Ever since I was a freshman in University I have heard horror stories of ICS 311. People said things like “Someone had to quit their job to focus on 311.”, “I know a few people who had to retake the class 3 times before passing.” and of course I had friends myself who have taken the course more than once and another who passed with an A but I saw how drained he was throughout the semester.
Then it was my turn to take the course. And I fell in love with class.
Don’t get me wrong. It was the hardest class I have taken (yet) and I put in more time in 311 than I ever had in any of my other courses but the hard work paid off. I left the class with a stronger understanding of both the theoretical and practical side of computer science and don’t think any other course has improved my ability to think about problems and how to approach solving them. Additionally, the way the class was set up definitely had to do something with my attitude as well. I enjoyed having different groups every week, solving problems together. There was a sense of camaraderie in the suffering.
All in all, I can see why people say “You can’t officially call yourself a computer scientist until you passed 311.” It definitely boosted my abilities and adoration for problem solving and the importance in taking time in whatever you’re working on. The effort won’t betray you.