[PraxxtorCruel]

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.

[rachmcg666]

(Original post by PraxxtorCruel)
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! :}

[roblee]

(Original post by rachmcg666)
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?

} // 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.

[PraxxtorCruel]

(Original post by rachmcg666)
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! :}

Oh come on Rob, I didn't mean it like that, honestly if you knew me in real life you'd feel sorry for me if you saw me in interviews, no matter how informal it is, I will be trembling, words/sentences will come out incorrectly, I will utterly fail the day. I've been told this many times by all sorts of people. (Severe Social Anxiety sufferer here) 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.

(Original post by roblee)
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.

Hi Rob,

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.

Thank you.

[rachmcg666]

(Original post by PraxxtorCruel)
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.

ahhh thanks! where else have you applied?
If you drop me your email i'll tell you what they say if i'm not allowed to do it on here, but i have to say it wasn't too much of an interview really! It is 20-ish minutes one on one, but i can honestly say it's nothing to worry about! The day starts off with a talk about the course and the uni - the placement year looks awesome if you've applied for it, and even if you haven't they try and persuade you to! Then there's lunch which a few current student and lecturers hang around at and try and talk to you, then there's a quick sample lecture before a campus tour. Then there's the interview (yours will be between 2.50 & 4.10). They just have a set of questions on a piece of paper that they ask everyone My interviewer was a very nice woman who made me feel welcome - i was quite nervous beforehand! Anyway, yes, message me with your email and i'll let you know the questions!

[rachmcg666]

(Original post by roblee)
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!

[PraxxtorCruel]

(Original post by rachmcg666)
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!

Hey Rach, thanks for replying to my thread, I don't actually think it is against the rules. Correct me if I'm wrong but I've been through many university threads where people ask what kind of interview questions they ask and some people reply back, but don't quote me or anything .

[roblee]

(Original post by PraxxtorCruel)
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.

[PraxxtorCruel]

(Original post by roblee)
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?

[roblee]

(Original post by PraxxtorCruel)
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?

No, it would have been great to be able to help out with the interviews but I have too many projects on the go for that to be possible. The people who were able to make time are all very nice, though

[Wood Pulp]

I'll be going on the 29th I think, for the open day and interview for CS. To be honest my worst fear is group discussion as I'm very socially anxious :s

[bobst101]

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

[roblee]

(Original post by bobst101)
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.

[bobst101]

(Original post by roblee)
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) ?

[roblee]

(Original post by bobst101)
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) ?

'vanilla' is an idiom meaning basic, ie. no joint honours.

I'm not a postgraduate so don't quote this, but I know that there have been people going from Bath to specifically Oxford to do their PhDs. Bear in mind that the competition for postgrad places is even more fierce than for undergrad places, so you might want to have a backup plan versus 'upgrading' after doing a BSc.