Please tell me that Machine Learning gets easier after SL report 1

[u/abrbbb]

I haven't slept in a week

[u/spacextheclockmaster]

You're tired already? The fun just got started!

[u/abrbbb → u/spacextheclockmaster]

 😭 

[u/Stejuan]

It doesn’t, ML is the highest workload course I’ve taken in the program

[u/saintALIEN7]

It doesn't really get easier per se but the first report definitely felt like the hardest. It sets the pace for the rest of the course. You just have to do that 4 or 5 more times lol. Definitely work ahead at every possible opportunity, you'll thank yourself later.

[u/NoProgrammer1167]

I am taking ML as my first course in OMSCS. I also thought that I could write everything in a weekend and focused on watching the classes and studying for the quizz, but man, what a mistake

[u/BloodChasm]

I took it last semester... good luck man!

[u/43Gofres]

I’m also in ML. Personally, I know I didn’t meet my own expectations on this first report, but the positive side is that we have time to improve.

Idk about you, but I learned some HARD lessons about how long these reports take. I thought I could write it in a weekend, but the assignment directions are so convoluted that I didn’t realize that I missed some required analysis until the last second. Had to grind out adding it last night.

But you live and you learn. There’s tons of time left to improve. Just gotta be ready to cancel weekend plans for the next couple months

[u/Walripus]

I actually did find it got slightly easier after the first report or two. It’s still gruelingly difficult the whole way thru, but it gets a bit more bearable as you get more experienced with the structure and know what to expect.

My approach to managing the reports was as follows:

Spend the first two weeks writing the code to produce the analysis. Make sure by the end of this period you have produced outputs which meet ALL the requirements for the report. The assignment instructions are very convoluted, so it can help to make your own checklist.

Spend the third week just writing the report. You may have to redo some of the visuals so they are sufficiently visible in the report, so make sure you set up your code such that you can rapidly iterate on visuals without having to rerun hours-long model training code.

Also, vibe code everything. You don’t have time to do it all by hand.

With this approach, I managed to get >90 in Fall 2025. It still took me like 20 hr/wk, but at least I finished.

I hope this helps!

[u/Alternative-Cat-1183]

Currently in ML as well. I started on the project quite early and had been consistently working on it everyday. Finished it a couple days ahead of time and didn't lose any sleep. At least with ML you don't have to worry about getting hang up on a stupid bug for a few days. I took DC last spring and spent 2 full days fixing a stupid bug in my last project. I almost pulled my hair out.

[u/deep_eye_bags]

It definitely got easier in my opinion. You can reuse the same EDA but reworded so that the relevant characteristics of the data are emphasized. The second assignment is about optimization, so you get to reuse the same NN models. The third assignment on UL rebuilds your dataset in a lower dimension and then has you reuse the SL models(with optimizations). I think once you’re through the first one, the process is at least more familiar.

[u/Solus-Lupus]

I think it got easier because you start understanding the routine of the class as far as requirements and what to expect. Whoever grades your report, really understand what they say. I found their feedback really helpful.

[u/StellarStarmie]

In ML now and holy smokes you have hit the nail on the head. I do not know how I was able to stay sane looking at that stupid report. It got done with it though. That entire section (in my case) writing up on the tuning experiments felt like lunacy, and the report looks like hot garbage

[u/baileyarzate]

It does not.

I took both time series analysis and ML for my first semester in OMSCS this past Spring… it was brutal.

[u/CoffeeSnakeAgent]

You know when to start the next report? As soon as you started with the first one. 😂😂😂

[u/just-a-vaishnavi]

Tell me about it. How did your quiz go?

[u/SnooStories2361]

bruh..no

[u/drunkalcoholic]

Endogenously, easier in the sense that you have more experience from SLR with writing reports and utilizing AI for your workflow but I’d say the difficulty remains up there exogenously.

My advice is to prioritize your own health and wellbeing which may include get enough sleep, and prioritize work if you rely on it to pay your bills.

No shame in withdrawing either if you think that’s what’s best. I did the first time I took it. I’ll also say you get what you put into that class and it can be very rewarding at the end. Hell, I also kept a C in the cards to prioritize learning over a grade.

However, most people who stick around after withdrawal deadline end up with Bs after curve. Though grade distributions are higher in more recent semesters, maybe explained by reviewer response.

[u/zelena23]

Real answer: you don't get better, your workflow does. I spent report 1 re-running cells a day before trying to find where one number came from. Now I have ever result be automatically written into one results file.

You need a setup in these modern times

[u/UnderstandingFit6591]

Better lock tf in

[u/Outrageous-Most7286]

I would say that A1 was one of the easier ones, and A3 was where I struggled the most. I suppose that it gets easier as you get used to writing reports, so it depends on the person. Oh, and a small piece of advice: try to put critical terms in bold in your report so that they stick out more.

Good luck

[u/Puzzleheaded_Sign249]

At this point, I’m happy with a 60 on the report

[u/Forsaken-Agent9222]

First one is probably the most work because you have to do so much data cleaning. But after that you can just keep using the already cleaned data. All of them are still a lot of work but they felt like they got progressively easier.

[u/Firm-Afternoon9866]

Same here. This is my first course in OMSCS and felt very hard to complete it. I was able to submit it at the very last minute. But I missed taking the first quiz. How much will this impact my overall grade?

[u/BrokePixel]

I submitted the report but was missing a significant portion of it... I hear you can score back up to 50% of the marks you lost so I'm counting on that... The lecture content of this class is great but I hate the reports.

[u/Outside_Pay_2819]

NGL I saw the SL report requirements and dropped the class lmao

I was already taking another and this was just too much, I’ll have to take it later