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I'm a high school student. What classes should I take to prepare me for majoring in computer science in college?

I'm a high school student, 11th grade. I'm currently taking Ap computer Science principles. #computer-science

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Allen’s Answer

First off, I want you to know that no matter the college, they do not expect you to know any computer science going into it. While showing intrigue and enthusiasm for the subject will definitely help you stand out, most professors of first-years assume that if an incoming freshman has experience, it will not be best practice, and therefore even if you do know a good amount you will need to start from the ground up.

This being said, aim for any class that involves problem solving that interests you. Math is the obvious genre that comes to mind, and within Math I would encourage you to go for statistics and calculus. Most colleges will require you to take both eventually so it will be a good start to get familiar with it early. Aside from math, you can also look for elective classes such as computer programming or AP Computer Science if your school has it, or really any science course that doesn't rely only on memorization and flexes your problem solving muscles.

Additionally, I would encourage you to check out free computer science courses online. There are TONS of them and you can almost learn anything you want. Do not pay for education yet. Take free courses that sound interesting and then once you see what is out there you can start specializing. So much information to be learned out there!
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Eleanor’s Answer

Hi Yuyan! Since you mentioned AP Computer Science, I'm going to assume that you've already completed Statistics at some level, but if for some reason you have not, I would make that a priority. Additionally, if you can take any type of logic and reasoning class (or find a book that you can learn on your own time), I would do that. Lastly, and this might sound off the wall, but a systems architect I know who has hired teams of programmers swears that the folks who could read music were the most successful programmers. Good luck!
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Trajon’s Answer

You're already in a good first step, taking AP courses saves you money from taking introductory courses in college. In my opinion if you can, I would look at local community colleges in your area to see if they offer any beginner level courses in web development. Although this may not be the field you want to move into, in my opinion it is one of the easiest ways to get solid grounds to building out a real portfolio of projects beyond simple command line operations.

Beyond that, I would highly recommend looking up what exactly it is you want to do career wise or what umbrella you want to program under (Data science, Web, AI, etc), and look up the relevant technologies in your area of what people are currently using in the industry and learn those skills on your own. College is really good for being able to network you with peers that can get you opportunities, however it is also very likely that you may not learn the exact technologies you need when you want to get a job in the field for whatever it is you want to do.
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Taylor’s Answer

Besides taking AP Computer Science Principles, I think taking as many math classes as you can will also help. Most colleges require you to take at least up to Calculus II for computer science, so getting as ahead as possible is probably a good idea.

Outside of classes, I think it's important to look online and see what aspects of computer science interest you the most. Do little projects in your free time and learn through experience.
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