look at me now!! /cry

It's a lot more fun than any other thing you can learn in college, ... assuming you like to play with the toys...

Really dude, if you get in to college the only advice I really have is NOT TO QUIT. It's better to have debt and a degree, than just debt.

Holy cow, how long's Ubuu been back??!!

Do people view CS as really being that bad?

I just completed my first semester at college as a CPE (Computer Engineering), and everyone there was saying CPE's have it really bad. Apparently allot of CPE's change major to CS because of the work load...

Do we have any CPE's here at massassi? Can anyone comment on the dark future that might await a poor innocent CPE?

At my uni I think Comp Engineers have it worse when it comes to term-time workloads, they have a lot in the way of labs and regular assessment. But Computer Scientists really get screwed over when it comes to exams.

I do CS and I haven't had a single lab since my first year. Modules like Artificial Intelligence, Computer Graphics, Mobile Robotics etc were all entirely exam-based.

Yeah, CE here is a lot more lab-based than CS as well. Aside from chem and physics labs, the only lab I've ever had (and will ever have to have) for CS was in digital logic, which is essentially a class on combinational circuits, sequential circuits, and touching in microcontrollers.

That's silly. CS is supposed to be hands on. See theory brought to application. AI I can see just being straight theory. But CG? C'mon.

ditto, that was my only lab.

and Computer Science is not supposed to be hands-on, Computer Science is theory, there's not even all that much programming.

Yeah, CS is very theory-based. My textbook on data structures, while designed for C++, actually had very little real code in it. It was almost nothing but diagrams and pseudocode.