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[ConfusingJazz]

Sign up for a basic logic class. If you don't like it, don't go into computer science.

Its math, but probably not any sort of math you have ever taken before.

 

[jvalioli]

Some people are getting confused because some CS classes are actually math classes even if the title of the class doesn't seem like it.

I agree with giving math another chance.

 

[Zaptruder]

You probably hate maths because the people and materials teaching it to you have sucked.

Try a few online learning resources before you call it quits.

http://www.khanacademy.org/

to review the fundamentals and then some - good videos that give good lectures, as well as a powerful exercise answering system that'll help ground what you learn into practice and mastery.

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/

Some higher level mathematics once you've shored up the more basic stuff.

 

[onken]

I did electrical engineering with computing. The actual maths modules were engineering maths 1 & 2 but they were really just primers for stuff we'd use in other modules (transistor theory, DSP etc.) Basically it was 70-80% maths and I had to get my get my shit together real quick. Not sure how similar that is to a CS degree though.

 

[ToxicAdam]

I would recommend against doing it. I have rarely met someone that has 'willed themselves' into being proficient at higher level math. If you don't have a solid base (taught in high school) to build upon, you are going to find yourself over your head very quickly.

If you do want to commit, I recommend looking into math tutoring simutaneously to help reinforce the ideas you are learning in class.

 

[AbortedWalrusFetus]

I found that my aversion and dislike for math mostly stemmed from the fact that I had had terrible math teachers in high school, and that I never did my homework. When I got to college and had good math professors, and studied and did the coursework I found two things out. Math wasn't as hard as I thought it was. Math can be interesting and very satisfying.

Now, that's not to say I didn't have to work at it. I would do a few of the assigned problems from each lesson, but more importantly, starting two or three days before the exam I would do every single assigned problem for the material leading up to that exam. I did this and got As in every single math class I took (aside from the one course I DIDN'T do this for, statistics).

There is also the math that is more directly related to computer science. Discrete Mathematics. This will be unlike any math you have ever taken in many ways, but it also feels more more tangible. This is more akin to the things you actually do in computer science every day.

Also, if math is really not your forte, look into what your university requires. My university only required up to Business Calculus (basically calculus without trigonometry). That's what I took and it was a breeze. I actually wanted to take regular calculus, but due to scheduling constraints it was business calc or not graduating on time for me. I've been going back over the time since college and doing it on Khan Academy and the like though, just to stay on top of it.

In my day to day life I don't do THAT much math. Some statistical stuff, some linear algebra, some trig and that's about it. I guess you can count constructing mathematical formulas into computer code as "math" but it's really not that much. A lot of whether or not you'll heavily use math in your career as a computer scientist really depends on your area of focus. I am in the maritime domain and I do stuff with GIS so I use the trig and linear algebra due to that. A lot of it I hate to teach myself because they don't really teach you non-euclidean geometry much in formal classes.

All in all, it's worth it. Try it out, work hard at math, and you might find you like it.

 

[Hari Seldon]

I did electrical engineering with computing. The actual maths modules were engineering maths 1 & 2 but they were really just primers for stuff we'd use in other modules (transistor theory, DSP etc.) Basically it was 70-80% maths and I had to get my get my shit together real quick. Not sure how similar that is to a CS degree though.

CS is a lot more number theory while EE is a lot more transforms and calculus. CS is "lighter" in the respect that unless you go to grad school you will never have to deal with the shit an EE has to deal with if he goes into Emag or deep into Signal Processing.

 

[pompidu]

Stick to cis. I moved to that from CS since I needed to do Calculus 3 before I was able to finish community college and move to a University. CIS will do the same amount of programming as CS depending on the college.

 

[Tomat]

Do you straight up hate math, or are you afraid of it?

I used to think I was the former, but now I know I'm the latter. I'm a CompSci major taking Calculus for the first time right now and things are good so far. There are times when Math can frustrate the hell out of me, but once it clicks for me, excelling at it is one of the most satisfying feelings IMO.

I was terrified of Calculus about 3 or 4 weeks ago, but now I'm feeling pretty comfortable with what we've learned so far and I'm not afraid to press on. That doesn't mean I take it lightly and brush it off, just that I know I can do it so as long as I actually take time to study. Also, I don't always understand concepts the first time my professor goes through them, but that is why you have to study.

Once you start to understand the concepts of what your math teacher is lecturing about each problem becomes a small little puzzle. Just apply your rules and you'll eventually get through it. (tl;dr: I'm not math savant, but put in a reasonable amount of study time and you can do it.)

As for CompSci as a whole I can't really comment since I'm just now taking my first CS class (enjoying it quite a bit so far, doesn't really feel like school work). We're studying programming and C++. I do know that CompSci is more than just programming though.