CS 2110

Literally so easy.

Do not take this class if you are not planning on majoring in CS (me). The first three weeks were very hard and the first couple of homework assignments were extremely time consuming and frustrating. That being said, I have learned a lot and the class has gotten easier as the semester has gone on. The exams are very easy to study for (just memorize the slides and be able to write simple code). Basit is very very very very kind and nice but her lectures are not particularly engaging.

I had Edwards but i went to both lectures.
They are making this class a little bit harder than previous semesters because lots of students have had it rough in 2150. 2110 has been seen as a joke or easy A in the past so they have changed it compared to last year. Basically, you have in class activities every other class and they have gotten rid of the machine learning/data mining extra credit stuff (it’s just homework now), so forget about that 3-4 % point bump (but they still have 1 % extra credit for completing course evaluations). This is the B+/A- type of class and you have to fail hard to get below a B-. so, if you want to do well just go to class and finish your homework. also, don't blow off the quizzes because the quizzes are 10% of your grade and there are only 4 so don’t mess up them (one is dropped) and for this semester they rounded grades which was good. Honestly, I went to both Edwards and Basit's lectures and I found Basit’s to be more relevant to the test since she actually goes over things you will have to know. Edwards review sessions are just Q&A and there is no real structure and everyone just leaves early. Basit is really nice and I don’t understand why people don’t like her. Class average on the first test was a 79.9(80 rounded) and a 73 or 74 on the second test (no average on the final yet but it was easy and short), so that should give you a perspective of how hard the tests are. The first test was fair and the final was easy(got a A) but the second test was the most difficult since it covered the most material and was in the middle of the semester (we all were brain dead).
The $150 text book is useless and boring, plus you can find online versions on the "inter-webs". I never used them a got an A so its fine. last tip, if you need help, go to OH early and make sure you avoid certain TA's, some TA's have no idea what they are doing and just make things worse (you will know who they are after your first time at stacks). Also, make sure to comment your code for HW so you won’t get any points taken away (some TA’s are really strict on comments and stuff). Labs are based on attendance and towards the end they got really hard. If you want an A/A- just come to class and do your HW. If you get a B on ever test and get perfects on HWs, labs, and quizzes, you will get an A/A-. This class will be the gentle breeze before the wicked storm of 2150. Good luck.

this will demonstrate the changes in grading and how the 4 point extra credit changed grades.
2017 spring aprox stats: 3 A+'s, 43 A's, 21 A-'s , 11 B+'s, 8 B's, 2 B-'s, 1 C+, 2 C's, 1 D-, 1 F,
2016 spring aprox stats: 33 A+'s, 64 A's, 10 A-'s, 11 B+'s, 10 B's, 3 B-'s, 2 C+'s, 1 C, 2 C- , 1 D+, 1 D, 1 D-

so you should do fine if you but some effort in but its just harder to get an A+/A than last year.

Let me be clear off the bat, the rating is because Nada is the nicest lady alive, not because she is a good professor. She's an average teacher, but she will do everything in her power to accommodate you in this class. She'll give points back on exams if you explain your reasoning (even if its wrong). She'll give you extensions on quizzes. She'll switch your homework grade if the TAs messed up. She doesn't do a great job at teaching the material, but she is very willing to help you learn, especially in office hours. Also, this class isn't as much of a joke as it used to be. It's still not hard but the CS dept beefed it up a little bit because students were so unprepared for 2150.

They've made this class a lot harder in recent years according to a lot of people, so the GPA thing is a little deceiving for this class. However, Basit is incredibly nice and understanding. She'll happily answer any questions about anything. The homework in this class is fairly challenging at times, so it's important to start it earlier on in the week (HW is due Friday every week), so you can go to office hours if you have questions. The exams are a little harder in comparison to 1110 in my opinion, and they rely on more application based questions, so studying straight notes will only do so much. Lastly, you could get through this class without the textbook. There are readings, but they sometimes go over your head, and there's a free version of an online textbook that is "required" which has all of the same material as the expensive one in the bookstore.

Nada Basit is the best person to take this course with. She is very understanding and reasonable. She allows for exam regrades and she basically gives you back points as long as you are able to justify why you did something wrong. She is also very willing to give extensions on homework assignments. Overall, she is very approachable and she understands that we are college students with a lot on our plates. That being said, this class is incredibly difficult to succeed in if you had not had prior exposure to Java. The jump between CS 1110 and CS 2110 is WAY too big. I got an A in 1110 because it clicked for me, and I'm struggling to finish 2110 with a B. The homeworks are unreasonably hard and time consuming and the lectures don't cover the material needed to complete them. Not a great course, but if you have to take it (if you want to major in CS) definitely take it with Basit. She's overall a great person.

While Nada Basit isn't the best lecturer, she's not terrible, and she's a great person too. The first part of the class is basically an introduction to Java and OOP. The latter part of the class is CS 2150 lite, introducing simple data structures like binary trees and stacks. There were a few annoying homework assignments (GUI, elevator-concurrency) but they were all doable and reasonable. Overall, I feel like I learned a lot and am looking forward to future CS classes here.

The professors overall are not great, labs seem to be thrown together last minute. After the second exam I would hardly come to class and still managed to finish with an A. The class seems to expect you to already have a background in java language which I did not, so the beginning was very challenging especially transferring over from python, however, its a pre-requisite for CS so you have to take it and it is doable. Nadia is a really nice lady in office hours and will give points back after exams if you. make a good case and are nice.

Really easy course and make sure to take it with Basit. As long as you keep up with the in-class assignments each class, the weekly homework and pay attention in class you should do great. The in-class assignments are worth around 10%-15% and are really easy to forget about if you don't stay for the entire class but just make sure to do them during class so you dont forget. Some of the homework can be tough but go to OH, the tas are really helpful. And the GTAs who grade the hw are also lenient and will allow one-day late submission if you have a remotely valid reason. Just send them an email. The exams are only 10 percent each so even if you do badly on the exams the rests of the assignments will buffer you and get you a good grade. I got Cs on the first two exams and an A- on the final which was worth 15% and still ended up with a B+. I would've gotten an A if I had an A in the in-class assignments. Also, the quizzes are quite easy and they curve realy generously at the end of the semester. Overall, this class is set up for you to learn and get an A. Coming to the professor, she is the BEST. She is a great professor and an even a better person. Super kind and nice. But the main plus of taking Nada Basit's class is that she gives back points very easily. If you go to her office hours after the exam and explain to her why you put something down, even if its the stupidest reason and it was completely your fault she will still give you back some points. Once I said that I didn't see a bracket and therefore assumed it was one peice of code and not two she still gave me points back. In my opinion, it is very easy to get an A as long as you put in a bit of effort and stay on top of things. And even if you mess up at a few places there are plenty of opportunities to redeem yourself.

The fact that Basit has such a low rating is remarkable to me. Yes, lectures are sometimes dry. However, this is a lower-level CS course and that's much more of a reflection on the material than the professor. Basit is incredibly kind and willing to work with students to help them succeed. Once, when I couldn't make her regular office hours she told me to send me her schedule and said we'd find a time to meet that worked for me.

This class is one of those classes where you don't realize how much you've learned until you're done with the class. I didn't always feel like I was learning a lot but, in retrospect, this class did an excellent job preparing me to excel in CS 2150. The TAs are a great resource to have, and even if you understand the assignment, go to office hours anyway to get help on the bugs that you can't identify because you've been working on your code for 6 hours. You also don't need to buy the book as long as you show up to class, pay attention, and review the slides at the end.

This class is easy to get an A in as long as you stay up to date with the in class activities and homework, but you can't just show up to exams ace them and get an A. The way the class is graded is such that participation, labs, and homework are all a large percentage of the grade, and the exams don't count much more than a typical assignment. I ended the class with an even A even though exam grades were 82 and 92 on the two midterms, 90 on the final. In-class activities count for a lot so make sure to keep up with them.