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Well, I went for my college interview today and I cannot do A A/S Level Computing with my other choices. Apparently this is the only thing I can do with computers.
Whats it like, is it really hard.. or not..?
1/3 is programming apparently.
Anyway, could somebody just tell me what it involves and how hard it is :o)
Thanks
-GasMask
Whats it like, is it really hard.. or not..?
1/3 is programming apparently.
Anyway, could somebody just tell me what it involves and how hard it is :o)
Thanks
-GasMask
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You can do Computer Science for A Level? That sounds strange, since the stuff we're doing covers a lot of the stuff (in less detail of course) featured in Computer Science degrees, so an A Level in CS would most probably feature the same content as that in COmputing.
Secondly, and I know it's not much help, but you shouldn't have any restrictions on what you should take in college, unless your grades are WELL below standard (eg. just scraping D's and E's) - I know someone who is taking English and Physics, for example, and loads doing Drama and IT. Is your college an extension of your current school (6th form) or a completely separate establishment?
Secondly, and I know it's not much help, but you shouldn't have any restrictions on what you should take in college, unless your grades are WELL below standard (eg. just scraping D's and E's) - I know someone who is taking English and Physics, for example, and loads doing Drama and IT. Is your college an extension of your current school (6th form) or a completely separate establishment?
GasMask wrote:
> So I have this list of subjects and I have to take one more. I cant do
> ICT, or Computing. ONLY Computer Science and a hell of a lot of stupid
> subjects that do not interest me, Maths etc.
>
> So I'm stuck and I can't think of anything to take.
>
> But computer science sounds very hard. And I dont know naff all about
> programming.
>
Can only speak about computer science at degree level personally, and have no clue what it might include at A-Level. But certainly speaking from my experience if you don't like maths then computer science isn't a particularly a good choice. I really wouldn't worry about what you don't know about programming though, after all, the idea is that you get taught the subject, not that you know it before hand. And you might find programming is non-existent depending on what aspects they concentrate on (unlikely though).
Personally, always thought computer science was more interesting than software engineering etc. and certainly more useful.
However, I do agree with Turbo, I think maths is a good choice especially if you want to go onto university. Most important though, pick the subject you've most interest in, difficult subjects are much more manageable if you have some interest in them. :)
> So I have this list of subjects and I have to take one more. I cant do
> ICT, or Computing. ONLY Computer Science and a hell of a lot of stupid
> subjects that do not interest me, Maths etc.
>
> So I'm stuck and I can't think of anything to take.
>
> But computer science sounds very hard. And I dont know naff all about
> programming.
>
Can only speak about computer science at degree level personally, and have no clue what it might include at A-Level. But certainly speaking from my experience if you don't like maths then computer science isn't a particularly a good choice. I really wouldn't worry about what you don't know about programming though, after all, the idea is that you get taught the subject, not that you know it before hand. And you might find programming is non-existent depending on what aspects they concentrate on (unlikely though).
Personally, always thought computer science was more interesting than software engineering etc. and certainly more useful.
However, I do agree with Turbo, I think maths is a good choice especially if you want to go onto university. Most important though, pick the subject you've most interest in, difficult subjects are much more manageable if you have some interest in them. :)
Depends on your career path I guess. I didnt do any computer related a/levels but chose to do a Software Engineering degree (didnt fancy all the waffle that came with the computer science whereas soft. eng. was more programming and project lifecycle related) There was a steep learning curve to start with but they assumed you knew no programming knowledge and spent the first term getting everyone to the same standard.
These days uni's look for overall grades rather than subjects. And its worth remembering that youll be more motivated to work if its something you enjoy doing. Some combinations of a/levels wont be available to you at college simply because the timetables of certain subjects clash.
After a/levels, we've had this conversation on these boards before and rightly or wrongly I would always look for someone with a degree when interviewing for a junior position. Once you have your foot in the door job-wise its then that experience comes into play. Fortunatly or unfortunatly degrees are necessary evils these days. But thats just my choice and opinion.
These days uni's look for overall grades rather than subjects. And its worth remembering that youll be more motivated to work if its something you enjoy doing. Some combinations of a/levels wont be available to you at college simply because the timetables of certain subjects clash.
After a/levels, we've had this conversation on these boards before and rightly or wrongly I would always look for someone with a degree when interviewing for a junior position. Once you have your foot in the door job-wise its then that experience comes into play. Fortunatly or unfortunatly degrees are necessary evils these days. But thats just my choice and opinion.
Just do maths. A-level maths is a great qualification to have.
My brother-inlaw has done it twice as he failed it first time, he said it was very hard, Octal, hex and binery are simple (unless you have to program in it) they used to have to program in octal, you will not doupt have to learn a wide range of language's from Pascal through basic and visual basic up to C++ and a whole range of variations, but if you can do it then it will be a good one to get, although a lot of the computer industry is looking more to experiance these days than qualitication.
c.b.
c.b.
I did A-Level Computer Science, but it was about 13 years ago now!
I couldn't tell you if the content has changed or not, but it was pretty techie stuff when I did it. Lots of stuff about the very basics of processors; the binary, octal and hexadecimal number systems; logic gates; adding circuits and so on.
The practical coursework was to think of and develop a program to perform a specific function. Back then, it had to be written in BASIC - fully documented, and so on. I wrote a word processor! :-)
I couldn't tell you if the content has changed or not, but it was pretty techie stuff when I did it. Lots of stuff about the very basics of processors; the binary, octal and hexadecimal number systems; logic gates; adding circuits and so on.
The practical coursework was to think of and develop a program to perform a specific function. Back then, it had to be written in BASIC - fully documented, and so on. I wrote a word processor! :-)
Well. They have this like, list of things. And if you choose one thing, you cannot do certain ones. I wanted to do A/S A Level Computing but apparently I can't. Even thought I emailed them and checked it..
So I have this list of subjects and I have to take one more. I cant do ICT, or Computing. ONLY Computer Science and a hell of a lot of stupid subjects that do not interest me, Maths etc.
So I'm stuck and I can't think of anything to take.
But computer science sounds very hard. And I dont know naff all about programming.
Which sucks.
So I have this list of subjects and I have to take one more. I cant do ICT, or Computing. ONLY Computer Science and a hell of a lot of stupid subjects that do not interest me, Maths etc.
So I'm stuck and I can't think of anything to take.
But computer science sounds very hard. And I dont know naff all about programming.
Which sucks.
GasMask wrote:
> Well, I went for my college interview today and I cannot do A A/S
> Level Computing with my other choices. Apparently this is the only
> thing I can do with computers.
>
> Whats it like, is it really hard.. or not..?
>
> 1/3 is programming apparently.
>
> Anyway, could somebody just tell me what it involves and how hard it
> is :o)
Sorry to seem dumb, but from what you've said do you mean you want / might want to study Computer Science at uni?
I considered doing the degree and it is bloody hard. Went to a few open days and you really have to be into programming and the like to enjoy it I think. Lots of programming involved.
I wouldn't worry so much about your choices of A-Levels. Most uni's don't want any specific courses, although do check with a few as things may have changed. Most just specifiy a set number of A-levels in any subject, and computing and maths related courses are a help, but not vital.
If I remember correctly the lowest requirement I got was two B's and a C minumum, but it depends on the uni - some want more than that.
Go to the ucas website (www.ucas.ac.uk) and have a look at what unis do the course, then check out the uni website for more info on what each course entails - they're full of info.
> Well, I went for my college interview today and I cannot do A A/S
> Level Computing with my other choices. Apparently this is the only
> thing I can do with computers.
>
> Whats it like, is it really hard.. or not..?
>
> 1/3 is programming apparently.
>
> Anyway, could somebody just tell me what it involves and how hard it
> is :o)
Sorry to seem dumb, but from what you've said do you mean you want / might want to study Computer Science at uni?
I considered doing the degree and it is bloody hard. Went to a few open days and you really have to be into programming and the like to enjoy it I think. Lots of programming involved.
I wouldn't worry so much about your choices of A-Levels. Most uni's don't want any specific courses, although do check with a few as things may have changed. Most just specifiy a set number of A-levels in any subject, and computing and maths related courses are a help, but not vital.
If I remember correctly the lowest requirement I got was two B's and a C minumum, but it depends on the uni - some want more than that.
Go to the ucas website (www.ucas.ac.uk) and have a look at what unis do the course, then check out the uni website for more info on what each course entails - they're full of info.
I think Computer Science is one of the top level courses...
Ok dude.. I want to know what its like first!
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