WoodsGreen

How many classes one should taken in freshman year and after?

Is it common to take 5 or 6 classes at Columbia? I read a "workload" thread.
It seems that it is very common to take 5 classes. However, at other ivy or simlar caliber colleges, most students take 4 classes per semester. I would like to figure out the workload.

Can anyone post some sample schedules?

Thanks

confidentialcoll

It varies a huge amount on your priorities, academic background, school (CC or seas), area of interest and placement level (esp seas). give info about these, and you'll get a better answer

if you've gone to a rigorous school and have taken many and tough classes taking 6 is doable, if you're priorities are that you want to party it up and make friends rather than get a head start on requirements 4 would do. if you're taking physics 2801, the physics class on crack 5 is a good upper bound. What classes you take are entirely dependent on placement level, in seas the average number of classes would be 5-6 and CC 4-5 first semester.

an average seas schedule would look like, but of course apart from #1 there are many more options than this:

1) gateway/university writing
2&3) chem 1403 and physics 1601, or phys 1401 and intensive general chem
4) calc III
5)pre-professional course / comp science / principles of econ
6) optional: another from (5) or any other course of interest perhaps in an intended minor.

CC, here 1&2 are set in stone, 3 is highly advisable if you don't place out:

1) lit hum
2) frontiers of science or university writing
3) Language if you don't place out of all 4 semesters
4) major cultures if you can get in / intro class in interested area
5) optional: another class in interested area of study

it all depends how much you want to work, each of those schedules is 30-50 hours of work (including class time) weekly, varying with your preparation, efficiency and achievement level.

ShruggingSheep

great question! I too would like to see more sample schedules from current students.

this is what my first year would look like (ok i'm not actually there yet, but I like to plan this stuff)

1) Comp Sci - Stat 1211
2) Hon Math - Hon Math
3) Econ 1105 - Poli Sci Intro
4) Phy 1401 - Phy 1402
5) Lit Hum - Lit Hum
6) UW - Gateway

intended major: OR/FE or AM

doable? will i have time for a life outside academics?

another thing, in the OR/FE and AM requirements in the SEAS bulletin, it says we need to "choose one course" for the Chem requirement - does that mean we can stop at 1403, or do we have to take 1403 and 1404?

and how exactly does being on "academic probation" affect you, aside from the fact that you're on some sort of warning list?

thanks.

confidentialcoll

"another thing, in the OR/FE and AM requirements in the SEAS bulletin, it says we need to "choose one course" for the Chem requirement - does that mean we can stop at 1403, or do we have to take 1403 and 1404?"

either chem 1403 first sem, or chem 1404 second sem will do,

I would not worry about lit hum until 2nd year, take chem and your pre-prof course first year instead of lit hum, lit hum. Also after being at columbia you might decide to do major cultures (easier) or CC (possibly more interesting, definitely more political) instead of lit hum. everyone in seas finishes this requirement second year, i don't know of anyone who did it first year.

also starting at calc II or calc III, is better than honors math, because the workload is probably lighter, the curve is probably better and the subject material is less pure and thus more applicable to or/fe. honors math is filled with the crazy, over-achieving, socially inept, incredibly smart pure math and physics majors of the college .