This course is meant for those who are specializing in High Performance Computing already. Most of the students are experts. I also faced bullying. Not worth it. I wish I had researched a bit before opting for this course, that too in the summer. The exams had questions that were consistently not properly defined. Even correct answers get deductions if they don't match the exact answer expected. The course went as far as introducing extra credit questions(which are supposed to be just free scoring) and deducted marks in that as well. I would advice to not go for the extra credit questions and opt for the main questions. The grade follows a bell curve but it changes in every semester. It was 85% for an A while it was possibly less in earlier semesters as per some Google searches(80-83%). Another advice would be to focus on labs and try to gain as much score there as possible. A regrade request or something as simple as clarification over the grading rubric would face strong pushbacks, remarks from TAs and it is simply not worth your mental health. The request could possibly only be entertained if there is an error in grading. For all other concerns, students are expected to remain satisfied with whatever points were given(like in the free scoring questions).

That said, this one was a stressful experience. If one is already familiar with HPC, go for it, but better to take it during the Spring/Fall session and not summers. This course is tailor-made for the experts and those familiar with the concept. Do not expect labs or exams to be detailed. I wish I had just dropped it when I had the chance. There are no extensions to lab submissions, in my experience. So plan accordingly.