Have any random questions? Ask here

superwizard · 08-29-2008, 07:26 AM

Do you have any random questions before starting your freshman year here? If you ask hopefully I and other current students or alumni will try to answer it. I'm majoring in Chemical Engineering so I can usually answer most questions related to chemistry (including all orgo), math and the physics 40 series.

Got a question? Ask away!

masterharper · 08-30-2008, 07:33 PM

Er...ok, first off, I'm dorming at Branner. Any details you could share?

Second, do I need to bring an Ethernet cable?

Third, are all students required to take a science course? What about a math course? Do we need calculators? Do we need notebooks or do you typically just use your laptops?

alessandro16 · 08-30-2008, 09:04 PM

Masterharper- I'm an entering freshman as well, but I hear that you may need an ethernet cable to initially set up your wireless network. If you don't bring one you'll have to borrow one from somebody in order to connect to the network.

Now for my question:

I'm taking physics 45, Math 42, and IHUM so far. I was thinking of also taking a language class as well as an introsem. Is that too much?

masterharper · 08-31-2008, 02:02 AM

wait, alessandro, how were you able to pick classes already?

superwizard · 08-31-2008, 07:10 AM

Masterharper: You're going to live in Branner eh? Well first thing I'd tell you is that during NSO you're probably going to hear your fair share of: Branner Sucks chants. Pretty much everyone who doesn't live in Branner sings it lol. Don't worry that's only the first week

Branner is definitely one of the nicest (if not the nicest) freshmen dorms. I believe that most people get two room triples (at least that's what my friend had his freshman year) and the building is new and good looking. The food at Branner is (according to my friends) so so bordering bad but that's not really a problem because there are 3 other dining halls really close by (Wilbur, Stern and Manzanita). It also has a rep for being one of the party dorms.

Hmm well all the dorms have wireless now and some of them let you connect to the network without an ethernet cable (others don't) but really you can always borrow one for an hour if you need to. If you have one lying around it might come in handy. The internet is faster when you're wired over wireless but I've never heard of anyone complain about the wireless being too slow.

Yes all students need to take one science and one math class (as well as other requirements). Most of my fuzzy friends ended up taking sleep and dreams to fulfill their science req. and many take Stats 60 to fulfill the math req. That said introsems are also a great way to get rid of pesky GERs (general education req.). Do you need a calculator? Depends on the classes you're taking really. Most people I know still use notebooks (including me) but a significant percentage use laptops. I (and others I know) tend to not use laptops because I end up surfing the web instead of taking notes.

alessandro: Yes I think those five are too much you're first quarter here. Physics 45 isn't the easiest class in the physics 40 series (that would be 41)but its not the hardest (43) either. It'll probably require some time commitment. My friends who took it (I dont need it as a ChemE) told me it wasnt bad. Math 42 however is. I have yet to hear a single person say anything good about this class. I've heard its hard and time consuming. So be prepared. IHUM is usually not bad so don;t worry about that. I think that you should at most (you already have 13 units lined up) take one more class other than these 3 but don;t take 2. You'll have a chance to discuss your schedule with your advisor (honestly not really that helpful) and your PM (peer mentor-could be helpful) and dont forget asking other students!

masterharper you can't pick classes until after you meet with your advisor NSO week don't worry.

peachiepizzazz · 08-31-2008, 02:07 PM

Hey! What classes would you recommend for a fuzzy to fulfill the Engineering and Applied Sciences requirement?

superwizard · 08-31-2008, 02:52 PM

hmm well unlike the math and nat. science requirement my fuzzy friends took different classes to fulfill this. Some of my friends to MSE 152 (decision analysis) others took Engr 25 (biotech) and others Engr 50 (material science) while still others got out of it taking an introsem. I suggest taking an introsem if you find one you like and fulfills it.

Cervantes · 08-31-2008, 03:27 PM

superwizard, I'm taking for the first quarter: Physics 45/46, IHUM, PWR, and an introseminar for electrical engineering. Does that seem like too light of a courseload? Also, what would you say most engineering, math, and science classes are curved to/ how hard (or how much time is consumed) is it to earn any form of A? Lastly, which meal plan would you recommend for most people? Thanks!

walkyu · 08-31-2008, 05:18 PM

a logistics related question...

i'm moving in by myself + 2 bags. i'm flying into SFO, and if possible i'd like to get to campus with the minimal amount of shuffling my bags around. what's the easiest/most direct way to get to campus? hopefully not too pricey either?

thanks!

superwizard · 08-31-2008, 05:19 PM

hahaha that's a good number of questions

I'll try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.

Your workload does not look light especially for your first quarter. It would be an average workload for a regular student and probably more rigorous than what most people take their first quarter. Its not a bad schedule though and it looks manageable but dont add more classes.

Most techie classes (at least in my experience) are curved probably around a B+ but there are def some exceptions to the rule. For example I had a chem class (chem 131) where the curve was at a B- and a engineering class (E50) that curved at an A-. In general though its a ~B+.

How hard is it to get above average (which you usually need to do to get some sort of A)? Well that depends on a few thing. First and foremost of course it depends on how good you are in the subject. I have friends who couldn't get above average in math if their life depended on it but are literary geniuses. Second it depends on your workload. If you have an easier quarter and you have the time you'll find it to be much easier to score higher. In general I find that it isn't too hard to get above average if you work hard enough in the class and you have a knack for it. Again it depends on the class your taking, your classmates and your own abilities in the subject. I'm atrocious at writing papers and so it is much much harder for me to get a good grade in say PWR than in a math class.

The safest meal plan to take is probably the 14. If you dont eat breakfast during the weekdays then you won't need more than that. You can switch once for free during the quarter if you change your mind too.

superwizard · 08-31-2008, 05:27 PM

walkyu: If you're coming in from SFO then the most direct way would be taking super shuttle. Its not exactly cheap at ~25$ but it will take you to your destination the easiest. You could also take public transportation which would be cheaper but definitely more tiring and depending on where you want to go it might mean you have to walk to get to your destination.

My suggestion? suppershuttle. You can book it online or just go directly to where they're located in SFO and pay there.

Cervantes · 08-31-2008, 05:41 PM

Thanks superwizard! I must admit that I too love math and science and am not exactly thrilled with the requirements. Which PWR would you say is the easiest or least demanding so I can spend more time on Physics 45/46 and EE 21N?

superwizard · 08-31-2008, 06:52 PM

oh they've probably changed so much from 2 years ago that I really can't say. Personally I took both of my pwr classes with Dr. Melissa Leavitt and she was really very nice and pretty easy going. Usually pwr depends more on the teacher than on the actual subject. Keep that in mind when choosing.

I'd encourage you to enjoy your fuzzy classes as well even if you are a techie. Some of my best classes have been fuzzy (a CASA class I took, my IHUM class not offered anymore) so pick ones you'll enjoy

docketgold · 08-31-2008, 06:57 PM

You don't really pick your PWR class. You rank order your preferences, but it's anybody's guess which one you'll end up with. It's largely based on demand, but it being everybody's first quarter the "good" classes won't be known yet so it's really hard to tell. A good general rule is to try and get one taught by a grade student rather than a full-time PWR instructor.

peachiepizzazz · 09-01-2008, 12:34 AM

hey how hard/easy is it to change your IHUM selection once you get to campus? I signed up for one i was excited about but have since changed my mind after i saw how it would affect my schedule in terms of conflicting with another class i REALLY want to take this quarter. Do they pretty much let people change if they need/want to?

Also, im not sure if you'd know anything about this but im hoping to take voice lessons with a stanford voice teacher. We have to audition for them though... so i am wondering how hard it is to 'pass' the audition. Is it basically just to make sure you aren't tone deaf?