If I were to sit in Math 55...

Colleges & Universities University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>Would they care/mind/notice?</p>

<p>I don’t actually want to take the course for credit. Just want to listen to lectures and learn some Discrete Math.</p>

<p>I suppose they might get mad since I’m not paying the full $1500 to take the course…
But there are about 40 people in the class, so if I were to just sit in, I doubt anyone would notice.</p>

<p>But the class has already started for a week. And that’s a lot of material covered for a summer course. I believe it should be possible for me to catch up… What can I do? I was thinking about emailing the professor and asking about sitting in, but I’d figured if a class is really big (40 isn’t really), then I could just sit in and not go during exam days.</p>

<p>Any thoughts on this?</p>

2

<p>Yeah, I don’t think anyone would care if you sat in on the class. Don’t ask, just show up. It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.</p>

3

<p>Cool. I’ll think I will probably do that.</p>

<p>But before I do, does anyone here disagree with that plan?</p>

<p>A few more inputs backing or against, would be helpful.</p>

<p>Anyone here on CC taking Discrete Math this summer at Cal?</p>

4

<p>yeah, unless there were a problem with getting enough seats for the people actually enrolled it should be okay for you to sit in. Just fyi, if you take 6 or more units you’re eligible for summer financial aid, so you may want to sign up for the class anyway.</p>

5

<p>There’s math 55 lectures available on webcast:</p>

<p><a href=“Webcast and Legacy Course Capture | Research, Teaching, and Learning”>Webcast and Legacy Course Capture | Research, Teaching, and Learning;

6

<p>Nobody is likely to mind. Remember: over the summer, it’s taught by GSIs who are getting meager stipends. They really don’t care that much about detailed policies.</p>

<p>However, in a small classroom, make sure there’s a seat for you and that you can sit in without distracting the class.</p>

<p>If you are unsure, just ask the GSI after class.</p>

7

<p>Ohh cool. There are webcasts. Is there any reason why I should sit in the class as opposed to just watching the webcasts?</p>

8

<p>The only downside to webcasts is that you can be easily distracted wandering the Internet, but since your reason for wanting to learn the material is for the sake of learning that shouldn’t be a problem.</p>

9

<p>Webcasts are a great way to ‘audit’ many many classes without actually registering or physically stepping into classrooms.</p>

10

<p>Ahh, is it just an audio file? I can’t seem to see the video.</p>

11

<p>Professors and GSIs do not really have a problem with people if they want to audit the course (which is common for lots of upperclassmen who have fulfilled class requirements for their majors/minors but what to to look at other stuff with no risks involved). Some professors and GSIs will not care if someone just wants to sit in, but others (like Robert Reich in Wealth and Poverty, PP103) make a big, incessant deal for mandatory feedback, meaning auditors have to fill out formal auditing forms. Either way, the campus is not hostile to auditors really.</p>

12

<p>But, I mean, should I just sit in, or should I ask before hand?</p>

13

<p>Asking doesn’t hurt.</p>