Overall the course does a really good job at teaching you software design principles

The course has only 2 midterms, which you can study for with quizzes/ flashcards. No writing code for midterms. There is a final group project though which is very heavy and takes time

Steve was very approachable and flexible compared to a lot of CS professors. My only complaint is that sometimes, there were disconnects between him and the TA's

Start homework early

Each topic built logically on the previous one, and the progression from foundational concepts to more advanced algorithms made the material easy to follow. The assignments and examples were highly relevant and helped reinforce the concepts.

The content was extremely practical, especially the focus on algorithmic strategies like Greedy, Divide-and-Conquer, and Dynamic Programming. These are core tools that apply directly to technical interviews

The professor explained complex concepts in a very approachable way and consistently connected theory with intuition and real examples. Their teaching style was clear, patient, and enthusiastic. They also encouraged interaction and guided students to think about how to recognize patterns like optimal substructure or overlapping subproblems. Overall, an engaging instructor who clearly cares about student understanding.

Be present and follow the class