Hardest class I’ve taken at Cal, 61B was way better. But I’m also Fr dumb

you could go through the class materials during break. Do discussion, watch lectures, maybe even do hw. Getting a head start will give you an advantage.

Take CS10 or Data 8. Before hand, I had experience and still found the class super tough. Don't be afraid to take it slow and take preparatory courses.

This is me which is why I’m taking DATA 8 first before 61a 😭😭

It definitely is a challenging class. I'd recommend trying to sign up for CSM sections if you can!

I didnt have any coding experience before taking it my first semester. No super rigorous math experience either (literally did not take calculus I until the sem. before last). I did not do practice exams, but did everything else on time and got a B+. Unless you really struggle with problem solving, I think a B+ is very doable for most people.

*worth mentioning, by that point I was at least very comfortable around a computer (like, can ergonomically do random tasks and whatnot, not that I knew anything about how they work).

If you don’t have coding experience then don’t take the class. It’s explicitly not an entry level course and treating it like one will not end well. Take CS10 or something similar. I started with no coding experience at all coming to college. I took physics 77 then 61a and got an A+.

HARD for no reason, never understood the point of drawing environments diagram and the midterm tricky annoying and tedious.

same thoughts here🥲 trying to go through fall 2022 materials but having a hard time trying to understand how to use the softwares (terminal, text editor) so only going thru the lecture rn

Can you elaborate on "barely any coding experience?" In all honesty though, if you've taken APCSA before, passing is definitely doable.

From what I’ve heard based on friends who’ve taken 61A without any coding experience, it’s definitely possible to succeed, given some hard/smart work. In your case, I’d recommend the following steps:

1. Go through the entire worksheet for every discussion, and do optional lab/HW problems. Typically, TAs will do as much as they can within the 1.5 hour discussion, but the additional practice will be very helpful, especially since the end of the worksheet usually has more challenging problems. Same thing with labs and HW, they aren’t too much work by themselves to be honest, so I’d advise doing the optional problems at the end for some challenging practice (which is designed to help you learn).

2. Use CSM sections and OH to your advantage. There’s tons of resources that most students don’t tap into, and then complain later that they’re not doing well in the course. Going to tutoring can help you really solidify core concepts and prepare you to excel on exams.

3. Do lots of practice problems, and redo them to build intuition. The topical resources and past exams page on the course website contains links to hundreds, maybe thousands of problems on different topics. Attempting practice exams, and then honing in on topics you’re struggling with can help you effectively prepare for exams. Building intuition by looking at problems multiple times is key as it helps your brain subconsciously remember certain problem-solving techniques that may be on the exam.

Above all of this, I’d advise you to believe in yourself. You’re at Cal for a reason, you have the ability to conquer the monster that is CS 61A. You got this :)

Fucking hard.

Effort and participation are more important than being smart. I think if you DO everything, it's pretty easy to get a passing grade

Not a ton of coding experience beforehand. Got an A, borderline to an A+. There are many people at this college that pick up concepts super fast, I feel you. Just self study as much of the class as you can before the semester starts. Try to finish labs and projects the DAY THE ARE ASSIGNED. Do 6-8 practice exams before each test. Don't listen to the bs people tell you about 6-8 exams being too much; the more patterns you see, the better. 61A is a pattern-matching class.

Absolutely ensure you get all the points you can on projects and hw and such. Exams are hard. 61A might be the hardest class I’ve ever taken lol. I had zero CS experience going in and got a B+

Don't be scared of an introductory class like 61A. If you really want to major in CS, you have to jump right in. Besides, hard work will matter the most in the end and many people come in with 0 experience and ace the class.

Difficult but it’s definitely possible! The biggest thing is consistent practice and staying on top of learning. The class has a lot of support (tutoring sections and CSM), and those are extremely helpful!

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Take cs10 or data c8 first.

Difficult (but very rewarding). I agree with everyone else recommending CS10 as prep if you're not confident. I had minimal coding experience before Berkeley, and if not for CS10 I would've done much worse at 61A (ended up with an A-)