Computer science

Yo, anyone on TSR doing / going to do Computer science at UWE?

Is it a good department? I've been looking at the uni and i like it so far and the city sounds nice..Going to the open day in febuary to see what it's like but it'll definetely be one of my choices

:five:

Reply 1

mikejpb

1

I'm a final-year Computer Science student at UWE and have lived in Bristol all my life, so I'll give this a go.

A lot of people choose to do Computer Science before they check the programme structure and as a result a lot of people tend to switch courses throughout the year. Before you decide that you want to go to UWE you should check the programme structure and really think about whether these modules are right for you. The lecturers are fantastic and they've always been approachable and friendly, they're definitely the best part about the university. A lot of what is taught isn't really Computer Science as much of the Mathematical content is left out and the majority of what you learn will involve Java or Artificial Intelligence. UWE isn't an academic powerhouse but the AI department produces some great research material; naturally much of the CS course is AI and by the time you're in the second year you'll probably wonder if you had written down Computer Science or Artificial Intelligence on your UCAS form.

The "department" is pretty large, although as a Computer Science student you'll only see a small part of it. The faculty itself doesn't have its own lecture halls so be prepared to trek across campus to find your lectures. The big problem with UWE is the lack of facilities; you'll be lucky to find a computer to work on outside of your lectures during the busy times of the day. Now the university is restricting some labs to certain courses, the best being the Games Technology lab, now restricted to only Multimedia and Games Tech students. It would be a great department if there weren't so many courses within it and you'll find that the CS students are typically well in the minority. There are only around five of us left in my final year from about twenty. If I remember correctly there were several hundred taking Computing.

The library is a decent resource, but you'll find that a lot of the books there are extremely out of date and the ones you'll need for your course are either not there or have already been taken out by those that have done their research into what they need.

Nightlife is where UWE really excels. Bristol is a fantastic city for entertainment and nightlife and by the time you've finished your first year you'll have plenty of stories to tell your friends. Some Bristol students will disagree with me but UWE really does trump its more established neighbour when it comes to partying. The students union really know how to throw a good party and with the limited budget they have they do a fantastic job of keeping the students entertained.

I'd recommend visiting UWE but I would stop short of recommending it to anyone that didn't already like it. If you're planning to take Computer Science and you don't like the module content you'll hate the course with a passion. If you do decide to go then be sure to buy the book "Artificial Intelligence Illuminated" and to learn Java well. If you like it over your other choices then go for it, just be sure to fully check out the department, mainly the P block.

Reply 2

Sickojones

OP

Wow, thanks for the detailed information (+rep :P) I didn't realise so much of the course was based on AI!

Cheers

Reply 3

mikejpb

1

AI isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just that the course changes so often that what you read won't be what you're taking. In my first year we were told to pick three options for our second year, only to find out that the university had removed every option and replaced them all with AI modules. This year three out of six of the final-year modules are AI as well.

Personally, if you have the chance to go somewhere better I'd jump at the chance, but if you're set on going to UWE I'd still choose the CS course over the far more flexible Computing option, simply because CS is accredited and every employer will recognise your degree.

Throughout your time at UWE you'll get to use languages like Perl, PHP, Prolog, C and Assembly Language; regardless of this your main language will be Java and you'll be expected to be proficient in it. UWE is one of those "Java Schools", a term employers give to universities that teach you little theory and lots of programming. You'll save yourself a lot of time if you start practising your Java now! Pick up a large, recent Java book second-hand and spend a part of your summer going through it and you'll have at least a year head-start over others as the first-year work is extremely simple in order to bring everyone up to standard.

Reply 4

Sickojones

OP

Fair do's, don't really know what AI involves in terms of learning..i'll still keep it as one of my 5 though, thanks :smile:

Reply 5

mikejpb

1

Here's the current Computer Science timetable with all the modules you'll have available to you. It'll be a fantastic starting place if you're looking at CS at UWE and want to know what you'll be doing exactly.

http://www.cems.uwe.ac.uk/exist/studentprogrammestructureSession.xql?code=G400

Reply 6

DGalvin

Ive applied for Computer Science at UWE, got my conditional. And im also going to the February Open Day. Looks like were in the same boat :biggrin:

BTW my cousin really reccomends this Uni, i may be using it as a first choice. Not 100% about that though, looked at what uni's you've applied for, i've also put kent on there :biggrin:

Reply 7

MrJoeyUK

I've applied for 3 courses at UWE, computer science being my preferable choice.. also going to the open day feb 6th, mostly interested in the accomodation, but I also wanna know about the course, mainly what languages we'll be taught, which judging from current students seems to be mostl Java.

Reply 8

in_the_blue

I've applied to do Comp Sci at UWE, got my conditional and this is my first choice uni. I really like the look of the uni and the course structure, my mate reckons i'll love the city, hopefully this time next year i'll be there :smile:

Reply 9

MrJoeyUK

Trust me mate, I've lived in Bristol all my live and it really is a fantastic city to live in, depending on what area! But luckily for us the UWE campus is in a nice area of Bristol.

Reply 10

HarryB

I agree with all that mike has written. (2nd yr CompSci @ UWE)

Reply 11

Mandoka

Hey guys

I applied for Computer Science and got my unconditional offer at UWE. I already accepted the offer but now I am struggling with accommodation options. Could you give me any advice if it's better to stay on Frenchay? I am wondering how many hours approx I will have during the week? I tried searching online old CS timetables but I couldn't find anything... Anyone knows how it may looks like?
If it's escalating around 15hrs a week then do you think it's better to stay in the city centre (marketgate) rather than Frenchay? I checked on Google maps both options and it looks like Frenchay is on the bloody edge of the city. Is anything actually happening there or everyone are just studying?

Another thing is that I will have to work few days a week (not sure where yet) just to cover my costs of living. As I am living right now in a small city it's hard for me to imagine how long it may take to get from Frenchay to city centre by bus. I don't really want to spend hours in the bus so maybe bike would be optional?

Thanks!

Reply 12

UWE Bristol

8

Original post by Mandoka

Hey guys

I applied for Computer Science and got my unconditional offer at UWE. I already accepted the offer but now I am struggling with accommodation options. Could you give me any advice if it's better to stay on Frenchay? I am wondering how many hours approx I will have during the week? I tried searching online old CS timetables but I couldn't find anything... Anyone knows how it may looks like?
If it's escalating around 15hrs a week then do you think it's better to stay in the city centre (marketgate) rather than Frenchay? I checked on Google maps both options and it looks like Frenchay is on the bloody edge of the city. Is anything actually happening there or everyone are just studying?

Another thing is that I will have to work few days a week (not sure where yet) just to cover my costs of living. As I am living right now in a small city it's hard for me to imagine how long it may take to get from Frenchay to city centre by bus. I don't really want to spend hours in the bus so maybe bike would be optional?

Thanks!

Hi,

Frenchay Campus is approximately 30 minute bus journey from the City Centre. Buses are very regular during term time.

On Frenchay Campus there are all the usual facilities - Bars, sports facilities, shops and a brand new Student Union (https://www.thestudentsunion.co.uk/union/frenchay/) - which holds regular events plus everything else you would expect from a modern campus based University.

If you would like to find out how many hours you are expected to study per week I would suggest contacting the programme leader Stuart Green [email protected]

Computer science

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