Learning Python in a Week: Debanshi Tells Her Story

Learning Python in a Week: Debanshi Tells Her Story

Learning your first programming language can feel intimidating. There are unfamiliar commands to understand, errors to debug and problems that rarely work perfectly on the first attempt. But for Atlas Summer Courses alumna Debanshi, starting Python from scratch became one of the most rewarding parts of her summer.

Debanshi joined a Computer Science course with Atlas Summer Courses in Oxford, where she spent 10 days learning Python, working on programming challenges and collaborating with other students. She arrived with little experience of the language and left with a new interest in programming, greater confidence in her abilities and skills she would later share with other students.

Why I Chose to Study Computer Science

Students on Debanshi's programme could explore subjects ranging from law and entrepreneurship to business, leadership, medicine and computer science.

Debanshi chose Computer Science.

At the beginning of the programme, Python was new to her. Rather than treating that as a disadvantage, the course gave her an opportunity to start learning the language and gradually put what she was learning into practice.

Her tutor, Mark Robert Amery, introduced programming through practical problems and projects. Even something as familiar as a game of tic-tac-toe became an opportunity to understand how code could be used to turn an idea into something that worked.

By the end of the programme, Debanshi had developed something she had not necessarily expected: a genuine interest in programming and solving problems with code.

What Is It Like to Learn Python as a Beginner?

Learning Python involves much more than memorising commands.

Students need to understand how instructions fit together, identify why code is not behaving as expected and gradually break larger problems into smaller ones that can be solved.

For a beginner, that process can involve plenty of mistakes. But mistakes are also part of learning to program.

A missing character, incorrect instruction or flawed piece of logic can prevent a program from working. Finding the problem requires patience, experimentation and a willingness to try again.

Debanshi discovered that she enjoyed precisely that process. As her confidence grew, debugging stopped being simply something she had to do and became a challenge she actively wanted to solve.

The Challenge That Changed Everything

One project became particularly important to Debanshi's experience.

Her tutor divided the class into three groups of five and challenged each team to create games using Python.

There was an immediate problem.

Students in the other two groups already had experience with Python. Debanshi's group did not. Some members knew other programming languages, but when it came to Python, the group had only been learning for around a week.

Their task was nevertheless to build a working game.

At first, nobody knew where to begin.

Starting From Scratch

Faced with a difficult project, Debanshi decided somebody needed to take the initiative.

She approached her tutor and asked what the group should do. His response was simple:

“Start right away! I know you can do it.”

Debanshi returned to her team and encouraged everyone to begin from the fundamentals.

That moment became about more than programming. Instead of waiting for somebody with more experience to solve the problem, she took responsibility for helping the group move forward.

The team began experimenting, writing code and working through problems together.

Progress came gradually.

Learning Through Debugging

One of the realities of programming is that code frequently does not work the first time.

Debanshi became increasingly determined to understand why.

She recalls asking her tutor for help during lunch, on the bus and whenever another problem appeared. She spent hours trying to work out details such as how to create the grids required for a tic-tac-toe game.

That persistence became one of the most important things she learned.

Programming rewards curiosity because an error is often a question waiting to be answered:

What went wrong? Why did it happen? What could I change?

Each successful fix provides immediate feedback that your reasoning has worked.

For Debanshi, repeatedly going through that process helped transform an unfamiliar programming language into something she wanted to keep exploring.

From One Week of Python to Three Games

By the final presentation, Debanshi's group had achieved considerably more than they initially expected.

The team that had begun the project unsure how to start presented three games.

The significance was not simply that the programs worked.

Only days earlier, the group had barely known Python. They had needed to learn new concepts, divide problems between themselves, debug their code and continue working when they were unsure how to proceed.

Completing the project gave Debanshi tangible evidence that she could learn something difficult.

As she reflected:

“I also started believing in myself a lot more.”

That confidence became one of the most lasting outcomes of the experience.

Can You Really Learn Python in a Week?

You cannot master an entire programming language in seven or ten days.

Python is used across areas including software development, data science, artificial intelligence, automation and scientific computing, and experienced programmers can spend years developing their knowledge.

But beginners can make meaningful progress surprisingly quickly.

Within a week, a student can begin developing an understanding of fundamental programming concepts and, importantly, start learning how programmers approach problems.

Debanshi's experience demonstrates the distinction.

She did not finish the programme knowing everything about Python. She finished knowing enough to build projects, continue learning independently and discover that programming was something she genuinely enjoyed.

Why Python Is Popular With Beginners

Python is often one of the first programming languages students encounter because its syntax can be relatively readable compared with many other languages.

Beginners can start by creating simple programs before gradually moving towards more complex projects.

That means students can often see the results of what they are learning relatively quickly.

A simple game is a good example.

Creating one can introduce fundamental programming concepts while giving students a clear objective. Instead of learning a concept only in isolation, they need to work out how different pieces of code combine to make something happen.

That transition from learning a rule to using it to solve a problem is an important part of becoming more confident with programming.

Learning Computer Science Through Projects

Debanshi's story also illustrates why project-based learning can be particularly useful in Computer Science.

When you are given a real objective — such as creating a game — you quickly discover which parts you understand and which you do not.

Questions arise naturally.

How should the program begin?

How does it recognise a player's input?

What happens when somebody makes an invalid move?

How does the program know when somebody has won?

What should happen next?

Answering these questions requires students to combine multiple concepts rather than practise each one separately.

And because the finished program actually does something, the result can be especially satisfying.

Developing Problem-Solving Skills

Programming is fundamentally about solving problems.

Writing code requires you to take a larger objective and divide it into smaller, manageable steps.

When something goes wrong, you need to isolate the problem, test possible explanations and revise your approach.

These habits are useful far beyond Computer Science. They encourage logical thinking, persistence, attention to detail and the ability to approach unfamiliar challenges systematically.

Debanshi experienced this directly while working on her group's games.

The solution was rarely immediately obvious. She had to keep experimenting until she found a way forward.

Learning to Work as a Team

Although programming can appear to be an individual activity, Debanshi's main project was collaborative.

Her group needed to decide what to build, share ideas and combine different strengths to produce their games.

That reflects an important aspect of real-world technology. Software is frequently created by teams rather than individuals working entirely alone. Programmers need to understand other people's code, communicate technical ideas and work together when something goes wrong.

For students, collaborative programming projects can therefore develop both technical and interpersonal skills.

Building Confidence by Doing Something Difficult

Debanshi's biggest development may not have been a particular piece of Python syntax.

It was discovering what happened when she attempted something she initially did not know how to do.

At the beginning of the group project, other teams appeared to have a clear advantage because they included students with previous Python experience.

Debanshi's team could have interpreted that as evidence that they could not compete.

Instead, they started.

They asked questions, made mistakes, debugged their programs and kept working.

Finishing three games transformed an abstract idea — maybe I can do this — into evidence that she could.

That is why challenging yourself academically can be so valuable. Confidence does not always come before attempting something difficult.

Sometimes confidence is the result of doing it.

Meeting Students From Different Backgrounds

Computer Science was only one part of Debanshi's experience in Oxford.

She also remembers meeting students with different interests, cultures and perspectives.

Being surrounded by people she described as both like-minded and different from herself created opportunities to exchange ideas while becoming more confident expressing her own opinions.

For Debanshi, those relationships became one of the defining features of the programme.

She formed friendships that continued afterwards and felt the experience helped her discover more about herself as well as programming.

From Learning Python to Teaching It

Perhaps the clearest indication of how much the experience affected Debanshi came after the programme ended.

She continued using what she had learned and began teaching Python to students in her own class.

That progression is significant.

Teaching somebody else requires you to explain concepts clearly rather than simply recognise them yourself. It can expose gaps in your understanding and encourage you to think about familiar ideas from a beginner's perspective.

Debanshi had arrived at the programme as someone learning Python from scratch.

She left enthusiastic enough about the subject to share it with other curious students.

How Can a Computer Science Summer Course Help You?

For students wondering whether Computer Science might be right for them, a summer course can provide an opportunity to explore the subject before making longer-term academic decisions.

You might discover that you enjoy programming, debugging, logical problems or building projects.

You might also discover that one area interests you more than another.

Computer Science is much broader than coding alone, encompassing areas including algorithms, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software engineering and data science.

Exploring the subject can therefore help students understand what actually interests them rather than relying on assumptions about what Computer Science involves.

Studying Computer Science With Atlas Summer Courses in Oxford

Debanshi's experience demonstrates what can happen when students are given the opportunity to tackle something unfamiliar during a summer course in Oxford.

She arrived with little knowledge of Python and initially found herself working alongside students with considerably more programming experience.

Ten days later, she had helped create several games, discovered an enthusiasm for debugging and problem-solving and developed greater confidence in her ability to learn.

But she also left with something that could not be measured by how many lines of Python she could write: new friendships, greater confidence expressing herself and the willingness to attempt problems without already knowing the answer.

Looking back, Debanshi described her experience as “life-changing”.

Her advice to students considering doing something similar was straightforward:

“Go for it. You will have an amazing experience and discover yourself in the process.”

You Don't Need to Know Everything Before You Start

One of the easiest reasons to avoid learning to code is believing everybody else already knows more than you.

Debanshi experienced exactly that feeling.

Her group was surrounded by students who had used Python before, while they had only recently started learning it themselves.

But programming is not about knowing every answer before you begin.

It is about learning how to find the next one.

Debanshi started with an unfamiliar language, encountered problems she did not know how to solve and kept working until she could create something with it.

Sometimes the most important thing you learn in a week isn't Python. It's that you're capable of learning something you once thought was beyond you.