Computer Science at York University - 23/07/2024

High School

I attended Glenforest Secondary School in Mississauga from 2017-2021, it was fun. Looking back at it now, I definitely think I took for granted how much time there was in a day back then. That’s not to say I wished I had ignored school more, I genuinely enjoyed the learning process in highschool. Being in a situation where I was not only able to learn, but also able to help others learn through study groups and just sharing knowledge in general was great. Some of my fondest memories of high school are from my grade 11 physics class. The teacher in charge of my section had managed to create one of the most unique and inviting learning environments I have experienced to this day in an academic setting. The class felt open and learning happening alongside discussion, there weren’t many cases of just sitting and listening, there was always room for ad hoc discussion, and hands-on experimentation.

My cohort was one that was impacted by the COVID-19 lockdowns right at the end of high school. This largely meant that the entire second half, and most formative years, of high school were spent inside, behind a computer, trying to communicate with teachers using video calling software and online class sites we were all woefully unfamiliar with. For what it’s worth, looking back at it now the entire situation had a certain charm to it. Being put into such seemingly bizarre circumstances and being told “good luck” was a once in a lifetime experience. This early foray into online learning did end up paying dividends as the self learning process I picked up on came in handy during University. Some of my favourite courses from this time were chemistry, biology, and computer science.

University

Applying to University was a tricky process. The lockdown had changed my outlook on what a career should be. Namely, the idea of stability and accessibility. I quickly realised that the affordances provided by a job in tech were not to be ignored. The idea that your entire job was dependent on a single tool, a computer, rather than an entire lab or research building, was reassuring. Knowing that my work could follow me wherever it needed to made the world feel like a bigger and more accessible place. Alongside this, my growing interest in the world of computer science helped to fuel my decision to apply for computer science at York.

Getting my acceptance letter was a relief, and looking back at the other offers I had now, I am confident I made the right decision by picking York. Despite its flaws, I think that my time at York so far has been very enjoyable. I’ve seen myself grow as a person and learn that there’s more to education than just learning what’s in the textbook. I am very grateful for the good educators I’ve had who never seem to get tired of questions and are always interested in making learning an experience rather than a chore. Perhaps strangely, I’m also grateful for the, let’s say ‘challenging’, professors I’ve had over my 3 years at York. While I wish that every professor was also an educator, I think that is an ideal that wont be reached until some underlying systems are changed with post secondary education as a whole. Perhaps Andrej Karpathy’s work at Eureka Labs will help with this 👀.

Courses

These are a few of my favourite courses I’ve taken so far at York University in no particular order. I found my experiences in these courses to be very memorable, informative, and fun.

EECS 2030 - Advanced Object Oriented Programming

This course was one I took straight into my second year of University. The content was challenging, and very verbose. I felt that there were always 100 new concepts, acronyms, and definitions floating around after every lecture. I find that I really locked in on University around this point. I could feel the benefits of in-person learning showing and found myself succeeding in this course well above average. I did find certain assignments to be overly confusing, particularly the midterm which was a great concept, but fell short in regards to clarity in the instructions.

NATS 1530 - Space Flight and Exploration

I loved this course. This was one the first general education electives I took. I mainly picked it out due to my interest in space exploration. I find the concepts, history, and major feats of engineering humanity has accomplished in order to explore space to be greatly inspiring. Professor Jesse Rogerson was also an amazing educator during my time in this course. His capacity to be relatable while also turning 3 hour online lectures into interactive learning experiences still amazes me to this day. I recommend taking this course, or any course with Professor Rogerson for that matter, if you are interested in having a great learning experience and picking up some valuable learning habits.

STS 3500 - The Global Information Society

I knew for some time that technology has a certain ‘controlling’ aspect to it. The fact that apps are designed in very specific ways to ensure you spend as much time on them as possible, and that every action you make on the web is tracked to some degree have been apparent to me. I was not aware of the scale of control our technological world provided those that run it until I took this course. A standout reading from this course was Data and Goliath, written by Bruce Schneier who is a computer security expert. Schneier makes it clear that data is modern day gold, if you have enough of it you can determine practically anything about anyone. The data we generate as individuals interacting with modern technology is so broad that it only takes basic skills of inference to be able to look at just the context of what someone is doing and determine vast swaths of their lives and personal habits. Alongside this, he explains the role that governments play, and the benefits they reap, through lucrative private contracts and secretive legislation to collect petabytes of data on citizens and adversaries. This course was very eye opening, and Professor Ian Slater is one of the most approachable educators I have met so far. His classes tend to be on the smaller side so getting into contact is not an issue. I highly recommend this course to anyone at York looking to gain an understanding of what the modern world of technology looks like behind the smoke and mirrors.