1st semester 2021 (Fall 2021) at the University of London

I’ve finished 1st semester 2021 (Fall 2021) at the University of London, BSc Computer Science.

I finished my final exam for Discrete Mathematics (DM), and I submitted my final work for Introduction to Programming I (ITP1).

Background:

• I had a bachelor’s degree in law, and I had quite a low GPA.
• I’ve worked as a software engineer for over 15 years.
• I joined uni with performance-based admission (PBA) https://london.ac.uk/courses/computer-science

My conclusion:

• I expected the uni too much.
• I will continue for several semesters here in UoL.
• I need to improve my English, mathematics, data structure, and algorithm.
• Then if I keep my motivation, I will jump to MS in Computer Science without completing UoL.

Pros:

• It’s my first time finishing my semester. I failed it a lot of times on edx, coursera, etc.
• I had a negative feeling about my mathematics, but I can finish DM.
• I learned about an online university.
• Some of the students discussed advanced degrees on slack. It’s very helpful.
• Some students (or TA?) gave me a good suggestion when I got struggling.

Cons:

• Too slow response for the messages. I didn’t have that yet, but many students complained about it on slack.
• PBA students need to get 80% or above on DM and ITP1 on a mid-term exam for continuing courses. I had a mid-term exam in mid-Jan. Unfortunately, I haven’t received the result yet on Mar 13. The deadline for application for the spring semester will be on Mar 20. Hahahaha. They will extend the deadline.
• Too slow response for transcripts. I knew it on slack.
  They don’t want to give online students a letter of recommendation. (So, how do we join MS?)
• The quality of materials depends on the lecturer.
• There were a lot of typos on the final exam, and they didn’t have any response.
• They don’t have enough motivation for online students.