What classes are you guys thinking of taking? - Page 5

t91 · 08-01-2009, 05:12 PM

pistachio, do you think taking IHUM, PWR1, and ECON 1A is the proper courseload for the first quarter or should I disregard taking econ 1a for a later quarter?

skyraptor · 08-01-2009, 10:04 PM

so...

SLE + Chem31X + an introseminar
(9 + 4 + 3 units= 16 units) = doable?

SLE + Chem31X + Math51
(9 + 4 + 5= 18 units) = survivable?

So frustrating to choose...

bison · 08-01-2009, 10:32 PM

if im thinking about being a polisci major, but im interested in exploring compsci, should i take cs106a my first quarter? or should i leave that for later and take easier, more familiar fuzzy courses? thanks!

Sly Si · 08-02-2009, 11:26 AM

t91: Yes, that's a good courseload for fall quarter.

bison: If you have room in your schedule for it, go for it.

darling · 08-02-2009, 04:09 PM

Question about 1 unit P.E. classes? Are they graded? or can they be taken pass/fail? and which classes can we take pass/fail?

darling · 08-02-2009, 04:32 PM

^ Nm, i found out about pass/fail for athletics.

The question about classes we could take for pass/fail still stands though.. normally why do ppl take certain classes pass/fail?

llpitch · 08-02-2009, 11:32 PM

Introsems catalog: https://vcasis.stanford.edu/showCata...41E81FB24F8837

aberdeen15 · 08-03-2009, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pistachio

Lastly, for the love of all that is good and great in this world......do not take 18/19/20 units your fall quarter freshman year. Here are my main reasons why:

1) There are far too many people to meet and things to do fall quarter. This is the ONLY time in your life that you will be surrounded by HUNDREDS of people your age, all of whom are smart, funny, interesting people from all over the world and also want to meet you and see what makes you so awesome.

There will be dorm trips, summer camp style events like Capture the Flag, football games, intramurals, and random nights of talking about everything from philosophy to Futurama in the hallways. It's basically the time if your life.

Do you REALLY want to miss out on these things just because you wanted to take an extra class? REALLY? Seriously, you may not realize the importance of this now (and, unfortunately, some people don't realize this until senior year or even until after they've graduated), but during your fall quarter freshman year, one of the most painful things to say is "Sorry, I can't _________, I have a midterm/problem set/essay...".

And I guarantee that when you look back on your freshman year, you will not remember how well you did on that second problem set in <insert random class here>, but the people you met and the times you had.

2) What's the rush? Just remember..you have 11 more quarters at Stanford to take classes, but you only have 1 "first" quarter. Seriously, you have FOUR years here. FOUR years to meet all your requirements, take classes you're interested in, and fulfill your GERs. It's not necessary to get them all out of the way freshman year.

And, just to prove that I practice what I preach...I took 13 units my fall quarter freshman year and can still graduate 2 quarters early (haven't decided yet if I will), and have only taken 1 quarter with >16 units.

3) You will most likely not do well in all of your classes if you take 18/19/20 units your first quarter. Yes, there are a few people who can take this many classes and do well, but most people cannot. It is simply not worth finding out which group you belong to.

Worst case scenario if you take 18/19/20 units: you fall behind in multiple courses, miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet amazing people and have amazing experiences, and do badly in your courses.

Worst case scenario if you take a normal/light courseload: you do fine, think you could have handled more, and then take more units next quarter.

Thanks for this pistachio! I'm really struggle with too many units right now... your post helped me take a step back and think. By the way, what is your major?

My problem is... I have to take IHUM for 4 units and JAPANLNG 7 (it's only offered in the fall) for 5 units. I feel like I need to start with MATH 51/51A this Fall for 5/6 units because of my major (CS/CSE). And I want to take an IntroSem, possibly the 4-unit The Anthropology of Globalization. But that's a whopping 18/19 units in my first quarter! And I haven't even thought about 1-unit activities classes like athletics or dance... What would you guys suggest I drop?

Thanks! I know we will be getting Academic Advising soon, but I'd love to have a good idea of what I'm looking for going into the meeting =]

llpitch · 08-03-2009, 03:34 AM

Well Math 51 will be there every quarter and japanlng7 will only be there in the fall. + Math 51 has easier curves winter and spring.

Sly Si · 08-03-2009, 11:12 AM

aberdeen15: Yes, you can wait on math 51. 51/52/53 are all offered every quarter, so it's very easy to fit them into your schedule later on.

darling: Generally, you can't take classes pass/fail if they're for your major or a GER. Anything else you can, but people generally don't do it unless they're worried about their unit load for that quarter. If you have a heavy load one quarter, taking a non-required class pass/fail lightens the amount of work you have to put into that class.

GeekNerd · 08-03-2009, 02:05 PM

Instead of CS106A, I was thinking of Introduction to Feminist Studies. I like it; I have a background in it; it fulfills requirements I might not touch thereafter; I do not mind taking 106A in Winter and 106X in Spring.

MATH 51/H: MoTuWeThFr 1415-1505.
FEMST 101: MoWe 1315-15105.

Is it easy enough to attend just one hour of each class? Is that rude? Is that ridiculous?
There's supposed to be a mandatory discussion. I can't find a website or a schedule for that.
Average grade B+, from CourseRank.
If I have to regularly miss a math class I shall not take it.

GeekNerd · 08-03-2009, 03:32 PM

On the other hand, there's HISTORY 106A (Africa and Asia, interesting enough)...
Autumn, 5 units, DB/SocSci, EC/GloCo, Average A- (n=41), 1-5 hr commitment;
MoWeFr 1000-1050.

Looks tasty. I could take Gender next year.

bison · 08-04-2009, 01:01 AM

belated thanks sly si
(dang this thread moves quickly)

Morsmordre · 08-04-2009, 01:03 PM

GeekNerd, it could be rude to leave after an hour depending on the class size. You get to choose what section you're in later, so chances are it'll work for your schedule. That being said, why don't you just stop at SLE and Math 51H? I mean, between those two alone you'll be working pretty, pretty hard. Why add the stress of an extra class? Even though those classes do look rather easier (and they are) adding an easy class to a normal courseload adds less to the overall difficulty as adding an easy class to a hell workload. You may not believe me now, but you'll see what I mean. With deadlines and essays and required random stuff you very well could get lost. Perhaps try for an introseminar with very little work commitment if you really need to take another class-I looked at that geography class' syllabus to get rid of GER's (I was thinking of taking it too but it's too damn early in the morning haha) and you have discussion sections, a midterm, and a final. Sure no essays, but it's not like filler to use your food analogy. Though again, I have no idea how much you can handle, just proceed with caution.

Sly Si · 08-04-2009, 01:26 PM

GeekNerd: I would discourage taking anything more than SLE and 51H. For the purposes of courseload, SLE counts as two very serious courses. And signing up for classes that conflict is a very bad idea, unless you know one of them is a class you can just coast through. (And that's not an assumption you should make your first quarter.)

Also, you don't normally take CS106A and then 106X; you take A and then B. If you have a strong CS background, you take X right away instead of the two-quarter A/B sequence. And 106X is only offered in the fall.