Class Reviews
Here are some class reviews, from members of HackWashU (you can also add your own reviews if you’d like too).
If you would like to add your own review, fork the website, add your review, and make a pull request (if you need help setting stuff up reach out to us on Discord, we’re more then happy to help). Below is a general rubric to follow (feel free to add/remove parts), if there is already a review for the class just add your review below the most recent review.⌗
Class Name⌗
Your Name (or alias if you prefer)
Semester you took course & professor
General Review of Course: your review of the course
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Pro 1 | Con 1 |
| Pro 2 | Con 2 |
| Pro 3 | Con 3 |
Stuff to Note:
- The course is harder then you expect
- I’d recomend taking the course with Dr. Doctor
- Etc.
CSE 204A Intro to Web Dev⌗
CSE 204A Intro to Web Dev
Written by: Vinay Viswanathan
Taken Fall 2021 with Professor Clapp. (Current Head-TA)
General Review of Course: This course is a general overview of how to create websites. The course starts off very easy with an intro to HTML, then progressively adds more languages and frameworks (CSS, Bootstrap, Javavscript, React). This course used to teach component based react, but is switching to functional react this semester (spring 23). You will create some pretty cool sites and learn how to use Javascript to your advantage.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Class is optional | React is only covered at the end of the course without much explanation |
| You can use websites for a lot of help (w3/GeeksforGeeks) | This is only a front end course |
| Easy to get an A |
Stuff to Note:
- Make sure to start early on Instagram Clone and the ToDo App
- I would recommend taking the course with Sam Tihen if you like to attend class
CSE 412 Intro to AI⌗
CSE 412 Intro to AI
Written by: Aj
Taken Fall 2023 with Dr. Athena Tabakhi
General Review of Course: 412 is one of the easier upper level CS courses. Grades come from 3 projects and 2 exams (although I think there may be quizzes now). If you’re comfortable in Python, the projects won’t take much time at all (especially since you can work in pairs). The exams are tricky but if you prepare adequately you’ll be fine.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Low time commitment | Content not very applicable outside of AI/ML |
| Can skip class and just read slides if you choose to | Tough exams |
| Majority of students get an A (according to course evals) |
Stuff to Note:
- Copy of a Berkley class so you can watch Berkley class recordings on Youtube.
CSE 417 Intro to Machine Learning⌗
CSE 417 Intro to Machine Learning
Written by: Aj
Taken Fall 2023 with Dr. Ho
General Review of Course: 417 is one of the harder upper level CS courses, but well worth it. You’ll learn about the mathmatical backing and algorithms used in machine learning. The first half of this class is lots of proofs (if you want a less proof heavy class, take ESE 417). The grades come 50% from homeworks (which is both coding and written) and 50% from exams. The coding is done all in Python and you’ll be using a lot of numpy.
Stuff to Note:
- Can’t reiterate enough, lots of proofs, you should be comfortable doing proofs (MATH 310 or MATH 203/204 level proofs, if the only proof based course you’ve taken is CSE 240 be prepared to learn to write good proofs)
- The general consensus is that the class is more difficult with professor Raviv, but you’ll also learn more/go into more detail about the mathmatical theory in ML.
- The class can be fairly time consuming so be careful about which classes you take along side it.