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Courses Just graduated. If I had to "redo" the program, here's what I'd do instead. ( self.OMSCS )

submitted 6 months ago * by DaddyDock Officially Got Out

Just some advice for new freshman coming in that may not have a total grasp on what they want to achieve with the program. I graduated this past Spring in the Computing Systems specialization, and I sort of "threw darts at the wall" when picking classes trying to backfill gaps in my CS education (I was an ME undergrad). If I had to redo the program, I'd do it a bit differently.

Here's how:

Instead of trying to be a jack of all trades, I'd focus on a "master of one" -- that being, Python. I do use Python daily for work, so YMMV here.
I'd pick the Interactive Intelligence specialization. ML is a close second, but I didn't find GA super useful after exam 1*.* Great theoretical knowledge about graph traversals and P vs NP and I loved the DP/D&C for interview prep, but I personally probably wont ever see the last 2/3 of the class material again. Interactive Intelligence frees up some options, and you can still take GA as an elective if you so wish. Here are the courses I would have taken in hindsight (roughly in order, to ramp up difficulty in case you're not super confident in your coding skills. This should also satisfy the "2 core course" criteria in your first year.)

Courses are a combination of ones that I actually took and ones that I wish I had taken in lieu of some others.

Game AI (C#)
KBAI (Python)
Computer Networks (Python)
Network Science (Python)
AI4R (Python)
Deep Learning (Python)
Reinforcement Learning (Python)
Computer Vision (Python)
AI (Python)

Edit: I'd swap 3 - 5 for other courses like GIOS if you're already decent in Python. Courses 6 - 9 were ones that I really felt like I missed out on and should have taken.

21 comments

Want to add to the discussion?

Post a comment!

[–] AngeFreshTech 22 points 23 points 24 points 6 months ago * (5 children)

1) Why do you want to be a “master of one” using Python ? 2) I guess you are getting a master of science in CS and not master of computing using Python. I understand that you are using Python at work. But since you will be exposed to multiples languages through your career, why do not you get exposed to several languages while you are studying ? Your ability to pick different languages on the fly is a very important skill to have as a SDE… 3) Which courses did you take ?

[–] [deleted] 10 points 11 points 12 points 6 months ago (1 child)

I agree. It is understandable if you regret your course choices, but to deliver it as an advice does more harm than good. Especially if you do not have a background in CS, it is highly recommended to build a good foundation which will help you in the long run.

[–] DaddyDock Officially Got Out [ S ] 0 points 1 point 2 points 6 months ago (0 children)

I certainly don't regret my course choices. I'd just do it a little differently with the role I landed as a data engineer in hindsight. Diving deeper into python would be more fruitful for my career personally. Not everyone will be in that boat :)

[–] ignacioMendez 6 points 7 points 8 points 6 months ago (1 child)

It's not like any class teaches or grades you on how to use a language well. The language is just a means to work with the topics in the class. All of those classes could use a different language and it'd be a superficial change.

So the Python idea is just an arbitrary way to limit what classes you can take. Just take classes that are interesting.

[–] AngeFreshTech 4 points 5 points 6 points 6 months ago (0 children)

Exactly! I can even understand that he would like to be strong in his main language (python). For that purpose, taking just 2 to 3 courses in a row ( in a span of 1 year) can do the job. It is very important to be exposed to learn the CS concepts taught by each course instead of focusing on the language used in the course.

[–] bedobi 1 point 2 points 3 points 6 months ago (0 children)

I think people overestimate the value of learning "different" languages

Python, JS, Java, Kotlin, Ruby, Swift etc etc are not fundamentally different the way Haskell, Clojure etc are

as such, IMO it's better to master one or two of them

it will actually make it easier to pick up another of them because they all have equivalent tools (maven/gradle/virtualenv/gems blabla it's all the same shit)

languages like Haskell, Clojure etc that are TRULY different, they're way more valuable to learn from a knowledge perspective, but they're not used in industry (unfortunately) so as much as I want to master them it's hard to justify

[–] black_cow_space Officially Got Out 14 points 15 points 16 points 6 months ago (1 child)

You don't need to miss out.. You can still take any courses you still want to as an Alumni

[–] DaddyDock Officially Got Out [ S ] 1 point 2 points 3 points 6 months ago (0 children)

May do that :)

[–] deflatedDbugger 11 points 12 points 13 points 6 months ago (2 children)

As someone who’s looking to be a strong programmer whilst still looking to go into ML engineering/AI research, would you change any of the courses you’ve listed? Also, if I’m looking to strengthen my fundamentals in coding, which courses would you recommend? I’ve been leaning towards taking GIOS.

[–] DaddyDock Officially Got Out [ S ] 11 points 12 points 13 points 6 months ago (1 child)

If you're already a strong programmer, I'd swap Network Science//CN//AI4R. Those are good "light-intermediate" Python courses.

The meat and potatoes that I felt like I "missed" were the DL/RL/CV/AI stuff that isn't required as part of the CS specialization.

[–] KBect1990 6 points 7 points 8 points 6 months ago (4 children)

Did you have a CS background prior to starting OMSCS?

I'm an EE with minimal CS background. Is there a good first course to get acclimated to the rigor of the program? Looking for something that will shake the academic rust. Also doesn't hurt to get my GPA started off on the right foot.

[–] wattayatalkinabeet Comp Systems 5 points 6 points 7 points 6 months ago (0 children)

I also have an EE background, currently work as a software engineer and am halfway through my OMS. Depending on how minimal your CS experience is, I’d suggest either Computer Networks or Database Systems.

CN requires virtually no programming experience, although a prep course in Python is helpful, and it took me roughly 5-10 hours per week depending on project due dates or if I needed to prep for an exam. I have used some of the knowledge I learned in this course at my job, for what that’s worth.

DBS is not a popular suggestion and people tend to have poor opinions about it, but I think that it’s actually a hugely rewarding course for beginners if you take the semester-long project seriously and actually study the content. Of any course I’ve taken (including undergrad), DBS’s project most closely resembles what working on a real project in industry is like; you need to clarify requirements, choose the best tech stack for your team and the project requirements, work diligently over a long period of time, and do your part to manage a team of developers. You’ll need to either know a language before taking the class (probably python) or you’ll need to pick one up as you go, because the class will not teach you one or give you any (helpful) boilerplate. I took this class in a summer semester and spent probably 8-10 hours per week on it, but I was also extremely comfortable with the languages we used to build our app. I’d highly recommend it to anyone without some industry experience or if you’re interested in database design.

[–] YouFeedTheFish Officially Got Out 2 points 3 points 4 points 6 months ago (0 children)

AI is good to get the heart pumping again.

[–] TwinklexToes Comp Systems 1 point 2 points 3 points 6 months ago (0 children)

I have a history BA but work as a SWE, honestly SDP was a good exercise for me. It has a light workload but will cover a lot of buzzwords that are relevant to SWE day to day work. The group project isn’t as scary as most people make it seem.

My first class was GIOS and hooboy it was a trial by fire. I did not have any operating systems or C/C++ background so it was a struggle. By the end, though, I felt like I had learned more in that class than any of the CS undergrad prereqs I took combined! Highly recommend considering it’s commonly rated as a class on the more difficult side

I had an ME undergrad. Some programming classes but definitely not a traditional student.

First course suggestions would be any of 1 - 5. I found AI4R challenging as my second course.

[–] Big_Entrance_622 1 point 2 points 3 points 6 months ago (1 child)

Thank you so much!

Best of luck with the program!

[–] aooga 0 points 1 point 2 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Any thoughts on ML?

I didn't take ML -> probably not the best to comment on this one!

[–] Tvicker 0 points 1 point 2 points 6 months ago * (0 children)

It does not really teach you ML, it teaches you how to write scientific papers. The quizzes are mostly trying to trick you. I feel very controversial after the course, I think it is pretty much skippable

[–] Mysterious-Ad-4894 0 points 1 point 2 points 6 months ago (0 children)

I’m going to disagree with you on the "master of one" point. While I see why you wished that you incorporated more in-depth courses related to AI/ML that does not mean python is the only language that will be used in practical development such tools/products. There are definitely some great courses in the CS track that would lay the foundation so you could actually build all the fancy LLMS and NNs you want while being able to ensure peak performance.

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How I was accepted to Georgia Tech OMSCS (Online Master of Science in Computer Science)

September 28, 2018

1. Accepted to Georgia Tech OMSCS!

September 2018, I received official acceptance letter from Georgia Tech OMSCS - Online Master of Science in Computer Science! 🎉

This OMSCS program is an online course, but the screening process is exactly same to on-campus program . So it is required to prepare SOP, recommendations and TOEFL score. Here I’m going to explain what’s needed in this article.

2. Admission Criteria

It requires:

Bachelor’s degree
GPA 3.0 or higher

If applicants do not meet the criteria, it will be judged by case-by-case.

For international applicants, the TOEFL score is also necessary.

TOEFL Score: more than 100 (for international applicants)

Since I could get 104 of 120, I was relieved about this.

3. Required Documents

English resume is necessary. You can list your education background and work experience.

3.2 Transcripts and Degree Certificate

If you don’t have the official transcripts and degree certificate, you need to ask the university that you graduated to issue those documents.

At first, just uploading the scanned file is enough for the first application. But after I received the official acceptance letter, it is necessary to send the official documents.

3.3 TOEFL score

If you’re an international applicant, you need to submit the TOEFL iBT score.

When I applied, more than 100 points (of 120 points) is required . (But now, I can’t find the score in the website so it may be changed now)

And the TOEFL iBT score required for all of the graduate courses in Georgia Tech is more than 90 points and at least 19 points for every section.（ Link ）

3.4 SOP (Statement of Purpose)

Two kinds of essays are required.

Essay (1): Career Objectives and Background Essay “What has prepared you for this program?” (Up to 2,000 characters)

Essay (2): Statement of purpose Academic and career plans. (Up to 4,000 characters)

The points that I put emphasis are:

Why I want and need to study

Explanation that I have enough abilities and skills to graduate

What my career plan is, what I want to do after graduate

I suggest explaining these points with actual examples.

It will get better if you ask your friends to check and write it again. Also, it is effective to write it as a story rather than just a list of the facts because the readers are also human.

3.5 Recommendation letter from 3 people

Since I have work experiences, I asked the people as follows:

The professor that I studied under at the university

Software engineer who is my mentor

Client that I developed for

I heard that it’s better to prepare one from the boss, one from the colleague and one from the professor/teacher of the university, and I followed the advice.

It is important to ask the person who knows you well. Because, if they don’t know you well, it’s impossible to expect them to write actual episodes.

Luckily everyone willingly accepted to write them. The professor I asked for has moved to another university, but he is still working as the professor.

3.6 GRE is not necessary

In general, GRE: Graduate Record Examinations is required for many of the graduate schools in the US.

But, for Georgia Tech, it’s not required . If you want to submit, you can do so as it’s optional.

4. Schedule

There are 2 enrollment season: Spring and Fall . The deadline for each season comes about 4-5 months before the semester starts.

It really takes time to prepare TOEFL score, essays and recommendation letters so I recommend you to take enough time to do it.

The entire process to prepare all documents was much harder than I thought. I was working weekdays so I needed to prepare those documents on weekends. As I don’t know much about SoP and recommendation letters, I also needed to study every document.

But I believe it is worth doing. If you think you want to gain a master degree in computer science or you want to study at the graduate level like me, you should try. I hope this article would be helpful to someone who is interested 😊

Reference Links:

Georgia Tech - OMSCS Portal
Admission Criteria
TOEFL Scores
Application Deadlines, Process and Requirements
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