<p>Also note- there will be sophomore’s in some of your classes. I know for mechanics at least (spring), about 10 people dropped and another 10 or so failed this year. I believe that says something about the difficulty of the physics courses here, since Mudd students were the top students in their high schools. I am oh so looking forward to Electricity and Magnetism next semester…</p>
<p>As for pass fail, after the first semester students have the option of taking one course pass fail each semester. HOWEVER, the course can not be a core course, a major course, or part of the concentration. Basically, these can be additional math/ science courses you want to take, or humanities courses (they can still meet graduation requirements, just not be part of your concentration). Also, while a D is considered passing letter grade wise, you need a C- equivalent to receive a pass.</p>
<p>Keep in mind after the first year, the average student GPA is somewhere around 2.7-2.8 I believe (Yes, this means most students get at least one or two B-s or even Cs!). You are considered to be on the honors list with a GPA above a 3.0 (given you took more than 15 credits the given semester). If you don’t pass a course, you can still graduate on time, and that goes the same for dropping courses. If a student is at risk of failing, even if it is a core course, they can drop it and retake it. I’d say about 10-15% of the freshman class had to drop or got a NC for a first semester course.</p>