CS371p Spring 2021: Varad Thorat

• What high school did you attend?

I attend Plano East Senior High School in Plano, Texas.

• What was your favorite extracurricular activity in high school?

My favorite extracurricular activity in high school was tennis. I played for the varsity team at my high school.

• Why did you come to UT?

UT has a very good CS department. Also, the in-state tuition was less expensive than some of the other colleges that I got accepted to.

• Why are you majoring in CS?

I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career related to technology. I didn’t know I wanted to major in CS until I participated in multiple coding competitions during my junior and senior year in high school. I thought those were fun, and I wanted to learn more about this field.

• Why are you in this class?

I heard a lot of positive feedback about this class and Professor Downing. Also, I want to expand on my knowledge of C++.

• How much C++ do you already know?

I learned some basics of C++ when I took Operating Systems last semester.

• How did you like the two lectures?

I liked the two lectures that we had. Professor Downing seems to be very thorough in the material that he teaches, so I believe that I will be learning a lot in this class.

• How did you feel about the cold calling?

I think that it is a good way for the class to be more interactive. It also promotes staying focused in class, which is tough to do in this virtual environment.