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Abstract

/">website</a>, and click apply, simple. Well, it is not that simple. So allow me to explain!After you apply and fill out your information, like your name, and your background in programming, plus a little bit of information about you personally. You need to read five chapters from a book they provide you during the application process, and then five challenges (a challenge for each chapter), and you need to solve them to the best of your ability in order to have a chance to get in! Moreover, there are no right or wrong answers. It is a matter of how you will solve the problems or the challenges they provide. Similarly, here is an image from the application portal that I filled out for myself.<figure id="bf7c"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*ZjAyO6SX-FNfSuIIu_XdZg.png"><figcaption>Source: Code In Place Application Portal; Information filled by the author</figcaption></figure>After that, you wait till you are emailed with the decision (by the date they decide and let you know about in advance), or if you are eager like me, go to the portal at the time of the decision announcement and keep refreshing till the decision is posted in your application portal!<figure id="604d"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*HvjQxcBdBdkjzWWi7YAItA.png"><figcaption>Source: Code In Place Application Portal; The decision about my application</figcaption></figure>Then you get accepted, hopefully. From there, you start the onboarding process of picking a time to meet with your mentor and submitting some forms saying you will not cheat, and you accept the invitation they gave you which you have three days to decide whether you want to join CodeInPlace or not, yet for me it took me 3 seconds to think (which is the time it took from reading the announcement to clicking on the (STUDENT ONBOARDING BLUE BUTTON) to accept the invitation and join.<figure id="0d35"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*MTbNbzTwTiYtfJNgjN2gvQ.png"><figcaption>Source: Code In Place Onboarding Portal, My view of the first week</figcaption></figure><h2 id="1c20">Why am I very excited about CodeInPlace?</h2>The main reason is that I will have a mentor while learning online. Also, I will be learning from two of the best computer science teachers, also from the best Computer Science school on the planet. That is something I do not take for granted, as I stated when I took Intro to <a href="https://readmedium.com/so-i-took-stanford-cs101-online-through-edx-in-2023-84c84c505604">Computer Science 101 by Stanford Online Through Edx</a>. I stated: learning from Stanford, is a privilege, and a golden opportunity that I do not want to waste. Because I come from a place where education is scarce, and since I now have access to education of that level and quality, I do not want to waste that opportunity, at all.<figure id="86b8"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*A7JD0MI32LYHuvrU"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/fr/@cwmonty?utm_source=medium&ut

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m_medium=referral">Chris Montgomery</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h2 id="bf56">What is next for me onwards?</h2>I will write about the class and CodeInPlace each week since we have weekly assignments worth discussing. Also, I will be sharing my adventure in that unique learning experience that I have been eyeing since 2021, and I am glad that I managed to join this experience two years later!I knew about CodeInPlace back in late 2021, after the application submissions were closed and then in 2022, they did not do CodeInPlace, and after that, in 2023, they opened it once more, and I did not waste any time in order to fill out my application, which I finished it the very same day it was open, since I was eager to join, and have been waiting for quite a while.<h1 id="aadf">Conclusion</h1>Studying CS106A from Stanford for free is a golden opportunity for anyone with no programming experience, since all you need is a computer and a love for learning! Plus an internet connection, of course. Moreover, if you have experience with programming, they have <a href="https://codeinplace.stanford.edu/">applications for mentors</a> and section leaders, where you can mentor and teach others if you want to help make the world a better place! Plus, you will gain teaching experience, which I plan to join as a section leader myself when I feel confident enough in my programming and coding skills as they are building up as I complete my computer science degree!<figure id="e860"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*-lxgoFwVZoWWbJRA"><figcaption>Knowledge is POWER; Photo by M<a href="https://unsplash.com/@matt__feeney?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">atthew Feeney</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure>We generally live in a golden era of learning or having the resources to learn and gain knowledge. No one can stop you or me from learning anything we want. Skin color, background, and gender is not an obstacle in any shape or form to prevent us from learning and gaining new skills to better our lives and the life of others or those around us, since everything we need is at our fingertips. Yet, we do need to have the desire and the willpower to learn, and also the ability to love ourselves, because when you love yourself, you can take care of yourself, and I see learning and growing and opening doors for yourself to make your life better is a form of self-love and self-care, so take care of yourself, and have a lovely day.Lastly, when I got into CodeInPlace, I was so happy I jammed to the song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEeaS6fuUoA">Lovely Day by Bill Withers</a> for both days of April 20th and April 23rd, 2023.Note: Everything written is my own thoughts and ideas. I was not endorsed or encouraged to write or talk about the courses/class in any shape or form.</article></body>

Getting Accepted Into Stanford’s Code In Place — CS106A Online

So I got accepted into CodeInPlace, by Stanford. And yes, I am happy about getting accepted, yet that is not why I am writing this article. I am writing because CodeInPlace addresses the most significant online learning issue, which I have discussed in depth in a previous article. Yet, to get you up to speed, the gist of it boils down to the lack of mentorship. Code in Place solves that issue, so let us talk about CodeInPlace.

Actual cookies made by one of the students at CodeInPlace, Credit: @PecanStreetCookieCo

First, What is Stanford’s CodeInPlace?

CodeInPlace was created during Covid-19 to help others learn how to code; since everyone was sheltering at home then, Stanford saw that an online community event would be great to bring people together during that tough time. CodeInPlace consists of the first half of Stanford’s Intro to Computer Science Class CS106A, a very famous computer science class at Stanford, and among many computer science enthusiasts as well, and almost every student outside of Stanford dreams about taking CS106A class. However, now anyone can take the class, since it is online, for free, with another 10,000+ students, led by Chris Piech and Mehran Sahami as instructors, plus another 1000+ mentors that volunteer to help.

What makes CodeInPlace different you might wonder?

Well, it is an actual class (minus the college credit), and you will get to be with a mentor, which is the lack of a mentor is the main issue of any online class. Furthermore, by providing mentors, CodeInPlace solves that issue. The mentors, which CS106A calls them section leaders, are tutors that you meet with once a week to ask questions and get feedback on your code in terms of what you could do to improve it and make it better, and that is the best part, in my opinion. Because many courses online do not give you the mentorship aspect as I said earlier, whether that was a writing course online that teaches you how to write or an online course teaching you how to code, like in our case for example. Therefore, having mentorship is a great help, and on top of all of that, it is FREE!

Those beautiful faces are one group students with the mentor, Credit: Codeinplace.Stanford.Edu

How To Get Into CodeInPlace?

Visit the website, and click apply, simple. Well, it is not that simple. So allow me to explain!

After you apply and fill out your information, like your name, and your background in programming, plus a little bit of information about you personally. You need to read five chapters from a book they provide you during the application process, and then five challenges (a challenge for each chapter), and you need to solve them to the best of your ability in order to have a chance to get in! Moreover, there are no right or wrong answers. It is a matter of how you will solve the problems or the challenges they provide. Similarly, here is an image from the application portal that I filled out for myself.

Source: Code In Place Application Portal; Information filled by the author

After that, you wait till you are emailed with the decision (by the date they decide and let you know about in advance), or if you are eager like me, go to the portal at the time of the decision announcement and keep refreshing till the decision is posted in your application portal!

Source: Code In Place Application Portal; The decision about my application

Then you get accepted, hopefully. From there, you start the onboarding process of picking a time to meet with your mentor and submitting some forms saying you will not cheat, and you accept the invitation they gave you which you have three days to decide whether you want to join CodeInPlace or not, yet for me it took me 3 seconds to think (which is the time it took from reading the announcement to clicking on the (STUDENT ONBOARDING BLUE BUTTON) to accept the invitation and join.

Source: Code In Place Onboarding Portal, My view of the first week

Why am I very excited about CodeInPlace?

The main reason is that I will have a mentor while learning online. Also, I will be learning from two of the best computer science teachers, also from the best Computer Science school on the planet. That is something I do not take for granted, as I stated when I took Intro to Computer Science 101 by Stanford Online Through Edx. I stated: learning from Stanford, is a privilege, and a golden opportunity that I do not want to waste. Because I come from a place where education is scarce, and since I now have access to education of that level and quality, I do not want to waste that opportunity, at all.

What is next for me onwards?

I will write about the class and CodeInPlace each week since we have weekly assignments worth discussing. Also, I will be sharing my adventure in that unique learning experience that I have been eyeing since 2021, and I am glad that I managed to join this experience two years later!

I knew about CodeInPlace back in late 2021, after the application submissions were closed and then in 2022, they did not do CodeInPlace, and after that, in 2023, they opened it once more, and I did not waste any time in order to fill out my application, which I finished it the very same day it was open, since I was eager to join, and have been waiting for quite a while.

Conclusion

Studying CS106A from Stanford for free is a golden opportunity for anyone with no programming experience, since all you need is a computer and a love for learning! Plus an internet connection, of course. Moreover, if you have experience with programming, they have applications for mentors and section leaders, where you can mentor and teach others if you want to help make the world a better place! Plus, you will gain teaching experience, which I plan to join as a section leader myself when I feel confident enough in my programming and coding skills as they are building up as I complete my computer science degree!

Knowledge is POWER; Photo by Matthew Feeney on Unsplash

We generally live in a golden era of learning or having the resources to learn and gain knowledge. No one can stop you or me from learning anything we want. Skin color, background, and gender is not an obstacle in any shape or form to prevent us from learning and gaining new skills to better our lives and the life of others or those around us, since everything we need is at our fingertips. Yet, we do need to have the desire and the willpower to learn, and also the ability to love ourselves, because when you love yourself, you can take care of yourself, and I see learning and growing and opening doors for yourself to make your life better is a form of self-love and self-care, so take care of yourself, and have a lovely day.

Lastly, when I got into CodeInPlace, I was so happy I jammed to the song Lovely Day by Bill Withers for both days of April 20th and April 23rd, 2023.

Note: Everything written is my own thoughts and ideas. I was not endorsed or encouraged to write or talk about the courses/class in any shape or form.