About USACO
by Abhijeet Kashnia
I recently came across the USACO site, http://ace.delos.com/usacogate , which aims at preparing US students for programming competitions. On logging in, it provides a series of programming assignment, in multiple languages including java ( no C# IIRC), with a gentle learning curve.
So, far I am stuck at the Broken necklaces problem. Progress is slow since I am trying not to see the online solutions, which never help. This structure, where you are not given a new problem until you solve the previous one, is a good thing. If the code is easy, you might as well write it and prove that it is easy. No excuses.
I think this might be a happy training ground before entering Topcoder.
So, far I am stuck at the Broken necklaces problem. Progress is slow since I am trying not to see the online solutions, which never help. This structure, where you are not given a new problem until you solve the previous one, is a good thing. If the code is easy, you might as well write it and prove that it is easy. No excuses.
I think this might be a happy training ground before entering Topcoder.
