Welcome to CS Quest!

Your Introduction to Computer Science at Allegheny College

🎓 Welcome College Fair Visitors!

New to Computer Science? You’re in the right place! Let’s explore what CS is all about and try some real coding!

🌟 START HERE | No Experience Needed | 5 Minutes to Get Started

💻 Interactive Options:

📓 Open in JupyterLite - Full Jupyter environment in your browser
📥 Download Notebook - For use in local Jupyter or Google Colab

🚀 Quick Start: Choose Your Adventure

🌟 What is CS?

Never thought about studying CS?

Discover what Computer Science really is (hint: it’s not just coding!).

Learn More →

⏱️ 3 minutes

💼 Why Study CS?

Curious about careers?

Explore job opportunities, salaries, and the impact CS professionals make.

Explore Careers →

⏱️ 4 minutes

🎮 Try It Now!

Want to code RIGHT NOW?

Write your first program in 30 seconds—no installation needed!

Start Coding →

⏱️ 5 minutes

🎯 Major vs Minor

Deciding on a program?

Compare CS Major and CS Minor to find your perfect fit.

Compare Programs →

⏱️ 5 minutes

📚 Ready to Learn Python?

Once you’ve explored the basics above, dive into our interactive coding quests!

🎒 Beginner-Friendly Quests (Start here!)

Each quest is a 5-minute coding adventure with interactive challenges:

Quest 1: Variables - Your coding backpack
Quest 2: Data Types - Shapes of information
Quest 3: Conditionals - Choose your path
Quest 4: Loops - The power of repetition
Quest 5: Lists - Collecting treasures

View All 19 Quests →

🎓 About Allegheny College Computer Science

Why Allegheny?

✅ Small Classes - Personal attention from expert faculty
✅ Hands-On Research - Work on real projects from day one
✅ Supportive Community - Collaborative, not competitive
✅ Career Success - Strong job placement and grad school admissions
✅ Flexible Programs - Major, minor, or just explore!

Quick Stats

📊 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio
🎓 100% of CS majors complete a capstone project
💼 95%+ employment or grad school placement
🌍 Remote internships available worldwide

💡 Three Ways to Code Interactively

All our lessons include live code you can edit and run!

Choose Your Coding Style:

📝 On Lesson Pages - Click code cells and run them directly
🚀 JupyterLite - Full Jupyter environment in your browser
Launch JupyterLite →
📥 Download Notebooks - Use locally or in Google Colab
Download Files →

Learn More About Interactive Features →

📞 Connect With Us

Have Questions? We’re Here to Help!

Computer Science Department - 📧 Email: [email protected] - 🌐 Website: https://cs.allegheny.edu - 👨‍💻 Website: https://www.oliverbonhamcarter.com - 📍 Location: Alden Hall, Allegheny College

Visit Campus - 🏫 Schedule a tour - 💬 Meet current CS students - 🎓 Sit in on a class - 🔬 See our labs and projects

General Admissions - 🌐 allegheny.edu/admissions - ☎️ (814) 332-4351

🎯 Your Next Step

Ready to Start Your CS Journey?

✅ Explore the intro pages above (5-15 minutes total)
✅ Try coding in the Try It Now section
✅ Start Quest 1 if you want to keep learning
✅ Contact us with questions!

Remember: Every expert programmer started exactly where you are now. The only difference? They took the first step.

Your first step starts today! 🚀

🌟 Start Your Adventure

🌟 What is CS?

🎮 Try Coding Now

🎒 Quest 1: Variables

--- title: "Welcome to CS Quest!" subtitle: "Your Introduction to Computer Science at Allegheny College" format: live-html: toc: false --- ::: {.hero} # 🎓 Welcome College Fair Visitors! New to Computer Science? You're in the right place! Let's explore what CS is all about and try some real coding! ::: ::: {.quest-badge} 🌟 START HERE | No Experience Needed | 5 Minutes to Get Started ::: ::: {.tip-box} **💻 Interactive Options:** - 📓 **[Open in JupyterLite](../jupyterlite/lab/index.html?path=college-fair-start.ipynb)** - Full Jupyter environment in your browser - 📥 **[Download Notebook](../files/intro/college-fair-start.ipynb)** - For use in local Jupyter or Google Colab ::: ## 🚀 Quick Start: Choose Your Adventure <div class="quest-grid"> ::: {.quest-card} ### 🌟 What is CS? **Never thought about studying CS?** Discover what Computer Science really is (hint: it's not just coding!). [Learn More →](what-is-cs.qmd) ⏱️ 3 minutes ::: ::: {.quest-card} ### 💼 Why Study CS? **Curious about careers?** Explore job opportunities, salaries, and the impact CS professionals make. [Explore Careers →](why-study-cs.qmd) ⏱️ 4 minutes ::: ::: {.quest-card} ### 🎮 Try It Now! **Want to code RIGHT NOW?** Write your first program in 30 seconds—no installation needed! [Start Coding →](try-it-now.qmd) ⏱️ 5 minutes ::: ::: {.quest-card} ### 🎯 Major vs Minor **Deciding on a program?** Compare CS Major and CS Minor to find your perfect fit. [Compare Programs →](major-vs-minor.qmd) ⏱️ 5 minutes ::: </div> --- ## 📚 Ready to Learn Python? Once you've explored the basics above, dive into our interactive coding quests! ::: {.highlight-box .highlight-info} **🎒 Beginner-Friendly Quests** (Start here!) Each quest is a 5-minute coding adventure with interactive challenges: 1. **[Quest 1: Variables](../lessons/01-variables.qmd)** - Your coding backpack 2. **[Quest 2: Data Types](../lessons/02-data-types.qmd)** - Shapes of information 3. **[Quest 3: Conditionals](../lessons/03-conditionals.qmd)** - Choose your path 4. **[Quest 4: Loops](../lessons/04-loops.qmd)** - The power of repetition 5. **[Quest 5: Lists](../lessons/05-lists.qmd)** - Collecting treasures [View All 19 Quests →](../all-quests.qmd) ::: --- ## 🎓 About Allegheny College Computer Science ::: {.concept-box} ### Why Allegheny? ✅ **Small Classes** - Personal attention from expert faculty ✅ **Hands-On Research** - Work on real projects from day one ✅ **Supportive Community** - Collaborative, not competitive ✅ **Career Success** - Strong job placement and grad school admissions ✅ **Flexible Programs** - Major, minor, or just explore! ### Quick Stats - 📊 **13:1** student-to-faculty ratio - 🎓 **100%** of CS majors complete a capstone project - 💼 **95%+** employment or grad school placement - 🌍 **Remote internships** available worldwide ::: --- ## 💡 Three Ways to Code Interactively All our lessons include **live code** you can edit and run! ::: {.tip-box} **Choose Your Coding Style:** 1. **📝 On Lesson Pages** - Click code cells and run them directly 2. **🚀 JupyterLite** - Full Jupyter environment in your browser [Launch JupyterLite →](../jupyterlite/lab/index.html) 3. **📥 Download Notebooks** - Use locally or in Google Colab [Download Files →](../files/) [Learn More About Interactive Features →](../interactive.qmd) ::: --- ## 📞 Connect With Us ::: {.highlight-box .highlight-info} **Have Questions? We're Here to Help!** **Computer Science Department** - 📧 **Email**: [email protected] - 🌐 **Website**: [https://cs.allegheny.edu](https://cs.allegheny.edu) - 👨‍💻 **Website**: [https://www.oliverbonhamcarter.com](https://www.oliverbonhamcarter.com) - 📍 **Location**: Alden Hall, Allegheny College **Visit Campus** - 🏫 Schedule a tour - 💬 Meet current CS students - 🎓 Sit in on a class - 🔬 See our labs and projects **General Admissions** - 🌐 [allegheny.edu/admissions](https://allegheny.edu/admissions) - ☎️ (814) 332-4351 ::: --- ## 🎯 Your Next Step ::: {.story-box} **Ready to Start Your CS Journey?** 1. ✅ **Explore the intro pages** above (5-15 minutes total) 2. ✅ **Try coding** in the [Try It Now](try-it-now.qmd) section 3. ✅ **Start Quest 1** if you want to keep learning 4. ✅ **Contact us** with questions! **Remember**: Every expert programmer started exactly where you are now. The only difference? They took the first step. **Your first step starts today!** 🚀 ::: --- <div style="text-align: center; margin-top: 2em;"> ### 🌟 Start Your Adventure <div class="quest-grid" style="margin-top: 1em;"> ::: {.quest-card} [🌟 What is CS?](what-is-cs.qmd) ::: ::: {.quest-card} [🎮 Try Coding Now](try-it-now.qmd) ::: ::: {.quest-card} [🎒 Quest 1: Variables](../lessons/01-variables.qmd) ::: </div> </div>