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computer science personal statement

can anyone recommend any books or specific areas to read of and link into my personal statement to do with CS?

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Avatar for Damask-
Damask-
16
The New Turing Omnibus. (Have a hunt on eBay rather than Amazon, you can find it for less.)
Cheers. Is it good to write about?

I found some Oxford reading list
Original post by Kolasinac138
Cheers. Is it good to write about?

I found some Oxford reading list


Are you applying to Oxford? I read a programming textbook (Haskell) which was hella hard to understand, and a discrete maths textbook (Discrete Mathematics for Computing) which was quite light. They asked me mainly about discrete maths. Looking back I would have rather read Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing my Harel and Feldman; the questions would have been more interesting!
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Jooooshy
Are you applying to Oxford? I read a programming textbook (Haskell) which was hella hard to understand, and a discrete maths textbook (Discrete Mathematics for Computing) which was quite light. They asked me mainly about discrete maths. Looking back I would have rather read Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing my Harel and Feldman; the questions would have been more interesting!

I got a copy of Discrete Mathematics for Computing but I don't intend on reading into it too much/doing many of the problems in it. Is reading through some of the more popular topics still worth mentioning in the PS?
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Frank the Tankk
I got a copy of Discrete Mathematics for Computing but I don't intend on reading into it too much/doing many of the problems in it. Is reading through some of the more popular topics still worth mentioning in the PS?


Of course! What topics do you have in mind?
Original post by Jooooshy
Of course! What topics do you have in mind?


Algorithms and Boolean Logic to start off with I think
Original post by Frank the Tankk
Algorithms and Boolean Logic to start off with I think


Definitely something worth mentioning.. Just make sure you're ready to be quizzed about them when the time comes!
Original post by Jooooshy
Definitely something worth mentioning.. Just make sure you're ready to be quizzed about them when the time comes!


Very true...I haven't really started yet but I don't have to put in the application for a while so I'll probably start working on it towards the end of summer
Original post by Jooooshy
Definitely something worth mentioning.. Just make sure you're ready to be quizzed about them when the time comes!

Do they ask about it when you get there? In the interview?

So it's a prerequisite to know about this stuff?
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Kolasinac138
Do they ask about it when you get there? In the interview?

So it's a prerequisite to know about this stuff?


No.. It's just the case that if you mention something in your personal statement such as 'I've studied A, B and C', then they're probably going to quiz you a little to convince themselves you were being honest!
Original post by Jooooshy
No.. It's just the case that if you mention something in your personal statement such as 'I've studied A, B and C', then they're probably going to quiz you a little to convince themselves you were being honest!

Aha okay :biggrin:

I better read that, how hard is it?
Original post by Kolasinac138
I better read that, how hard is it?

Read what? I hope you don't think A, B and C is the title of a book! -.-
Original post by Jooooshy
Read what? I hope you don't think A, B and C is the title of a book! -.-

:confused:

Discrete Mathematics for Computing

Obviously!
Original post by Kolasinac138
:confused:

Discrete Mathematics for Computing

Obviously!

It's a pretty easy book to read! Just make sure you spend time getting your head around the topics and doing the end-of-chapter exercises! Pay attention to combinatorics..
Original post by Jooooshy
It's a pretty easy book to read! Just make sure you spend time getting your head around the topics and doing the end-of-chapter exercises! Pay attention to combinatorics..

So it's good to incorporate into the personal statement you've read this as a signal of interest I suppose ?
Original post by Kolasinac138
So it's good to incorporate into the personal statement you've read this as a signal of interest I suppose ?

Pretty much!
Original post by Kolasinac138
can anyone recommend any books or specific areas to read of and link into my personal statement to do with CS?


You might find these useful:

http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/ugadmissions/why_oxford/background_reading.html
http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/ugadmissions/how_to_apply/personal_statement.html
http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/ugadmissions/how_to_apply/phrases_to_avoid.html
Original post by Damask-
The New Turing Omnibus. (Have a hunt on eBay rather than Amazon, you can find it for less.)



Had a search around for this and ordered it, wondered how to link it in? Seems like more of a somewhat journal than book
Original post by Kolasinac138
Had a search around for this and ordered it, wondered how to link it in? Seems like more of a somewhat journal than book


It's definitely a book, and a pretty large one at that. Just mention any particular chapters you enjoy (they're all different and mostly independent of each other so you can read it out of order.)

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