python university search

Rocco Moretti roccomoretti at hotpop.com
Mon Dec 5 10:17:20 EST 2005


josh wrote:
> 
> hello,
> 
> i am interested in doing an undergraduate major in computer science
> that mainly focuses on python as a programming language..

It's your life, so you can live it as you choose, but I think you're 
missing the point of an undergraduate education if you focus too much on 
  Python programming at this point.

Undergraduate education is (should be) about breadth. Python has a place 
there, but it isn't the be-all, end-all. There are some concepts for 
which Python isn't well suited in teaching (functional programing, logic 
programing, operating system programing, etc.). I'd hope that you go to 
a high-quality University that understands this, and teaches *concepts*, 
not programing languages.

In the long run, it will (likely) be better for you to go to a 
University where they don't even use Python, but solidly teach concepts, 
rather than one that's so into Python that they neglect topics that are 
taught poorly in Python.

Even if you never use Python as an undergraduate, if you have a good 
grounding in the fundamental concepts, it should be (relatively) easy 
for you to take what you've learned in (scheme/ML/prolog/assembly/forth) 
and apply it to Python. You'll have plenty of time to specialize on 
Python as a graduate student/young professional.

Just my two cents.



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