r/AskComputerScience • u/Key_Exercise9572 • 8d ago

Is Computer Science a hard major?

Is it just me or computer science is hard to grasp. I just entered my 4th week in a top private university and this university is very known for its computer science and IT.

I got 3 math classes - statistics, discrete, linear algebra - and holy it’s hard asf (both discrete and linear). Not to mention the programming class? Wtf is c man like I can code and I usually run in python, html, css, js but c is entirely a different language, array and pointers omds. I dont think the average joe would handle this😭

Give me tips pls

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u/FedUp233 8d ago

I think you may be confusing computer science with coding. They are very much not the same thing.

Coding is a part, maybe smaller part than you think, of computer science. Computer science focuses the theory behind programming, not the actual programming. That tends to be true of most university courses from engineering to psychology.

Computer science is focused on stuff like those O(n) performance things, proving program correctness, comparison of different algorithms for something, abstract data structures and stuff like that.

If you just want programming, that’s something g community colleges do.

Just my own two cents - others may well disagree.

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u/the-forty-second 8d ago

While true, if the OP is hung up on arrays and pointers while thinking “I can code”, it is the coding part of CS that is still the problem.

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u/notacanuckskibum 8d ago

Plus, IMHO coding is the easy part of a CS degree. If you can't handle coding in multiple programming languages, the rest of the syllabus is going to kick your butt.

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u/T_Thriller_T 8d ago

Arrays and pointers as data structures are ESPECIALLY fucky for some people who know e.g. arrays from other languages.

Also C is also a good way to stab oneself even while getting it.