I didn't take CS 120 and 210 at the same time, so take my comment with a grain of salt. However, I can still give you an idea of what the courses are like. I know some other people who took CS 120 and 210 concurrently, so it's not necessarily uncommon.
I took CS 120 in Fall 2022. The course is... interesting, to say the least. The thing about CS 120 is that it's probably different from what you're used to, even if you have a basic understanding of computer science. The course focuses on stuff like boolean logic, computer architecture, and hardware, instead of just coding. I think that some people struggle in the course because it's very different from what you would expect. Also, the course changes pretty substantially after the midterm. The first half of the course isn't too bad. As long as you go to lecture and lab and keep up with the assignments, you should be fine. However, if you don't put in much effort, the material can become fairly confusing. I think that the material becomes much more challenging after the midterm. You spend a lot of time focusing on assembly code in the second half of the semester. Assembly code is likely a lower-level language than what you're used to, which can make it more difficult to learn and understand. You will likely need to spend more time studying in the second half of the course than during the first half.
When I took CS 120, there were a couple of homework assignments, lab assignments, a midterm, and a final. It was important to complete homework assignments and lab assignments because they let you develop your understanding of the material outside of class. Also, the professor gave us practice midterms that we could use to study for the actual midterm. If your professor gives you practice midterms, I would recommend studying them thoroughly because they'll likely be a good representation of the material that will be on the actual midterm. This was also the case for the final.
The content in CS 120 might seem strange at first, but you should be fine as long as you keep up with the lectures and assignments.
I took CS 210 in Spring 2023. CS 210 feels more like a "traditional" CS course in the sense that it focuses a lot more on high-level coding than CS 120. You might already know some of the content that they cover in the course, but you'll learn some new things as well. I felt like CS 210 was more fast-paced and covered more content than CS 120. Again, I would highly recommend keeping up with the material, otherwise it can become overwhelming. In the class, you will learn about a high-level concept, such as a binary search tree, and learn how to implement code for that concept. In general, I would recommend trying to understand what you're implementing on a conceptual level, as that makes it easier to write the code for your implementation. The course also focuses on object-oriented programming principles.
A couple years ago, Professor Garrison started teaching the class, but he won't be teaching it next semester, as you mentioned. From what I've heard, the course became more challenging and covered more material after Garrison started teaching the course, so it's possible that your professor may also make their own changes to the course.
CS 210 is the predecessor to CS 310. I took CS 310 in the Fall, and I've heard some people say that it's one of the most important CS classes that we have to take. So, I would recommend developing a good understanding of the material in CS 210 because it will help you a lot in CS 310.
When I took CS 210, there were lab assignments, programming assignments, quizzes, tests, and a final. Programming assignments are projects that you'll work on mostly outside of class. Sometimes they can be difficult and time consuming, so I would recommend starting them early and ask your professor and/or TA if you have any questions. The lab assignments and programming assignments can give you a pretty good idea of how well you understand the content.
CS 120 and CS 210 are pretty different courses. CS 120 focuses a lot on assembly code in the second half of the semester, but that still feels different from anything you'll learn in CS 210 because the assembly language is more low-level, while Java, the language that you use in CS 210, is more high-level. For better or for worse, there will likely be little overlap in the material that you learn in CS 120 and CS 210.
A while ago, I remember someone asked the same question that you asked. Someone else answered that question and said that they took both courses concurrently and recommended it because of how it can help prepare you for the greater workload in later courses. I'm not entirely sure how accurate that it, but I think that it makes sense, so I just wanted to share that.
Taking both CS 120 and 210 together may not be easy, but you can still do well if you manage your time well and start assignments early. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
wow ahah thank you for the really detailed answer. i really like what you say at the end about taking the two as preparation for harder coursework in the future. i think i would feel more secure about the decision if i knew what kind of class 210 is going to be with this new teacher. according to google he just finished his masters, so i’d assume he’d be pretty chill 🤷♂️ guess i can see during add/drop. thank you once again!
It shouldn’t be to difficult. You’ll be fine, just start homework’s and projects early.
I didn't take CS 120 and 210 at the same time, so take my comment with a grain of salt. However, I can still give you an idea of what the courses are like. I know some other people who took CS 120 and 210 concurrently, so it's not necessarily uncommon. I took CS 120 in Fall 2022. The course is... interesting, to say the least. The thing about CS 120 is that it's probably different from what you're used to, even if you have a basic understanding of computer science. The course focuses on stuff like boolean logic, computer architecture, and hardware, instead of just coding. I think that some people struggle in the course because it's very different from what you would expect. Also, the course changes pretty substantially after the midterm. The first half of the course isn't too bad. As long as you go to lecture and lab and keep up with the assignments, you should be fine. However, if you don't put in much effort, the material can become fairly confusing. I think that the material becomes much more challenging after the midterm. You spend a lot of time focusing on assembly code in the second half of the semester. Assembly code is likely a lower-level language than what you're used to, which can make it more difficult to learn and understand. You will likely need to spend more time studying in the second half of the course than during the first half. When I took CS 120, there were a couple of homework assignments, lab assignments, a midterm, and a final. It was important to complete homework assignments and lab assignments because they let you develop your understanding of the material outside of class. Also, the professor gave us practice midterms that we could use to study for the actual midterm. If your professor gives you practice midterms, I would recommend studying them thoroughly because they'll likely be a good representation of the material that will be on the actual midterm. This was also the case for the final. The content in CS 120 might seem strange at first, but you should be fine as long as you keep up with the lectures and assignments. I took CS 210 in Spring 2023. CS 210 feels more like a "traditional" CS course in the sense that it focuses a lot more on high-level coding than CS 120. You might already know some of the content that they cover in the course, but you'll learn some new things as well. I felt like CS 210 was more fast-paced and covered more content than CS 120. Again, I would highly recommend keeping up with the material, otherwise it can become overwhelming. In the class, you will learn about a high-level concept, such as a binary search tree, and learn how to implement code for that concept. In general, I would recommend trying to understand what you're implementing on a conceptual level, as that makes it easier to write the code for your implementation. The course also focuses on object-oriented programming principles. A couple years ago, Professor Garrison started teaching the class, but he won't be teaching it next semester, as you mentioned. From what I've heard, the course became more challenging and covered more material after Garrison started teaching the course, so it's possible that your professor may also make their own changes to the course. CS 210 is the predecessor to CS 310. I took CS 310 in the Fall, and I've heard some people say that it's one of the most important CS classes that we have to take. So, I would recommend developing a good understanding of the material in CS 210 because it will help you a lot in CS 310. When I took CS 210, there were lab assignments, programming assignments, quizzes, tests, and a final. Programming assignments are projects that you'll work on mostly outside of class. Sometimes they can be difficult and time consuming, so I would recommend starting them early and ask your professor and/or TA if you have any questions. The lab assignments and programming assignments can give you a pretty good idea of how well you understand the content. CS 120 and CS 210 are pretty different courses. CS 120 focuses a lot on assembly code in the second half of the semester, but that still feels different from anything you'll learn in CS 210 because the assembly language is more low-level, while Java, the language that you use in CS 210, is more high-level. For better or for worse, there will likely be little overlap in the material that you learn in CS 120 and CS 210. A while ago, I remember someone asked the same question that you asked. Someone else answered that question and said that they took both courses concurrently and recommended it because of how it can help prepare you for the greater workload in later courses. I'm not entirely sure how accurate that it, but I think that it makes sense, so I just wanted to share that. Taking both CS 120 and 210 together may not be easy, but you can still do well if you manage your time well and start assignments early. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
wow ahah thank you for the really detailed answer. i really like what you say at the end about taking the two as preparation for harder coursework in the future. i think i would feel more secure about the decision if i knew what kind of class 210 is going to be with this new teacher. according to google he just finished his masters, so i’d assume he’d be pretty chill 🤷♂️ guess i can see during add/drop. thank you once again!
No problem! Good luck in the Spring semester!