BlogPost About the Year

This year of AP Comp Sci has definitely been a challenge for me. The material itself interests me, but the coding and mechanics of the subject proved to be too challenging for me to grasp. Starting from the 2nd six weeks, material started to become increasingly more difficult for me to grasp because I barely had a grasp on previous material and the course would not stop just for me. I should have came in for tutoring once I got behind, but I blew it aside because I thought I could catch up and there would be no problem, but I just got backlogged so far that even when I did come in for tutoring, things didn’t make sense because my foundation and basics of Java programming were sub par. I was able to grasp the logic behind the coding and presentations that Mr. Stephens and Tessler taught, but the free coding itself was the biggest challenge for me, because I couldn’t understand what all these special words and modifications of them did. I eventually tried to look up guides online, but those proved to be no help because it just confused my more and threw me further into a pit of confusion. I managed to get through the slew of worksheets and labs due to the tons of help we got from peers, and teachers. I think that the class isn’t too hard, but it definitely is a challenge that can be overcome if you are interested in the topic. In the beginning of the year, I was only curious about the topic, and now I realize I should’ve taken Computer Programming instead because I was not ready for the full course of AP Computer Science and its faster pace and more intense curriculum.

I do not regret taking this course, because it I was genuinely intrigued by the material and its core teachings, I just wasn’t prepared for the pace and intensity of the course. I liked how we had the liberty to work on our own projects and such, but I think that type of liberty made my work ethic plummet. Especially in the beginning of the school year, where I could easily to the system.out.println code, I thought the rest of the year would be just as easy so I didn’t buckle down as I should have. I pretty much enjoyed the entire course, but I would have enjoyed it much more if I actually understood Java coding thoroughly, and that wouldn’t have anything to do with Mr. Stephens teaching, just poorly executed on my accord.

Would I recommend this class to underclassmen? Most definitely; but only to those willing to give their full focus and effort to the class, and must at least have an interest in this sort of thing. I wish I had taken computer programming this year, because then I would have probably taken AP computer science next year, as a student who had previous encounters with coding and I’d be able to cope with the material more easily.

Thanks for putting up with me and Adam all year Mr. Stephens!

I’ll make sure to come back from time to time next year and say hi.

Unless you don’t want us to...

Cause we’re annoying.

<3