Applying for Comp Sci with no work experience

Hi creatures of the internet,
I want to apply for Computer Science but I haven't done anything like WE and I have never been in any school position of power (officer/house captain/head girl) or done anything outside of reading and MOOCs because of social anxiety. Just thinking about this makes me nervous.
I am doing one club which involves public speaking and teamwork, but apart from that I have never done any extracurricular activities since primary school (not even at GCSE).
I am currently in year 12 and I am an international student so any WE during the holidays would be hard to do in England, and I don't want to do it either.
I was wondering if only talking about further reading, MOOCs and small computing projects (as well as my comp sci GCSE and as-level) will be enough to get a place at unis like ICL, UCL, Warwick, and uni of Gloucestershire (my backup option btw)?
I have done WE back in year 10 because it was compulsory but it was in graphic design and I barely talked or asked for help and generally felt super awkward and scared.
Being independent and almost a legal adult scares me a lot and I honestly feel like I would rather die than go to the doctor or the bank by myself.
Any thoughts?

Edit: thanks, your replies really cheer me up. I just wanted to add that I go to a boarding school and so I already do know how to live in communal spaces, do laundry, go to the shops, make basic meals etc by myself. The big problem for me really is more formal things like doctors appointments, going to the bank, formal public speaking, and things like that. I'm really not sure why they put me off so much since it is human interaction like other things I already do...

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 1

Clearing and Applications Advisor

You don’t need work experience for an academic degree like computer science.

However if you’re that nervous about basic parts of independent living then it would be sensible to plan in a gap year or two to build up your confidence before university.

Reply 2

Blue_Cow

Original post by cantdochem

Hi creatures of the internet,
I want to apply for Computer Science but I haven't done anything like WE and I have never been in any school position of power (officer/house captain/head girl) or done anything outside of reading and MOOCs because of social anxiety. Just thinking about this makes me nervous.
I am doing one club which involves public speaking and teamwork, but apart from that I have never done any extracurricular activities since primary school (not even at GCSE).
I am currently in year 12 and I am an international student so any WE during the holidays would be hard to do in England, and I don't want to do it either.
I was wondering if only talking about further reading, MOOCs and small computing projects (as well as my comp sci GCSE and as-level) will be enough to get a place at unis like ICL, UCL, Warwick, and uni of Gloucestershire?
I have done WE back in year 10 because it was compulsory but it was in graphic design and I barely talked or asked for help and generally felt super awkward and scared.
Being independent and almost a legal adult scares me a lot and I honestly feel like I would rather die than go to the doctor or the bank by myself.
Any thoughts?

You've already got more experience than most CS freshers.

Most people I've spoken to came into uni with literally zero CS experience, but more of a maths background at school instead. No MOOCs, no programming, nothing.

Reply 3

SkoomaBottle

Take a deep breath and think it through. I had this problem when I was younger where I would also start a thought process and give up on it before reaching the final verdict; this caused problems with my confidence.

Now regarding your application. You certainly don't require any work experience for any of the universities aside from oxbridge as long as you have the required grades; however, if you are applying for a competitive place at a university where the admission team has to make a decision based on external information as most students have will the same grades then yes, by all means. Two students will have the same degree, therefore the next logical step is to see which one has the edge. With that said, most if not all of the good universities will give you a place based on your degree and personal statement, I, as well as the majority of the people I know did not have work experience.

Original post by cantdochem

Hi creatures of the internet,
I want to apply for Computer Science but I haven't done anything like WE and I have never been in any school position of power (officer/house captain/head girl) or done anything outside of reading and MOOCs because of social anxiety. Just thinking about this makes me nervous.
I am doing one club which involves public speaking and teamwork, but apart from that I have never done any extracurricular activities since primary school (not even at GCSE).
I am currently in year 12 and I am an international student so any WE during the holidays would be hard to do in England, and I don't want to do it either.
I was wondering if only talking about further reading, MOOCs and small computing projects (as well as my comp sci GCSE and as-level) will be enough to get a place at unis like ICL, UCL, Warwick, and uni of Gloucestershire?
I have done WE back in year 10 because it was compulsory but it was in graphic design and I barely talked or asked for help and generally felt super awkward and scared.
Being independent and almost a legal adult scares me a lot and I honestly feel like I would rather die than go to the doctor or the bank by myself.
Any thoughts?

Reply 4

¡Muy bien!

I am studying Computer Science at university.
It is really not necessary to have any unrelated extracurricular activities for your personal statement. Talking about your compsci experience in and outside of school is enough. In order to impress the more academic/better unis, you might want to discuss enjoying maths at school (if you do) and how it relates to computer science (e.g. both require logical thinking and problems solving skills).
Some people like to discuss a book/article in their personal statement which they present as the inspiration to them wanting to pursue the degree they apply for. If you read some CS book you like you can do that.
Have you done any maths challenges/competitions? You can write about these too.
https://www.studential.com/personal-statement-examples/computer-science-personal-statements

You also mentioned the point of being independent. I would advise you to start small now, you don't want to be overwhelmed when finally moving to university. Try and book your next doctor appointment and go on your own. Do food shopping for yourself, ask for cooking lessons from your family. Learn how to do laundry.
I'm guessing some of the anxiety is built up over time because you see this as an unfamiliar activity. The more you think about not being familiar with this, the more stressed you get. But, trying to do these things now will reduce your anxiety by familiarising yourself with these activities - it suddenly wont feel as unfamiliar anymore!
Don't go about all of them at once, pick one thing at a time. I suggest starting with skills you'll need to use more regularly, like cooking and doing your laundry. Money managing will probably also come in handy.

Remember that everybody starts the same way, moving from being dependent on your family to being independent. You're just like everybody else, and you'll succeed like everybody else too.
Good luck! You can do it :smile:

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 5

Joinedup

I am doing one club which involves public speaking and teamwork.

Good for you mate - public speaking and team work is important in unis to an extent but really important in the workplace. If you've got an opportunity to practice speaking up in front of people in the relatively safe environment of school I'd suggest you engage with it to the maximum. Stepping out of your comfort zone is how we move forward and improve in life.

Work Exp and holding positions of responsibility don't really enter the decision making process of UK unis when making offers (except medicine and some others where they expect WE) ... they will probably be interested in reading about your MOOCs, self directed coding projects and any stuff like project Euler or Codechef in your personal statement.

P.S Gloustershire looks like a real outlier if you're a realistic candidate for ICL or Warwick... wouldn't you consider something a bit closer to mid table e.g. Loughborough, Lancaster or Nottingham (home of the computerphile channel)

Reply 6

username3668198

Original post by Joinedup

P.S Gloustershire looks like a real outlier if you're a realistic candidate for ICL or Warwick... wouldn't you consider something a bit closer to mid table e.g. Loughborough, Lancaster or Nottingham (home of the computerphile channel)

That is my backup choice (B,B,C) not really something I'm aiming for :biggrin:

I still haven't decided on my 5 uni choices and only have about 3 that I'm sort of serious about - I will research some more though.
What I like about Gloucestershire is that they have a lot of computing-related courses (like game design, game programming, and computer forensics). With higher-ranked universities I've noticed that they only have 1 or 2 courses that I'm interested in and since I still haven't decided what exactly I want to do in computing, it's kinda comforting to have a lot of options :h: