Cracking the Code: Coding at Harris

As admitted students begin receiving messages from the Orientation team, reached out to Jen Lombardo, Associate Dean of Students, to answer some frequently asked questions about coding at Harris.

I’m an admitted student. What are some of the resources I should check out before arriving at Harris?

Soon admitted students will receive an invitation to Dataquest, a helpful tool to learn or refresh your coding skills. Make sure to continue checking all emails from harrisorientation@uchicago.edu, as the access details will be shared over email. We recommend all admitted students complete the R Basics for Data Analysis Skill Path and you are welcome to explore other courses on the platform. Students will have free access to Dataquest through the Autumn Quarter of their second year in the program.

You may also want to consider attending Math & Coding Camp, our three-week preparation course which covers math and coding foundational skills that are essential for the core. To determine whether you should participate in Math & Coding Camp, take the self-assessments and we will provide a tailored recommendation on whether you should attend.

I’ve heard there is a lot of coding I need to learn at Harris. Can you give me a brief overview?

The Core Curriculum at Harris includes six classes covering Analytical Politics, Statistics, and Economics, completed in the fall and winter quarters of the first year. Students primarily use R in the Statistics sequence of the core. Once you complete the core, you can choose from a range of electives that use coding to various extents. Many students go on to use Python, R, Stata or additional programming languages in other courses.

Students who would like to continue developing their coding skills can pursue the Specialization in Data Analytics at Harris. This specialization focuses on key data analysis skills using Python and is a great option for students who do not have a strong background in coding, but who want to further their technical skills.

I’ve never coded before and I’m a little nervous—any tips or advice? Are there other students who have attended Harris who didn’t have experience with this?

Loads of students have attended without having a background in coding, so there will be plenty of other students without experience in this area. The most important thing to remember is you are learning a new language and reshaping how you think. Both take time and effort, but they are valuable to develop analytical skills, meaningfully understand data, and tackle the big problems that brought you to Harris. Putting in the practice, being patient, and knowing that you might be shifting how you think, is an essential approach to learning how to code.

Many students have attended Harris and have been successful without having a coding background. However, they report that it can be challenging to learn coding on top of the other objectives covered in the core. Spending some time on coding over the summer through Dataquest and Math & Coding Camp can help you ease into this topic.

I’ve been coding for a while now. How can I confirm these courses will be challenging for me?

Great! If you’re looking to dive into additional challenging coursework in this area, we have classes for that. Those who have a strong background in coding can find challenging coursework by taking Advanced Statistics. If you’re interested in this pathway, you can talk with your academic advisor when you arrive at Harris.

However, familiarity with coding doesn’t necessarily mean you need to take Advanced Statistics. Maybe you want to give yourself some room to be challenged in other areas, or you want to jump into extracurricular activities or networking. Your academic advisors can help steer you in the right direction. For those who really want to dig further into coding, there are also in-depth courses in other departments that you can pursue as well as clubs and extracurricular activities you may be interested in joining.

Once I’m at Harris, what are some of the resources I should use to make sure I will be successful?

Coding support at Harris mainly occurs through Math & Coding Camp, the autumn quarter non-credit Coding Lab course, coding tutoring, and self-study resources—all of which come at no additional cost to you. We will share more details about all of these resources throughout the summer.

Additionally, each core course has sessions with Teaching Assistants that will supplement the material and will be especially helpful as you are doing your homework. Students are also encouraged to meet their instructors and attend office hours with faculty! In most core courses, you will be completing your homework in groups, so we encourage you to get to know your classmates as well. Harris students are known for their teamwork and collaboration, so don’t be shy.