How to
Successfully Manage
CS Programming
Learning how to program is What follows below are seven study skills tips for those taking computer
science courses, whether you’re taking introductory programming or you’re
like learning a new taking higher level CS classes.
language: you have to learn
the syntax, the grammar Lesson 1: Do your own programs.
You probably know a computer science major willing to do your program in five
rules, the common format minutes. Alternatively, maybe that person will not do your program for you, but
and styles and, most of all, is willing to tell you exactly what data structure you need to build in order to
you have to practice, solve the homework problem. Do not fall into this trap. Sure, it might save
you a few hours of frustration, but you will not learn if you are always
practice, practice. dependent on someone else to solve your problems for you. In the end, you
are only cheating yourself. You are smart enough, and the struggle that you go
through figuring out your homework will always be worth it in the end. In fact,
most computer science professors test their students on problems similar to
the homework problems, but slightly different, in order to see if you actually did
your own homework or if you outsourced it to someone else.
Lesson 2:
Understand the theoretical concepts before you begin programming.
You will save yourself a lot of time debugging code that you did not understand
in the first place if you work on understanding all the classroom concepts
before you begin programming. The programs assigned will always test your
understanding of the concepts from your books and lecture. If you don’t
understand these concepts, it is unlikely you will have the necessary skills to
complete the homework assignments. Don’t waste your time: study before you
program. The alternative: code in haste, debug forever.
Lesson 3: To get there, you’ve got to know where you’re going…
Look for the big picture! Generally, it is better to lay out a plan of which pieces
of code you need to write, and then implement and test them one at a time.
Doing this will help keep in perspective what needs to be written. Also, if you
test the code as you go, you may find the annoying bugs sooner. Plus, it will be
easier to schedule yourself and set very measurable milestones. Finally,
comment your code as you write it, so that when you come back to it later, you
easily remember what you did. This may seem like a hassle at first, but it can
save you a lot of trouble and time down the road.
—over—
Lesson 4: Go to class.
Class is important. You might think
that downloading the PowerPoint
from BlackBoard and reading the
book is comparable, but often
professors integrate the material
differently in class. In addition, class
time is a great time to ask questions
about the material or about the
homework assignments. Examples
done in class are always better
understood when you’re sitting in
class listening to the professor than
when you’re reading a PowerPoint at
3 a.m. the night before the exam.
Lesson 5:
Ask for help when you need it.
Do not be afraid to ask for help.
Office hours are a great time to meet
with TAs or professors to better
understand the classroom concepts,
to clarify the requirements of the
homework, or to get some help
debugging code. In addition,
Academic Development provides free
tutoring for a variety of the
programming classes offered at
Carnegie Mellon.
Lesson 6: Practice often.
Just like a foreign language, if you
don’t practice often, it’s easy for you
to forget what you’ve learned. For
those new to programming, make
sure you keep on track with the
lectures and try to practice
programming as often as possible.
For concepts that you are unsure
about, asking for additional examples
in office hours or during class can
help greatly.
www.cmu.edu/acadev
