Challenging Myself with University Computer Science as a High School Student
- Tom McKinley
- Aug 30
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 3
Looking back, I’m proud of how far I’ve come. In the fall of 2023, while still only a high school sophomore, I took on the challenge of enrolling in college-level freshman courses. Since then, I’ve built a steady track record of tackling tough courses head-on and proving that I can succeed at the college level while still in high school:
CS 1100: Computer Science and Its Applications ( A ) — My very first college course as a high school sophomore. It introduced me to the breadth of computer science, and I finished with top marks.
CS 1101: Lab for CS 1101 ( A ) — A hands-on companion to CS 1100, where I got to apply what I learned and sharpen my problem-solving.
CS 1800: Discrete Structures ( B+ ) — My first true taste of theoretical computer science. It was tough, but I pushed through and proved I could handle abstract, proof-based thinking.
CS 1802: Seminar for CS 1800 ( B+ ) — A smaller discussion-based course that deepened my understanding of discrete math concepts.
DS 3000: Foundations of Data Science ( A- ) — Jumping ahead to a junior-level course, I explored real-world data analysis and machine learning foundations, coming away with a strong grade.
CS 3200: Introduction to Databases ( C ) — My first step into databases. The grading was notoriously strict, with class averages in the 70s, but I held my ground and came out the average score of a junior-level university course.
CS 3520: Programming in C++ ( A ) — This junior course was both challenging and engaging, exploring low-level programming in depth, where I mastered memory management, object-oriented design, and efficiency. This became one of my proudest achievements.
Every one of these courses pushed me in a different way—sometimes it was wrestling with abstract theory, other times it was figuring out how to write cleaner, faster code, or even building something practical from scratch. Looking back, it feels pretty amazing to see how I’ve gone from college freshman-level basics all the way up to college junior-level challenges while still in high school. And honestly, I’m not done yet—I can’t wait to see where the next step takes me.
