Advice for Cyber Security first year student at Portsmouth Uni?

Hi, I’m a 2019 Computer Science graduate from
Portsmouth. I may not be able to give you advice for Cyber Security specifically but from what I remember, first year is the same across the board, so Computing, Cyber Security, Software Engineering and Computer Science will pretty much have the same modules in first year, so on your second year you can basically transfer from one to any of these courses.

In the first year, you’ll have an introduction to programming module which essentially teaches you how to code using Python, then after Christmas, they’ll transfer over to Java. Personally I think it is the most useful module in my entire 3 years there.

There is Maths module but it is essentially tackling basic sets and operators, nothing to worry about, it’s pretty simple.

There is also a Introduction to Database which teaches you how to create schemas, join tables, create, update and delete records from an SQL database. It’s not difficult, but I would advice you to use some database client like SQLPro if you use a Mac, using a client will speed you up when it comes to creating coursework at the end.

There is also Web Foundations with Jacek and Richard which is basically building websites using HTML and CSS. This is probably the most chill and fun module in the first year.


Pro Tip: Try to enjoy your first year, don’t take it too seriously - by that I mean don’t try so hard of getting first class (though it is pretty easy), but don’t try so hard that you end up getting burned out on the following years because those are the more important years. First year doesn’t count towards your final degree so treat it as marathon, avoid sprinting just yet.