CS 2150

Bloomfield is a very engaging lecturer, which is something I can say about few professors. Definitely explains things very thoroughly and gives you plenty of real-world applications for the material. Also throws in plenty of humor as well.

The only downside is the labs - they can get ridiculously long, especially hash lab (though you can get one-day extensions for no penalty if you need them). Overall, you'll learn an incredible amount from this class if you put in the time.

A course of truly epic proportion. I have never worked so hard in a class before, but the feeling of satisfaction after getting my code to run for the labs was incomparable. As mentioned by many others, Bloomfield is a great lecturer who cares a lot about expanding our knowledge of CS. You'll have to learn how to use Linux, code in C++, write assembly code, create your own Makefiles, and do countless other things. Some of the labs are frustrating, and a few took me roughly 15 hours to complete, but I do not regret a single minute that I spent coding for this class. As far as exams are concerned, they are quite difficult and graded somewhat arbitrarily. However, the curve is more than generous, so don't be discouraged if you score about a 60%, as that very well may be the class average.

On a more critical note, the post-lab reports which followed many of the later labs were a pain to write, and certainly felt like busy work. Also, one of the more difficult labs was assigned during Thanksgiving break, which is pushing the limit for what a professor can reasonably assign. Finally, some people (myself included) experienced some issues with VirtualBox, the virtual machine that we used to run Linux.

Despite these detractions, I would highly recommend this class to any computing major. Worth it.

I learned more in this class than any other class I've taken so far here.

This class is really difficult.

I have to agree with everyone: hard but worthwhile. This class is pretty much tests and labs. The tests are all conceptual (name 3 things for blah, why do we use such and such, give an example of blah), and curved.

The labs are comprised of pre-lab, in-lab, post-lab. These are time-consuming, some more than others. The TA's are wonderful, and these are definitely doable. You'll know exactly what you're getting and what to do - lots of critical thinking, but nothing confusing.

I learned a lot in this class, but it definitely takes a bit of getting used to.

This can be a difficult class but once you figure out how it operates, the workload becomes easier to handle.

Labs:
Tend to be quite clear, do the work!
Tests:
Are tough but MOST questions come directly from previous semesters' tests which are all posted. Also, there is always a healthy curve.

One of the most important things I would say is to not be intimidated!

For sure, you learn a lot. BUT unless you are majoring a computer related subject... please stay away from this class for your better mental health. The amount of work will make you want to cry every week until you are done with your last lab assignment. Your thanksgiving break will be ruined if you are taking this during the fall semester unless you can code really easily. Exams are difficult because there are like 18 questions and average is around 60 per exam. Curve is generous; just study with previous tests and go to the office hours for help with lab. Try to go to Wednesday and Sunday office hours.

This is kind of class that pulls everything together in CS. Professor Bloomfield is great. It's a hard class, but it pays off at the end.

CS 2150 is a very challenging but very worthwhile course. Test averages hover around 60% and some labs take up 10 hours in a week (a conservative estimate). Bloomfield demands a lot of students but all work he assigns combines the abstract topic of data structures with applicable coding assignments. Bloomfield is the best Professor I have had in the CS department to date and I would highly recommend this class to anyone willing to put in the necessary work.

This is an incredibly difficult course, however Bloomfield lays out how it will proceed and it never feels like what you're learning is unnecessary. Except emacs. Emacs are just awful

I would say this is the first CS course in the major where you actually have to begin to understand what you're doing to get by. For the previous courses a lot of the time the compiler would do a lot of the heavy lifting for you, so making the shift away from using IDEs can be tough for some people. The work load is intense, but the topics are worth learning. I cannot wait for this class to end, but it's a worthwhile course. Don't take it if you don't have to though.