There are also some practical steps that it would be worth taking. You should also consult the reading lists and other preparatory material for the Natural Sciences or Mathematical Triposes. In particular, you should try all the exercises in the workbook from the University's Faculty of Mathematics. You should also try some of the exercises. In particular, the first 15 exercises at the end of Chapter 2 on the design of algorithms and the first 10 exercises at the end of Chapter 4 on computer architecture are relevant preparation for the introductory lecture courses.
Many students have some difficulty with the mathematical aspects of the first-year course.
A little study of pure mathematics would be valuable. It will also help to pursue recreational mathematics in the form of games and puzzles to keep your skills tuned. General reading After the technical reading suggested above, the next most important preparation is to build up a broad background understanding of current issues in computer science. The April 1995 issue of Scientific American had a set of particularly interesting articles on The computer in the 21st century . Learning at university is rather different from being taught at school.