# Preparing to study undergraduate computer science

**Source**: https://www.york.ac.uk/computer-science/study/undergraduate/preparing-to-study/
**Parent**: https://www.york.ac.uk/computer-science/study/undergraduate/

Everything you want to know to prepare for undergraduate study in the Department of Computer Science

To help you make the transition to university, we've put together some resources which we hope you will find useful, including links to free courses, tips on brushing up your skills and some recommended reading.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns8tA-OHdVg>

## Free online courses

Get a taste of studying computer science at university level and discover the fundamental theory and techniques of machine learning. 

- [Intelligent systems](https://www.york.ac.uk/study/moocs/intelligent-systems/)

Explore what higher education is all about. Get tips for making the most of your university life.

- [Next steps to university](https://www.york.ac.uk/study/moocs/next-steps-university/)

## Talks and presentations

Watch these videos for an introduction to some fundamental concepts and issues facing computer scientists today.

Video

### [The Inside Story of ChatGPT’s Astonishing Potential](#uoy_modal_youtube_embed_1097010_1)

Greg Brockman, TED 2023

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_78DM8fG6E>

Video

### [The Dangers of Artificial Intelligence](#uoy_modal_youtube_embed_1097010_2)

Stuart Russell on AI risk, 2019

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B3Wn6Wo5CU>

Video

### [How Computer Science Made Me Brave](#uoy_modal_youtube_embed_1097010_3)

Madeline Griswold, TEDxBrownU 2019

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ1ehJqXor0>

Video

### [The Five Laws of Cybersecurity](#uoy_modal_youtube_embed_1097010_4)

Nick Espinosa, TEDxFondduLac 2018

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nVq7f26-Uo>

Optional reading list

When you arrive, you'll receive recommended reading for each module that you'll be studying. You should be able to borrow these books from the University Library.

- Nick Bostrom - Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies. Oxford University Press, 2014, 2016 (reprint).
- J. Glenn Brookshear - Computer Science: An Overview. Pearson, Thirteenth edition, 2019.
- Brian Christian - Algorithms to live by: The Computer Science of Human Decisions. William Collins, Twelfth edition, 2017.
- Alan Clements - Principles of Computer Hardware. Oxford University Press, Fourth edition, 2006.
- Stella Cottrell - The Study Skills Handbook. Bloomsbury Academic, Sixth edition, 2024.
- Allen B. Downey - Think Python: How to think like a Computer Scientist. O'Reilly Media, Third edition, 2024.
- Hannah Fry - Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine. Black Swan, 2019.
- David Harel & Yishai Feldman - Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing. Springer, Third edition, 1987, 2014 (reprint).
- Steve Krug - Don’t make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. New Riders, Third edition, 2014.
- Stuart Russell - Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control. Penguin, 2020.

Improve your skills

If you're looking to brush up on your maths and programming skills over the summer, these handy links are a great place to start. The suggested reading is there to give you a taste of what you will be learning; it's not a requirement, just a way for you to get a head start and explore your interests in computer science.

#### Mathematics

- [A Level Maths Revision](https://alevelmathsrevision.com/ "A Level Maths Revision") - a great resource with tutorial videos and past A level papers for both mathematics and further mathematics.
- [Project Euler](https://projecteuler.net/ "Project Euler") - free to use, Project Euler offers a range of mathematical and computer programming problems.
- [MIT Mathematics open courses](https://ocw.mit.edu/search/?d=Mathematics "MIT Mathematics") - a fantastic range of courses at undergraduate and graduate levels.

#### Programming

- [Codecademy](https://www.codecademy.com/ "Codecademy") - if you're not sure where to begin, Codecademy takes you through the fundamentals of computer science, with opportunities to put your learning into practice.
- [LearnPython.org](https://www.learnpython.org/ "LearnPython.org") and [learn-c.org](https://www.learn-c.org/ "Learn-c.org") - free, interactive tutorials which guide you through programming, from learning the fundamentals through to more advanced concepts.
- [Codewars](https://www.codewars.com/ "Codewars") - combines programming and competition in order to hone your programming skills.

Advice about computers

The Department has three dedicated software labs which are available to our students 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our lab PCs are set up with all the software needed for teaching and assessments, and we upgrade them regularly.\
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​Many students have their own PCs or laptops​ ​​and we know students may prefer to use their own machines. ​​Some find laptops more practical; others prefer to have a desktop PC – the choice is yours.\
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To support your studies in the Department of Computer Science, a laptop or PC with at least 500GB hard disk is ideal, as it enables you to dual boot Windows and Linux if you wish​. ​8GB RAM is a minimum and i3 ​is ​the minimum processor to go for. We recommend an SSD as the performance will be much better.\
\
For day-to-day university work, an entry-level Intel x86-64 laptop as described in the [advice](https://www.york.ac.uk/it-services/tools/computers-printing-equipment/personal-purchases/minimum-spec-students/) on the University's web pages is fine. If you want something more powerful, then you could consider something with a [CUDA-capable GPU](https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-gpus) which you can use to experiment with AI models, but this is not essential.

#### Purchasing your computer

- [Further information about the recommended PC specification for taught students](https://www.york.ac.uk/it-services/tools/computers-printing-equipment/personal-purchases/minimum-spec-students/)
- [Student discounts and preferred suppliers](https://www.york.ac.uk/it-services/tools/computers-printing-equipment/personal-purchases/)

## Contact us

- [cs-ug-admissions@york.ac.uk](mailto:cs-ug-admissions@york.ac.uk)
- [+44 (0)1904 328221](tel:+441904 328221)