Chuang 1

Stephanie Chuang

English 182

9 October 2018

Proposal

Introduction and Research Question

The people I’m interested in researching are the undergraduate students and faculty at the
Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science at the University of Washington. What I’m interested
in finding out is if there is a negative effect fostered by the competitive and cutthroat
environment. In question form, this is: How do the stereotypes surrounding computer science
majors affect those students’ decisions to major in computer science?

Since I am a Direct Admit into the program as a freshman, I didn’t experience the normal
amount of work people have to put in in order to get into the major. Therefore, my transition into
the major was very abrupt and I noticed the change in culture among a group of other Direct
Admits very sharply and wondered if and why it extended through the rest of the program. This
gives me a unique point of view, but can also alienate me from people who have entered the
major through traditional means. However, I also feel that I have insight to perhaps the “most”
privileged group of undergraduate CSE students, which are the Direct Admits. If I can identify
how certain aspects of CSE undergraduate culture are creating a overly competitive environment,
then I could share it with the department and we could work together to improve or remove
certain aspects of the program so that we can contribute to a more conscious and reflective
environment.

Background and Context

I became interested in this question when I took my Early Fall Start class with a group of
35 or so other Direct Admits into the Computer Science Program. I witnessed the hungry attitude
of a lot of my classmates towards reaping rewards, and I was somewhat off put by this. While I
was surrounded by people who were motivated to succeed in high school, the new culture I
encountered seemed to be more intense, although that should be expected in an institute of higher
education. At the same time, however, people were openly expressive of how they wanted to
take advantage of the projected monetary benefits of being a computer science major. While
taking note on how grabby everyone was at the mention of free swag, I started wondering why
my classmates and I acted the way we do, and how it related to the fact that we were studying
computer science.

Often, the Computer Science program is praised for being one of the top programs in the
country, and its students are often awarded scholarships and honors on a national level. While
there is a lot of literature about the inclusion of racial and gendered minorities, the focus of my
research is on undergraduate culture regarding inclusivity of certain personalities and social
values. The social aspects of this project are just as much important as the STEM aspects of it.
Since it seems like society pays more attention to computer scientists’ outputs, we don’t often
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place importance of what values they develop while in computer science program. I believe that
the lack of focus on these values could lead to over-exclusivity in the computer science program.
Addressing this question is another step in improvement for the current and potential
undergraduates and faculty of the CSE program, something that should be important to the
department as a whole.

Methodology

For this project, I would like to talk to undergraduate computer science students at the
University of Washington, as well as undergraduate faculty. I’d want to ask them why they
wanted to pursue computer science, what stereotypes they believed existed about CSE students,
what their ideal successful career looks like, and anything they want to do that they don’t think
they will be able to do because of computer science. Additionally, I’d ask what they would do if
they couldn’t study computer science, and what types of companies they were interested in and
why. I think I would utilize google forms to obtain large, overall, one word responses from a
large group of undergraduates and faculty, but I would also interview a select few students and
faculty to get more depth in their responses.

As far as preliminary research goes, I would have to investigate starting salaries of

Significance of the Project

This project is important because it addresses something that few people acknowledge or
talk about. If there is a potential negative environment going on, it would be better to stop it
sooner than later. This will be helpful for raising awareness in potential privilege for
undergraduate students in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering. When
I was taking my Early Fall Start class, one of my advisors said the following: “It’s important to
be humble and aware of the privilege you guys have in Computer Science. Not everybody has
free printing.” Again, she was highlighting one of the perks of the Computer Science and how
there is an idea of elitism when it comes to it.

I think my question is important because people tend to be more invested in things that
they care about, rather than the things they do simply because they just have to. If the current
climate surrounding computer science is causing people to study it only for the sake of money or
prestige, then it’s not as much of a quality or sustainable experience and output for those people.
However, if people were studying computer science because they like learning about it or
because they care and enjoy doing it, one can imagine there would be a noticeable difference in
both the quality of their work and their own enjoyment of their job. In a way, the results of my
research could contribute to the happiness of the workers and the quality of their work.
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Works Consulted

Bernstein Feb, Rachel. “Elitism in the Academy.” ​Science | AAAS,​ 10 Dec. 2017,

www.sciencemag.org/careers/2015/02/elitism-academy.

Pogrebin, Robin. “Gifted Programs: Necessary Elitism?” ​The New York Times​, The New

York Times, 25 Feb. 1996,

www.nytimes.com/1996/02/25/nyregion/gifted-programs-necessary-elitism.html.

“Undergraduate Program.” ​Undergraduate Program | Computer Science & Engineering​,

2017, www.cs.washington.edu/academics/ugrad.

During my conference this week, I was faced with a lot of questions. While I had an important
question, the way I framed it seemed like I already knew what answer I was looking for. Do
computer science students come out of college less generous, less compassionate than they did
before? I have no way of quantifying this, or directly relating it to anything because it is a
qualitative idea. In addition to my conference, I had my first writing center appointment
afterwards to revise my proposal. Both Dr. Ghasedi and my tutor, Kim, agreed that when I
formulate my research and investigation, I must hold a neutral position and not reveal my stance.
I can't ask, "Do you think computer science makes students greedy, selfish, and materialistic?"
but rather, "What are some stereotypes surrounding computer science students?" or, "Why did
you want to pursue computer science?" followed by, "Is there anything you want to but believe
you won't be able to do because you're in computer science?" The result of these questions is
much more open ended and open to interpretation.