CS373 Fall 2020 Week 2: Caitlin O’Callaghan
1. What did you do this past week?
This past week I made sure to review my notes before each class in order to be prepared and successful on the quizzes as well as to reinforce the material. I also looked over the Collatz assignment handout. I, unfortunately, did not start the assignment this week as I was occupied onboarding onto a new internship! However, it is something I will be working on this weekend.
2. What’s in your way?
This week getting accustomed to the workload of my classes and my internship was the biggest thing in my way. Especially, with classes being started online, I needed to learn how to keep track of my deadlines for each class with decreased social connection with other classmates. At times I found it harder to remember my assignments, partially because the semester just began, but also because it is hard to make the mental distinction without physical classes.
3. What will you do next week?
Next week I will use my journals and Notion (I actually started using this because of the tip-of-the-week from a student from blog post #1!), my task management system, to keep detailed track of all my assignments due as well as upcoming projects. I also plan to schedule consistent daily blocks of time dedicated to SWE to make sure I have adequate time for Collatz.
4. What was your experience of assertions, unit tests, and coverage?
My experience of assertions, unit tests, and coverage was almost exclusively in class as I haven’t begun the project. Some key points I understood are that assertions are not great for unit tests or user errors as it will essentially halt the program. Coverage, from my understanding, is making sure your tests cover a sufficient amount of the program and a sufficient number of cases.
5. How are you doing and holding up? What’s been most helpful for you in terms of support at this time?
I am holding up pretty okay, it was a stressful week with managing my work (although not due to this class). I know as the weeks go by I will become more accustomed to the workload and strategies I need to be successful. What helps me the most is having a network of friends in or outside of the class that will encourage you and is willing to have zoom study sessions. It is also great to remind each other of assignments and let each other know how tough you are finding your work.
6. What made you happy this week?
This week what made me happy was starting my internship and feeling exciting about learning how to develop an app. I am also finding that my classes are really interesting (with the exception of government haha).
7. What’s your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?
My tip of the week is to block out any events you have, including classes, on your google calendar! Also, go ahead and put all of your midterms in your calendar so they don’t sneak up you. Using a task management system and/or bullet journal in combination with a calendar will ensure you stay on top of things!
