Max Slater

Computer Graphics, Programming, and Math

CMU Courses

This contains thoughts on each course I took at CMU. Similar pages: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Degree: BS in computer science with concentrations in computer graphics and computer systems. I also like math/algorithms/languages, but don’t focus on them.

Pre-CMU: I entered CMU with an extensive programming background in systems and some real-time graphics, as well as a decent undergrad-level math background. I didn’t have any competitive math/programming experience.

: courses which I thought were worth attending CMU for. Courses without a star are still worthwhile unless stated otherwise, but one could find similar content/experiences at other universities.

Fall 2021

Workload: moderate, light after dropping 11-485

Notes: Graduated. Felt pretty burnt out this semester; finishing degree requirements is not very fulfilling. Decided to postpone PhD applications until fall 2022 2023 2024 (…).

Spring 2021

Other: geometry collective/graphics lab meetings. A period of severe personal issues (resolved).

Workload: 2/3 light, 1/3 heavy

Notes: I finally got to take classes purely in my area(s) of interest, so I enjoyed this semester more than others. Doing 3.5 final projects at once (plus TAing) was a bit much—I wasn’t able to dedicate as much time to each as I would have liked to. But, I still did well and am pretty happy with the results. I also got extremely good TA feedback again.

Fall 2020

Other: Started working with the Geometry Collective.

Workload: heavy

Notes: It was much harder to stay motivated in online classes outside of my preferred areas—did many things last minute or late in the latter half of the semester. I probably should have taken fewer classes, but I did end up doing well in all of them. I also got extremely good TA feedback.

Spring 2020

Workload: moderate to heavy, depending on when an OS project was due

Notes: Everything this semester has a star—all are recommended. Coronavirus arriving midway through the semester caused much turmoil, but PnC & DDG finished more or less normally. While OS changes were mostly bungled—the majority of our course grade was unknown after the final grading deadline—kernels got completed and end-of-semester work was somewhat reduced. After taking it, I didn’t feel that OS deserved its reputation as the systems class to take, as I found a good portion of its difficulty to be incidental and not really contribute to learning (although I may also be biased from a poor group work experience). Even so, OS does teach one a lot about low level design, debugging, and especially concurrency, so it’s worth taking if you want a systems concentration. Otherwise, eh…there are likely better uses of your time. Finally, note that OS is not recommended as a first systems elective—especially as a sophomore—and I’d agree with that unless one found 15-213 easy.

Fall 2019

Workload: moderate to heavy, depending on how many due dates coincided

Notes: My first-year advisor wouldn’t let me register for graphics without the pre-requisite (15-213), even with instructor permission, but I got into it anyway by talking to the assistant dean. My advisor from second year onward was much more flexible. Moving into an off campus apartment made everything significantly better—from then on I always slept for 8-9 hours.

Spring 2019

Workload: moderate, but often felt heavy due to not sleeping enough

Notes: I hated living in a dorm.

Fall 2018

Workload: light

Notes: I’m still annoyed that my first-year advisor denied my transfer credit for 21-241, 21-259, and 15-122…I really didn’t need to re-take those courses. For 15-122 in particular, my syllabi included all of the content, but my request was denied due to one of the courses having been offered online, despite being a normal university course! (Funny how their stance on online courses changed in 2020…) I also regret not taking the honors first-year math track (21-242 + 21-269). I wasn’t selected for 21-242 based on the math maturity survey, but I think I would have gotten more out of those courses than 21-241 and 21-268. In a perfect world, I probably would have taken 15-150/15-151/21-242 first semester, 15-213/21-269/elective second semester, and 15-251/15-210/elective third semester.

Some Advice for First-Years