I Just Finished My First OMSCS Course — Here’s What I Learned
I Just Finished My First OMSCS Course — Here’s What I Learned
Starting OMSCS felt like stepping into the next real phase of my career—and a return to structured learning after a long, non-linear climb. My path wasn’t the typical undergrad → grad school pipeline. I earned my associate’s, worked for several years, then finished my bachelor’s. After graduating in the summer, I jumped straight into OMSCS that fall.
That background gives you a different appreciation for coursework. You understand deadlines, collaboration, burnout, time management, and how hard it is to juggle everything once you’re already deep into your career.
I just wrapped up my first OMSCS course: CS6750 — Human-Computer Interaction, and now that the semester is over, I wanted to break down what the experience was actually like: the pacing, the workload, the teamwork chaos, the surprises, and the advice I wish I had going in.
Whether you’re considering HCI as your first class or just curious how OMSCS starts, here’s the full story.
Why I Chose HCI as My First Course
HCI (CS6750) felt like the perfect entry point. It’s relatively easy to get into, and I’ve always been interested in the intersection of design, psychology, and computing. I wanted a class that wasn’t pure algorithms and proofs but still grounded in real-world skills.
It ended up being a great choice.
What I Expected Going In
Based on my undergrad experience, I walked in expecting a solid amount of reading, steady weekly assignments, and a moderate level of difficulty. Most OMSCS reviews framed HCI as “manageable but not trivial,” which seemed like the right level for a first semester.
What I didn’t expect was how unevenly the difficulty would be distributed.
What Surprised Me Most
A few things stood out:
1. The lectures are genuinely fun.
They’re well-structured, engaging, and surprisingly easy to follow—closer to a documentary-style overview of HCI concepts than a dry academic monologue.
2. The assigned readings are better than your average CS course load.
Many of them feel more like applied case studies than dense theory blocks.
3. The workload is heavily front-loaded.
The early assignments can hit hard and fast.
If you walk into Week 1 thinking you’ll “ease in,” the course will correct that assumption quickly.
Workload Reality Check
I averaged around 10 hours a week, sometimes more at the start. The workload softens as the semester progresses, but those first weeks can be rough.
The biggest challenge:
Coordinating group work with people who all have adult schedules.
Finding overlapping availability when everyone is working full-time is no joke.
And when you’re already juggling OMSCS, your job, and life?
Scheduling becomes a boss fight.
What Helped Me Stay On Track
Three things made the difference for me:
1. Work ahead whenever you can.
If you have 45 free minutes, use them.
Early progress early on is your buffer later.
2. Connect with people immediately.
Student groups, Discord, Slack, discussion boards—it doesn’t matter where.
Knowing other students are going through the same gauntlet makes everything easier, and you’ll pick up a ton of clarifications, examples, and hidden expectations.
3. Triple-check the rubric.
Grading can feel inconsistent.
Some graders want every bullet spelled out explicitly; others are more flexible.
Your safest move is to assume the rubric is law.
Tools, Systems, and Processes That Actually Helped
Looking back, a few systems paid off:
- Blocking out weekly “HCI hours” in my calendar
- Using shared docs for smoother group work
- Reading discussion board clarifications early in the semester (before they became firehose chaos)
- Organizing assignment rubrics into checklists
- Keeping all research, references, and notes in one place
The one thing I wish I’d done earlier?
Start working ahead from the moment the semester opens.
It changes everything.
The Emotional Side of Your First OMSCS Class
This part is rarely talked about, but it matters.
Most overwhelming moment:
The early assignments. There’s a lot happening at once, and if you underestimate it, the stress compounds fast.
Most confident moment:
Hitting mid-semester and realizing the pace is finally stabilizing—and that the work feels more predictable and manageable.
Highlights and Lowlights
Highlights:
- Seeing how HCI concepts apply directly to my job
- Learning frameworks I can use immediately in design-related work
- The variety in assignment formats
- The sense of momentum once the early storm passes
Lowlights:
- Group availability gymnastics
- Rubric anxiety
- Discussion board overload later in the semester
Was It Worth It? Absolutely.
HCI wasn’t enough to make me switch from the Interactive Intelligence/AI track, but it did give me a deeper appreciation for the design and psychology side of computing. And those principles stay with you—they show up in how you build systems, evaluate interfaces, and think about users.
It’s one of those classes that gives you skills, not just grades.
Advice If You’re Taking CS6750 Next Semester
If I had to give one tip, it’s this:
Connect early and work ahead.
It makes the entire course smoother.
A few more quick ones:
- Don’t underestimate the early workload
- Read every part of the rubric
- Use the discussion boards while they’re still sane
- Don’t isolate—your classmates are a resource, not competition
- Give yourself some grace (OMSCS is a marathon, not a sprint)
How This First Course Changed My Outlook
Finishing my first OMSCS class validated that I’m on the right path. It didn’t change my specialization choice, but it sharpened how I think about design, interaction, and user experience. Those insights will help in everything I build—apps, tools, games, and research.
And if HCI is the tone-setter for the rest of OMSCS?
I’m genuinely excited for what comes next.