Interview at Bath 29th Feb Computer Science

Hi guys, I was hoping I'd by chance perhaps find some others here who have been or are going on the same date for an interview, but more than anything I'm really hoping someone could give me a little insider on the things they ask. Thanks ever so much.

Hey there i'm going to the uni tomorrow for an interview for comp sci, so i'll tell you some of the things they ask! :}

Hey there i'm going to the uni tomorrow for an interview for comp sci, so i'll tell you some of the things they ask! :}

That's against the TSR rules. Imagine if all the people at your interview day knew the questions and answers in advance but you didn't. Wouldn't that be unfair?

Thank you.


} // grouch.

Current student here. If either of you have any questions about CompSci at Bath before/after the open day, I'll be happy to answer them.

Thank you very much rachmcg666, I really really really appreciate it and if by any chance we both end up at that university, I will reveal my name and give you a handshake and help you settle into the university i.e move luggage etc stuff like that. Oh and most of all, I hope all things go well for you at the interview.

That's against the TSR rules. Imagine if all the people at your interview day knew the questions and answers in advance but you didn't. Wouldn't that be unfair?

Fair enough, sorry - i didn't know! Surely it would help to calm nervous people to let them know what's coming though? ahh well!

Do you think you could list the positives and negatives that you've experienced whilst at Bath, this would include the course, and the university as a whole.

I'm not very good at answering nonspecific questions like this, but I'll try:

Positives and negatives about Bath, the City

Definitely one of the more beautiful places in the UK. As it's centred around a basin, there's a view over the city from most places excluding the town centre- which, to balance things out with a downside, is a good 30-60 minutes' walk away from the university (there are some shops on campus).

As with shops, there isn't a great selection of clubs. Anyone who's out every night is in danger of getting bored of this, so for their benefit occasional excursions out to Bristol take place.


Positives and negatives about Bath, the University (CS)

It's all very focused on industry. Software engineering is given the same amount of talk-time as programming, algorithms, mathematics and hardware, and the university aggressively persuades banks and big companies to come in and give seminars on getting hired as an intern. Taking a placement year is the normal thing to do, so if you decided not to take one, this would mean that in year 3 most of your class would be replaced by placement students from the year above.

There's some flexibility in programming assignments; in the first semester of year 1, students are allowed to opt-in to working on “advanced programming” projects instead (I made something that detects and stores MIDI notes for music). After this the courseworks have enough scope for advanced stuff that there isn't a separate track any more. If you're really advanced then there's the possibility of working with some older students on various theory-related things, or joining in with our pathetically weak ACM team.

Currently the biggest gripes are about the slow learning curve and variance of ability of incoming freshers- again this can work both ways as there are always a good few experienced programmers to work with on non-course stuff.


Positives and negatives about Bath, the Interview

Ask someone else, as I have no idea. My entire application process lasted fifteen minutes.

Thanks Rob, that was very helpful and I appreciate the time you took to do it. By the way did you sit down today with prospective students who came for the interview?

Many Thanks Roblee, I want to ask you what do you think about joint course Computer Science and Business in Bath?

Well, the main difference versus regular CS is that it cuts out quite a bit of mathematical content to make room for management training. The degree is marginally more respected than vanilla CS where relevant, so if you are looking to become a manager or found a company then it's possibly a better choice. I don't see what a regular software engineer would stand to gain from this, though.

Obviously there are individual merits and advantages to each course, bla bla bla, in the end it's your decision based on what you want to be doing in 5 years' time.

Thank you, then core CS seems to be better course. What do you mean by 'vanilla CS'? Is CS course in Bath well respected - enough for postgraduate degree in top university (like Oxford) ?