Course 6 major in 3 years?

Tapper7
Mon, 25 Jun 2012 01:17:36 +0000

Sorry I’m so slow. My internship just started. Anyway…

In general terms, 6-1 is more hardware oriented and 6-3 is more software oriented. 6-1s deal with circuits, signals, E&M, that sort of stuff. 6-3s deal more with coding, artificial intelligence, algorithms, etc. But of course, this isn’t necessarily what every person will end up doing, it’s just what the majors tend to focus on.

Generally, (and I’m going with what I’ve observed coupled with overarching stereotypes here, so your mileage may vary) mathy types tend to lean 6-3. A good way to judge whether you’d be interested in checking out 6-1/6-2 is your reaction to 8.02. If you loved it, I’d look into it. If you absolutely detested it, then 6-1 might not be for you. Either way, 6.00 and 6.01 will also help you figure some of that out. 6.01 is a pretty eclectic mix of 6-1 and 6-3 topics, so after you take it, just reflect on what you liked best and that will go a long way toward helping you figure it out. 6.00 on the other hand is almost entirely 6-3 type material, so how much you like that class can also help a great deal.

If I had to guess based on what you’ve told me, I’d guess between 6-1 and 6-3, you’ll lean 6-3, both because you like math over physics and because you’ve got an artsy side. There’s a lot of awesome work you can do with human-computer interaction that requires an artistic eye. (On that note, I highly recommend Professor Miller’s class on user interfaces, 6.813.) But I don’t really know you, so always be sure to keep an open mind (and it sounds like you are!) Who knows what you’ll end up liking?

Good luck!