想申请CS计算机专业，有些话想和你说

随着新一轮大学申请季的到来很多同学都面临选专业的问题：
比如这个专业是学什么的？
课程难度怎么样？
我需要做什么准备？
就业情况怎么样？
针对这些问题，小编特别推出
特邀美国教授Dan Sarofian-Butin教授为大家答疑解惑

Dan Sarofian-Butin 教授MIT麻省理工学院管理科学学士弗吉尼亚大学教育博士

15年教授生涯教授了本科生及研究生近千人

曾接受过《洛杉矶时报》、英国广播公司和《福布斯》杂志的采访

与杜克大学、多伦多大学和乔治·华盛顿大学等机构进行会谈并发表演讲

出版及编辑近100份学术文章，包括7本书已被翻译成三种不同语言

… 本期我们要聊得专业是：

Computer Science(计算机科学)

这可是目前最热门的报考专业，对于这个专业我们的Dr Sarofian-Butin有什么看法和建议呢？一起来看看吧～It feels like everyone is doing it. Majoring in Computer Science, that is.感觉人人都在这样做，即主修计算机科学专业。Not since the “computer revolution” in the 1980s has computer science been so popular or so much in the news. MIT, for example, will launch the Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing this fall, the largest change in the University’s history since the 1950s. At Carnegie Mellon University, the Computer Science department admits just 5% of its 6,000+ undergraduate applicants. And a recent major survey found over 200% undergraduate enrollment growth across all Computer Science departments in North America.

自20世纪80年代的“计算机革命”以来，计算机科学还没有如此备受新闻届关注。例如，麻省理工学院将于今年秋季推出 Stephen A. Schwarzman（史蒂芬·艾伦·施瓦茨曼）计算机学院，这是自20世纪50年代以来该大学历史上最大的变化。

在卡内基梅隆大学，有6000多人申请计算机科学系的本科，而最终仅录取了5％。最近的一项重大调查发现，北美所有计算机科学系的本科生入学人数增长超过200％。

Why, you ask? In one way, it’s pretty simple: computing -- whether it’s the Internet, your iPhone, or artificial intelligence -- has become as much a part of our lives as the air we breath. MIT President L. Rafael Reif says it best: “As computing reshapes our world...we are reshaping MIT.” Indeed, this can be easily seen in job data: The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 20-25% increase in computer science research jobs, such as software engineers and developers, between 2016 and 2026. One study found that there are over 500,000 computing jobs unfilled in the United States today, yet less than 50,000 computer studies graduates each year.

你问为什么？从某种意义上说，它非常简单：计算——无论是互联网，你的iPhone，还是人工智能已经成为我们生活中的一部分，就像我们呼吸的空气一样。麻省理工学院校长L. Rafael Reif（雷欧·拉斐尔·莱夫）说得很棒：“随着计算重塑我们的世界……我们正在重塑麻省理工学院。”

事实上，这点在就业数据中很容易体现：2016年-2026间，美国劳工统计局预计将增加20%-25％计算机科学研究相关的工作机会，如软件工程师和开发人员。一项研究发现，目前美国有超过500,000个计算机专业相关的岗位空缺，但每年只有不到50,000名计算机专业的毕业生。

It therefore seems like a slam dunk: major in Computer Science! Starting salaries in the US are around $65,000 and quickly climb above $100,000. And if you’re really good, company offers for software engineers can seem like bidding wars for a top striker in England’s Premier League.

因此这似乎是一个鱼跃龙门的机会：计算机科学专业在美国的起薪约为65,000美元，很快就会超过10万美元。 如果你真的很优秀，公司为软件工程师提供待遇可以和英格兰足球超级联赛中顶级前锋的竞价大战媲美。

So what should you do in high school to prepare? Most importantly, figure out if this is what you’re really interested in by taking an Advanced Placement class in Computer Science, whether that’s “AP Computer Science Principles” or “AP Computer Science A.” Either will help you figure out if that’s really what you want to major in. And if it is, make sure to take the AP test! Colleges look carefully at that.

那么, 你在高中的时候应该做什么准备呢？最重要的一点, 通过参加计算机科学高级入学课程——无论是 "AP 计算机科学原理" 还是 "AP 计算机科学A", 你都要弄清楚这是否是你真正感兴趣的。而这两者都会帮助你找出这是否真的是你想主修的。如果是, 一定要参加AP测试! 大学很重视这部分。

Also, learn a programming language. This could be through your high school course, online through a MOOC (check out EdX, which has many such courses), through a “coding bootcamp,” or on your own. C++, HTML, and Python are common ones. (MIT - where I was an undergraduate -- encourages students to take a computer language as your “foreign language” requirement!) Finally, try to take the entire calculus sequence (AB and BC) by the end of high school. Most top computer science departments highly recommend or require this.

此外, 学习一种编程语言。你可以在你的高中课程中学习, 或者在 MOOC 上学习 (搜索一下 EdX, 它有许多这样的课程), 或者通过 "编码训练营", 再或者自学。C++、HTML 和 Python 是常见的几种。(我在麻省理工念本科的时候，学校会要求学生把电脑语言作为你的 "外语" !)。

最后, 尝试在高中结束前修完整个微积分序列 (AB 和 BC)。大多数顶尖计算机科学部门都强烈推荐或要求这样做。

On a deeper level, computer science (like any field) has many layers, so do some research. Read a book (“Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” is great, as was the recent biography of Steve Jobs), job shadow someone in the field, or participate in a hackathon. What you’re really after is better understanding how computer science works in the real world, which is extremely different from how it is usually taught.

在更深层次上, 计算机科学 (和任何领域一样) 有许多层面, 所以你可以做一些研究。阅读一本书 (《生命 3.0: 人工智能时代的人类》很棒, 史蒂夫·乔布斯最近的传记也不错), 体验这个领域的工作或者参加编程马拉松。你真正追求的是更好地了解计算机科学在现实世界中的工作方式, 这与通常的教学方式有很大的不同。

As Alison Miller, the Vice President at Oracle says, most computer science courses “overlook opportunities to teach collaborative software development and help students develop critical professional skills.” “Professional software engineers,” she says, “almost always start with someone else’s code and work collaboratively in large groups to modify, improve and correct that code...It’s common for software development groups to include people from different countries, in different time zones. Working effectively requires team members to communicate well in different languages and across different cultures.” The key to success has as much to do with communication and collaboration as it does with coding. That’s a really important lesson to learn.

正如甲骨文副总裁艾莉森·米勒 (Alison Miller) 所说, 大多数计算机科学课程 "忽视了教授协作软件开发和帮助学生发展关键专业技能的机会"。"专业的软件工程师," 她说, "几乎总是从别人的代码开始, 并在大型小组中协同工作, 以修改、改进和纠正该代码…..。

软件开发小组的人员通常会将来自不同国家、不同时区。有效工作需要团队成员以不同的语言和不同的文化进行良好的沟通。沟通、协作和编码一样重要都是成功的关键因素。这是非常重要的一课。

All of this may be great advice if you know exactly that this is what you want to do. But what if you’re not sure, like the vast majority of high school students who may have some interest in computing but are not quite ready to jump into a major that requires you to learn everything from machine theory to software engineering to hardware design to artificial intelligence and take required courses such as “Object-Oriented Programming” and “Discrete Mathematics.”

如果你明确地知道这就是你想做的事情, 以上这些都可能是很好的建议。但是, 如果你不确定, 像绝大多数高中生, 可能对计算有一些兴趣, 但还没有完全准备好进入一个专业，所有都需要学习，从机器理论, 软件工程, 硬件设计人工智能, 到参加所需的课程, 如 "面向对象的编程" 和 "离散数学"。

The first thing I would say is “don’t worry, you’re not alone.” Close to 40% of all undergraduate students drop out of the Computer Science major after the first introductory course. At one university I know, over 400 students start in the major, yet less than 20 graduate each year. This is not just because Computer Science is hard. It’s because most students don’t really understand what they are getting into until they take that first course.

我首先要说的是 "不用担心, 你并不孤单"。近40% 的本科生在第一门入门课程结束后退出计算机科学专业。我知道有一所大学, 有400多名学生开始攻读该专业, 但每年毕业的学生不到20人。这不仅是因为计算机专业课程很难，还有因为大多数学生在上第一门课之前, 并不真正了解自己在做什么。

Second, there are many roads to get to your destination. I mean two things by this: tech companies are actually interested in hiring more than just Computer Science majors. In fact, ideal candidates are those that have “T-shaped” skills: they have deep knowledge in a specific area (the vertical stroke) and the ability to collaborate and stretch across multiple projects and fields (the horizontal stroke). Additionally, there are lots of places where you can get a great education in Computer Science. I reviewed multiple “top 5” lists, and they were all different. One included the US Naval Academy, the University of Michigan, and UNC-Chapel Hill; another had MIT, Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon University; a third list had Harvey Mudd College, the Stevens Institute of Technology, and Harvard. What does all this mean? It means that there are lots of great programs out there above and beyond the few that everyone knows and talks about.

其次, 通向你的目的地的路有很多条。我指的是两件事: 科技公司实际上招聘的不仅仅是计算机科学专业的学生。事实上, 理想的候选人是那些拥有 “T 形" 技能的人: 他们在特定领域 (垂直方向) 有深厚的知识, 并有能力在多个项目和领域 (水平方向) 进行协作和扩展。

此外, 还有很多地方可以让你接受很好的计算机科学教育。我查看了多个 "前 5名" 录取名单, 他们（的学校）都不一样。

其中包括美国海军学院、密歇根大学和联合国教堂山;另一个是麻省理工学院、斯坦福大学和卡内基梅隆大学;第三份名单是哈维·穆德学院、史蒂文斯理工学院和哈佛大学。这一切意味着什么？这意味着, 除了每个人都知道和谈论的那条路, 还有很多很棒的项目（可以帮你实现）。

So what should a high school student do who may be interested in Computer Science? I have three suggestions.

那么,一个对计算机科学可能感兴趣的高中生应该做什么呢？我有三个建议。

01

Double Major 双学位

Computing -- whether it’s cryptography, IT management, or web design -- requires understanding a broad range of subjects. Getting a double major allows students to expand their knowledge. A second major could be related (such as Mathematics or Electrical Engineering) or completely different (such as Political Science or History). The key is that a double major helps better prepare students for the long-term.

计算--无论是密码学、IT 管理还是网页设计--都需要了解广泛的知识。获得双学位可以让学生扩大他们的知识面。第二专业可以是相关的 (如数学或电气工程), 也可以是完全不同的 (如政治学或历史)。关键是双专业有助于学生更好地做好长期准备。

02

Minor in Computer Science 辅修计算机科学专业

In the end, Computer Science isn’t really about computers. It’s about how we use technology. And technology is everywhere - from how athletes train to how we help the elderly to how we reduce global warming to how we shop online. So you don’t really need to major in Computer Science to work in a field that integrates technology. Majoring in Economics or Environmental Studies, for example, with a minor in Computer Science can be incredibly powerful.

最终, 计算机科学并不是真正意义上的计算机。这关系到我们如何使用技术。而技术无处不在--从运动员如何训练, 到我们如何帮助老年人, 再到我们如何减少全球变暖, 再到我们如何在网上购物。所以你真的不需要主修计算机科学就能在一个集成技术的领域工作。例如, 主修经济学或环境研究, 辅修计算机科学专业的学生可以非常强大。

03

Create your own interdisciplinary major创建自己的跨学科专业

Maria Klawe, the President of Harvey Mudd College, recently said that many of the jobs we see today “are just going to disappear” within the next few decades due technological advances, and therefore, “interdisciplinary education is more important than ever.” It is becoming more and more common for undergraduates to build their own majors, combining courses from across multiple departments. While this certainly takes more work, students can graduate with incredibly powerful degrees that combine Computer Science with other topics they care and are passionate about.

哈维·穆德学院院长玛丽亚·克拉维最近表示, 由于技术的进步, 我们今天看到的许多工作 "即将消失", 因此, “跨学科教育比以往任何时候都更加重要”。越来越多的大学生通过结合多个部门的课程建立起自己的专业, 虽然这的确需要更多的努力, 但学生毕业时却能拥有的十分有竞争力的学位——结合了计算机科学与他们关心和热爱的其他专业。

In the end, I think of Computer Science this way: you absolutely need to understand it and be exposed to it even if you do not end up majoring in it or making a career out of it. We live in a technologically-connected world and we must, as MIT’s President said, understand what shapes us if we are to shape our world

最后, 我这样看待计算机科学: 你绝对需要理解它, 并接触它, 即使你最终不主修它或通过它找工作。我们生活在一个技术相连的世界里, 正如麻省理工学院主席所说, 如果我们要塑造我们的世界, 我们必须了解是什么塑造了我们。