CS371p Spring 2020: Rahul Ramaswamy

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in New Jersey and have lived there ever since.

What high school did you go to?

I went to a high school called South Brunswick High School with a huge class size of 800 students.

What was your favorite extracurricular activity in high school?

In high school, I was a committed member of the school’s VEX robotics team. I put in hours of work each week both building and programming our team’s robot.

Why did you come to UT?

My high school was very competitive, so even after applying to fifteen schools, my acceptances and therefore options were limited. So, after much deliberation, I decided UT would be the best place for me to receive a great education and secure a job in the tech industry.

Why are you majoring in CS?

I have always loved making things, so I knew I wanted to work in the realm of engineering. In high school, I had experience across varying engineering disciplines through robotics and summer programs. After all of that, the only path that satisfied my desire to create in a way that allowed me to basically do anything I wanted was computer science.

Why are you in this class?

I am taking OOP in order to gain a better understanding of C++ as well as writing proper code in general.

What are your expectations for this class?

I expect to gain a mastery of C++ and learn to create efficient and clean object-oriented designs.

How much C/C++/Java programming do you already know?

I have about six years of experience with Java and about 4 with C. Through classes in high school and here at UT, I have been able to develop a strong understanding of many useful programming concepts in these languages.

How did you like the first couple of lectures?

The first couple of lectures were very informative but easy to follow. Professor Downing continued to make connections to concepts that we already know, such as drawing parallels to Java.

How did you feel about the cold calling?

The cold calling in class helped me to stay attentive and focused throughout the lecture since I could be called on at any time.

What made you happy this week?

After being trapped in the lab last semester while taking OS, this week I finally had the time to hang out with friends outside the CS department and take it easy.

What’s your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?

VSCode is a great text editor.