I: Lower Division

CS 61A. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs

When I was at Cal in 2017, CS61A was the Intro to Computer Science class that anyone would take if they wanted to explore the field of computing. If you do not have programming experience, this class is hard and intimidating. I would not say it is beginner-friendly. Nowadays, the school offers CS 10: The Beauty and Joy of Computing and Data 8: The Foundations of Data Science. I did not take CS10 but have heard great feedback about it. I took Data 8, so I will write more about it later in this blog.

Besides some programming concepts in Python and Scheme (a programming language), I learned to think through, and then predict how each line and each function of code behave and what output to expect. I did not enjoy this class because I had it in my first semester when there were a lot more distractions and fun outside of a classroom.

CS 61B. Data Structures

One of my favorite classes, I liked it so much that I decided to come back to become a lab assistant in this class. As the name, I learned about data structures and how to build software with them. My project partner and I made a version control system, similar to git from scatch for this class. Data structure is important for interviews while git is a must-known for the field. It also helped that I took this class in the summer when the City of Berkeley and Cal are beautiful. In the summer, there are fewer students, the classes are smaller and more personal. It’s also a shorter term so I stayed focused better.

CS 70. Discrete Mathematics and Probability Theory

I have written mathematical proofs in Vietnamese before. But in this class, I learned to write proofs for computing in English. I use the skill of writing proofs in my writing a lot, also when I need concrete argument and logic for data science projects, or daily life to persuade someone. This class is a prerequisite for another upper division algorithm class.

Data 8. The Foundations of Data Science

I don’t remember learning much in this class since I took it pretty late in my college career as part of my Data Science requirement. The class covers sql, some python, and some statistics.

II: Upper Division

CS 170. Efficient Algorithms and Intractable Problems

A lot of concepts in this class keep coming up in interviews, and the research papers that I read for machine learning related. This is a more in-depth and broader subject than what I learned in CS 70. I wrote longer and concrete proof in the class. I went to the office hours to get help for this class. It was challenging that I could not do the homework just by myself.

CS 188. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Even though the exams were hard, this was an easy upper division class with a light workload. It covered condition probability. There were four projects which I needed to make packman (agent) that can get optimal points in a gaming environment that have fruits and ghosts (environment)

Stat 140/ Data 140. Probability for Data Science

I love this class. It was so well run with lectures, labs, and homework that helped me understand statistic concepts with code, data, and visualization. The professor and teaching assistant of the class are knowledgeable. They care about students and learning. I felt so privileged and grateful to be able to take this class at Cal. This class serves as core knowledge of statistics to understand machine learning.

CS 189. Introduction to Machine Learning

Again, I got fooled by the word introduction. I took this class twice. I dropped it the first time because I freaked out at how hard it was. This class required strong knowledge of linear algebra, data science, python, and coding. However, this class enlightened me. It put everything I know about math, coding, and human sense into place. I remember walking out of a lecture from this class and having tears in my eyes because it hit the punch. Too bad that I took it in my last year at Cal there I had no time left to take more machine learning related classes. But this class has helped me get interviews, get jobs, write interesting blogs, and further self-study in the field of machine learning and AI.

Web Design Decal

Decal is “students teach students” with credit units at Cal. This is an easy yet fun intro class to web design and front end development. It’s good when you can visualize the codes you are writing.

History 182a, Science, Technology, and Society

This class is a change of pace and taste from all the technical classes I have at Cal. Here is the description on the class website “This course provides a foundation with which students can understand the complex interactions of science, technology, and the social world”. I read new articles and assigned reading pieces, wrote reflections then discussed them. After this class, I care more about ethical data technology. I also read tech news differently in a way that how society perceives technology and how I can contribute my voice to it.