---
title: Computer Science
date: May 2025
---
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Written by      Mohit Agarwal           Class of 2025
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## The labs

The computer science labs are a great place to do work, being one of
very few 24 hour study space in St Andrews. Use the labs effectively,
do not just go there to exist --- associate being in the space with
doing work, making sure to spend the majority of your time _outside_
the labs, using the space as a place to get work done when you need
to.

The tutorial rooms in the lab often free up after classes are done for
the day and on weekends, so use those rooms for group study.

## Doing coursework

Follow the instructions of a coursework carefully --- the coursework
usually specifies in limited detail things which are required to score
highly. I like to print the specification for a coursework and cross
out on the page what I've done as I do it: my work is not done until
_every single_ word on the page is not crossed out.

## Doing exams

Exams are daunting. See [general exam advice](../exams.html) for
broader advice. For computer science in particular, focus on getting
very familiar with the sorts of questions that might be asked. Always
attend lecturers' exam revision sessions to ask specific questions:
lecturers will often provide (a few) hints for the exam they have
written --- write down what they say and revise with it in mind.

## Doing a dissertation

The most important part of doing your computer science dissertation is
**picking a good topic**: spend time looking at all of the available
options and pick one that you genuinely believe you will enjoy doing.
Your dissertation is not a module: it is something you must work on
every week for the best part of a year and your supervisor is someone
you will get to know _very well_. Pick a good topic and speak with the
potential supervisor before signing up for the project.

Once you have started your dissertation, work on it on a regular
basis. A dissertation, spread over two semesters, is a very manageable
amount of work. Over two weeks, it is not. Figure out how many hours
you can spend a week and get it done, then schedule that time into
your calendar and sit down to do your dissertation at that time. If
you spend the first week just creating your Word/LaTeX document and
selecting the font styles, you'll already be ahead of 99% of other
people.

## Enjoying yourself

Computer science can sometimes start to feel tiresome. Firstly, I
suggest taking time in carefully considering which modules to take.
Talking to students in the above year can often yield advice on what
to take.  Importantly, do what you find interesting, otherwise it will
get boring, fast. Secondly, in your 1st and 2nd years, take other
modules outside of computer science: find something different to what
you're learning in computer science to give yourself variety. It's
surprising just how refreshing not doing computer science can be
sometimes, and how you'll be keener on working on computer science
after taking a break from it. Finally, read around your courses ---
looking beyond just assigned work and readings can make what you're
doing feel so much more interesting and applicable to the real world
(whilst helping you earn better grades).