COMP At Rice: Computer science majors talk ups and downs of Rice computing
Rice’s computer science department has unleashed a number of changes this year, introducing COMP 222 and 312 this semester and planning for an AI major in fall 2025.
Debuted in fall 2024, COMP 222, Introduction to Computer Organization, introduces students to low-level computer processes and how such programs function.
Over the summer, Marty Brandwein assisted computer science professor Alan Cox in developing the course curriculum for COMP 222.
“[COMP 222] is replacing ELEC 220, which was known to be very easy and passable, even if you didn't get the information, which I think the COMP department realized,” said Brandwein, a Will Rice College junior.
As a TA for COMP 222, Brandwein said that students faced many challenges and recommended that COMP 215 become a recommended prerequisite for 222 in future semesters.
“The biggest challenge for a lot of students at my office hours was the jump from super abstract computer science ideas to very concrete, low-level concepts, such as dealing with memory and different languages,” Brandwein said. “Knowing a little bit of Java [from 215] makes the transition from Python to C and assembly easier.”
Student reviews on the course are mixed. Omar Siman said they enjoyed the lectures and learning from labs, but that the content did not relate well to test material.
“We spent a lot of time doing this Bomb Lab exercise, which, although it was fun, didn't really feel like it was going along with what we were learning in class at the time,” said Siman, a Hanszen College sophomore.
COMP 321 was restructured this semester, as sections of COMP 222 covered the previous curriculum. Additionally, COMP 312 — Intro to Programming Languages — was added to replace COMP 411/412 and is taught by computer science professor Rebecca Schreib.
Comparing these two classes, Sara Davies said she saw a stark difference in their instruction. She said that while Schreib provided interactive lectures and in-depth answers to questions, COMP 321 still hasn’t returned any homework assignments to her.
“I think that anyone you ask would agree that COMP 321’s disorganized, which I think is unfortunate, because Dr. Schreib is able to make an entire class have all the assignments work really well,” said Davies, a McMurtry College sophomore. “I really don't see why three professors can't take an existing class, modify it slightly and make sure that they have working assignments, right?
“I think this just in general … how much money am I spending on this? It's so much money, just for it to be really disorganized, it makes me kind of upset,” Davies continued.
COMP 182 also has adjusted its curriculum, removing dynamic programming, an approach that works backwards by breaking complex problems down into smaller solutions. Computer science professor Tasos Kyrillidis said that dynamic programming is better suited for other, more advanced courses.
“Dynamic programming, in particular, finds a more natural home in COMP 382, where it can be covered with greater depth and context,” Kyrillidis wrote in an email to the Thresher. “This approach reflects a broader initiative within Rice CS to optimize content delivery across our curriculum.”
Despite computer science programs being one of the top feeders to tech jobs, computer science students at Rice are having more difficulty obtaining career opportunities.
Ian Rundle said that he’s seen the industry grow more competitive, even with research opportunities abound at Rice.
“I feel like for my entire time here at Rice, I think it's definitely gotten harder to find internships, and actually just to find jobs in CS in general,” said Rundle, a Jones College senior.
Reflecting upon her experience at Rice, Maggie Simmons said she appreciates the myriad research opportunities given to undergraduates.
“I feel like at Rice, it's pretty easy to get research experience,” said Simmons, a McMurtry College senior. “You just go to office hours, show interest, and then, more often than not, they're happy to have someone just working in the lab, just an undergraduate research assistant.”
For freshmen and sophomores, opportunities are more difficult to obtain. At Rice’s spring job fair, Max Loffgren said there was a distinct lack of internships available to him.
“I realized that it's very hard to be a freshman in computer science, and a lot of it is based on your age,” said Loffgren, a Will Rice College freshman. “They do not value your projects. They value your age, and they want to hire you right after college … I think a lot of it is just a waiting game.”
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