Taking 21 units in one semester?

lunareclipse · 11-08-2009, 04:36 AM

I am thinking about taking CS61A or CS3 but I can't decide which one to take. Even after talking to numerous different people, combing the CC archived posts, and using Google, I still can't make up my mind.

Therefore, I am thinking about trying both of them out simultaneously to see which one is a better fit for me. I intend to drop either CS3 or CS61A after I make a decision. This puts me in the precarious position of having to enroll in 21 units (four 4 unit classes + one 5 unit language class) and dealing with an immense amount of coursework for a week or two before I make a decision. I really believe taking both at the same time would help me make an informed decision on which class to choose, but I am worried I will be extremely overwhelmed. I worry that I might not have time to maintain my grades in all five classes before I make a decision whether to drop CS3 or CS61A.

Do you guys think this is a good idea to try?

Castel · 11-08-2009, 03:26 PM

If you've had previous programming experience, take CS61A.

J01001000 · 11-08-2009, 03:37 PM

None of the classes are at the pinnacle of their workload until 5th week or so. You will be fine for at least 3 weeks.

Batman17 · 11-08-2009, 05:06 PM

dunno any truth about this, but i've heard cs3 is a joke sometimes if you've had a little to some experience. on the other hand 61 takes a lot of time...

AppleJuice · 11-09-2009, 03:14 AM

Taking 21 units for three weeks is more than doable, since five of those units are a language. I took 22 units last semester, but five of those were a language. Think of it as 16 units plus five hours each week of productive relaxation. Plus, as others have said, the first three weeks will ease you into classes.

lunareclipse · 11-09-2009, 05:54 AM

Thanks for the responses. I'll definitely give it a try.

indiscreetmath · 11-19-2009, 04:28 AM

I'm not sure it's necessary to take both to drop one. You could probably just switch from 61a to 3 if you start getting owned, and make up the work easily.

lunareclipse · 11-19-2009, 06:34 AM

It might be true that I could make up the work easily, but I still wouldn't want to miss a bunch of CS3 lectures and labs while I'm still deciding which to choose. Also, my whole logic behind taking both at once is to be able to take hands-on experience of both classes and apply that to my decision making. Thankfully, I only have to suffer for a few weeks at most.