Final Entry

long-term takeaways from this class:

• test first, test during, test after, test, test, test
• when designing algorithms, demand the weakest capabilities (e.g. iterable vs. indexable)
• when designing containers, provide the strongest capabilities (e.g. indexable vs iterable)
• build decorators on top of containers, iterators, and functions
• utilize the benefits of being lazy (i.e. yield)
• always look for reuse and symmetry in your code
• collaboration is essential to the quality of your code and to your well-being in producing it

How well do you think the course conveyed those takeaways?

Very well actually. With the constant practicing throughout the semester, I was able to solidify all of the above bullet points with ease.

Were there any other particular takeaways for you?

What I learned the most was the simplicity of Python. When we used nested comprehensions, we were able to perform very complex actions in just a few lines of code. This certainly increased my interest in Python and I will study these aspects in the future.

How did you feel about two-stage quizzes and tests?

They were quite stressful due to time constraints. However, the pair programming portions helped me understand other people’s approaches and allowed me to explain my own as well. The grade weight was very fair as well in my opinion.

How did you feel about cold calling?

The cold calling was honestly not that bad. It only happened a few times throughout the semester, so it was nothing to worry about overall. Additionally, Professor Downing was very respectful and supportive whenever anyone was cold-called and had to answer a question.

How did you feel about office hours?

They were fairly helpful in my point of view. All the TAs were very respectful and answered whatever question I had promptly.

How did you feel about lab sessions?

They were especially helpful for blockers during the projects that were assigned throughout the class.

Give me your suggestions for improving the course.

I would say have more hackkerank exercises in the course. Each exercise helped me greatly understand the material and prepared me for the exams

To future students:

Don’t procrastinate on the projects!!!