Conflicting Classes

[LuthienTinuviel]

<p>Is attendance at all HASS classes mandatory? I would like to take Chinese I (regular) with Globalization, and would also like to be in Concourse. However, most of the Chinese lectures overlap the Concourse classes. Is it possible to miss the last half hour of every other Chinese lecture and still take the class?</p>

[anon89723960]

<p>It’s possible, depending on the class. Some people don’t attend lectures at all. Some classes use attendance in grade calculations. I wouldn’t set up my schedule with conflicting classes, though.</p>

[Star_1]

<p>Not all HASS classes are attendance mandatory, but I’d say languages pretty much are. Also, one of the main selling points of concourse is the small class sizes, so I really wouldn’t recommend skipping lectures. I’d say choose one or the other.</p>

[LuthienTinuviel]

<p>Thanks for the advice. Does ESG have a set schedule like Concourse? I’m considering that too, so maybe its classes don’t conflict with Chinese.</p>

[Star_1]

<p>ESG is typically very flexible. I’m not sure if they have a set schedule yet, but even if they do you can talk to the professor and explain your dilemma, and he’d likely try to find a time that works for him, you, and the other 5 or 6 people in your class </p>

<p>Definitely check it out during orientation, but don’t pick ESG over concourse just because of the scheduling issue… they do have very different atmospheres.</p>

[bluebird]

<p>Can you tell us more about the difference between ESG and concourse? Especially the atmosphere you mention.</p>

[Star_1]

<p>I wrote the following message in a discussion about ESG and concourse a while ago. </p>

<p>

Both ESG and Concourse are awesome programs.</p>

<p>I think the main difference between ESG and Concourse, to make a gross generalization, is that ESG has a more “east campus” feel, while Concourse is more “west campus”. Not that you should choose one over the other based on your living group, but that’s just the feeling I get from knowing people in both programs. But you should check them both out during orientation, and choose based on where you, personally, feel more comfortable.</p>

<p>Also, I think Concourse classes are a little bigger (maybe ~20 people), whereas ESG is even smaller than that (you might have a class with 5 or 6 people). And the classes you can take in each one vary slightly (the HASS classes are different, Concourse only has 3.091 and no 18.01…).

</p>

<p>And here is a link to the entire thread. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/mit-2013/642486-freshman-learning-communities.html?[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/mit-2013/642486-freshman-learning-communities.html?&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p>If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.</p>

[LuthienTinuviel]

<p>I actually overestimated the overlap - only one half hour a week is in conflict, out of the 4 hours of Chinese lecture, rather than a half hour of ever other lecture.</p>

<p>I haven’t fully decided on which program fits me better; I just know more about Concourse currently, but I plan on going to open houses for both. Thanks star* for explaining a bit more about them.</p>

<p>Another overlap with chinese I (globalization) is with the globalization class itself. Is that a mistake in the course catalog? I find it strange that a course would come in conflict with its coreq.</p>

[kryptonsa36]

<p>I’m under the impression language classes are among the classes where your actual presence is a requirement. At least in my class, the teacher is responsible for interacting with students, directing student discussion, collecting/grading/returning student work, etc.</p>

<p>And then there’s the issue of missing class at all. My roommate missed lectures (out of schedule conflict) in a class where his absence was unnoticed and a complete non-issue. However, he got a D from missing too much material. And the class covered a topic he would otherwise have had a knack at!</p>

<p>

@LuthienTinuviel

Another overlap with chinese I (globalization) is with the globalization class itself. Is that a mistake in the course catalog? I find it strange that a course would come in conflict with its coreq.

That’s actually not that surprising. The coreq for globalization is simply concurrently taking a language. No specific language class is the requirement for globalization, so globalization does not have to avoid scheduling conflicts with any particular one. In fact, with so many classes suitable to be a globalization coreq, I might expect some to end up conflicting.</p>

[prime235]

<p>does anyone know if chinese streamlined is better, worse, or equal in quality as a course compared to the regular?</p>

[kryptonsa36]

<p>That’s not really a relevant question. There is generally no overlap whatsoever in the types of students taking Streamlined vs. Regular, because you are required to take whichever one your background in speaking Mandarin (or lack thereof) is more suitable for.</p>

<p>Streamlined is “better” only in that the class moves much faster, given its students already have Chinese conversational skills and know vocabulary. It’s commonly said that Chinese I (Streamlined) covers up to Chinese IV (Regular).</p>

[Vivi]

<p>Attendance in Chinese I is required since it’s part of your grade. Most of the other language classes are the same.</p>