Any tips/advice for an incoming freshmen?? Anything you wish you had known? - Page 2

red remote · 08-01-2008, 11:20 PM

piper, i love how you use the word hosed and it's understood that it means exhausted from the workload.
Anywhere else, it'd mean wasted
only @ MIT

yagottabelieve · 08-02-2008, 12:35 AM

If I'd known then what I know now, I'd have gone somewhere else. Just kidding. Sort of.

Seriously, for anyone who's thinking of majoring in computer science (6-3), but doesn't know much about the discipline or career prospects, I have a few recommendations:

M.S. Mahoney's articles on the history of computing
Frederick K. Brooks' Mythical Man-Month
So You Want to Major in Computer Science or CSE from Stanford's CS department

These all have a bearing on "how to study".

kryptonsa36 · 08-02-2008, 12:57 AM

Err, I've always heard "hosed" being used interchangably with "bogged down" and never once to mean "wasted."

KnightMair · 08-02-2008, 11:39 PM

Urban Dictionary: hosed

First six definitions have nothing to do with alcohol. Sorry red remote, but if "anywhere else" is your local high school...

/end trollish comment.

tachobg · 08-10-2008, 03:55 PM

doing lots of problems the day(s) before a test is definitely the way to go. I've noticed that some classes have problem sets that you more or less finish (even by yourself) and you still don't quite get it at the level of depth you're supposed to.

Also, something i've been trying to do, but has never quite worked out - take some time after your classes to clear up confusing things in the the lectures you had that day. The problem for me was that "some time" turned out to be a couple of hours. At that point it's probably better to immediately (because you'll definitely forget) email a TA or a prof and ask them or schedule a meeting.

Sklog_W · 08-14-2008, 03:40 PM

I ended up (luckily) learning a lot of this on the fly during orientation and it ended up working out very well for me.

1. Don't feel like you need to take hard classes. If you're going into chemistry take the hardest chemistry. If you're going into math take the hardest math. etc. No need to take 8.011, 18.022, and 5.112 (hopefully I got the numbers right, it's been a long time) together. This helped me immensely while many of my friends ended up struggling in classes that at the end of it gave them depth in a subject that had little bearing on what they would do during college AND provided only a slight advantage at best.

2. Get your Hass-D's and other Hass classes done as quickly as possible. Getting them done will allow for one to take cool electives in later years to go along with your harder classes.

3. Do the p-sets. Study for tests. Go to classes. And then when you're solid on those drink/party/hang out/play video games as much as possible your freshman year. Honestly, it doesn't get easier. I never regretted any of the supremely dumb stuff I did my freshman year. Don't be too worried about stuff and miss out on having fun while you still like life a bit.

Those are my three golden rules.

PiperXP · 08-14-2008, 06:20 PM

Note: 8.011 is the spring version of 8.01x - not TEAL like 8.01 and, IMO, much easier =). 8.012 is the hard version of 8.01x.

molliebatmit · 08-14-2008, 07:53 PM

^There used to be a class called 8.01x, as well.

It had problem sets and tests, and then about 15% of the grade was based on take-home experiments. I was sad when they did away with it to make everybody take TEAL -- it was a good class, and without that 15% experiment grade, I wouldn't have passed.

Quote:

Honestly, it doesn't get easier.

I don't think it actually gets easier after freshman year, but for me, at least, it was easier to figure out what I needed to do and get it done. The material got more difficult, but I got a lot better at time management and study skills.

PiperXP · 08-15-2008, 02:37 AM

Yeah, the experiment classes are still listed - like for 8.02, "Credit cannot also be received for 8.022, 8.02X ". I see 8.01 being referred to as 8.01T sometimes, too.

But for others' clarification, I'm using "x" in the same sense as 5.11x or 7.01x.

la montagne · 08-15-2008, 05:29 PM

Can anyone here tell me how to switch HASS classes if you don't like the one you got in the lottery? Is it possible if the other one is technically full?

iPutSTUDinStudy · 08-15-2008, 07:32 PM

you should make a separate discussion for this because a few people i know have been wondering the same thing

molliebatmit · 08-15-2008, 08:06 PM

Yes, it's possible -- you go to the first meeting of the course you want with an add form and get the professor to sign it. If the course is full, he/she won't sign it, but that doesn't happen terribly often.