I’m a sciences person; I want to figure out my specific major by some time sophomore year (the STEM majors have so many requirements that I have to, in order to take the various non-STEM classes I’d really like to take)
Ideally I’d take intro classes freshman year. However, they’re all only offered first semester (why?? And I have no idea what I’m doing second semester but one step at a time).
So I’d be doing intro physics, linear algebra, and intro chem at once. As well as music theory (to get the minor; also only offered first semester) and a writing seminar (are those actually hard?)
Will this be too much? Should I reconsider? Is it more common than I’d assumed to take intro classes for a potential major over multiple years?
Background:
I took six APs in high school, as well as technically-not-AP mv calc/lin alg (and got straight a-minuses with challenging teachers); someone at Cornell told me you should only do 4 classes your first semester
Are you in CAS? If so, where is your Foreign language class?
yes - I wasn’t going to take one first semester
Your first year or two are going to be filled with larger introductory lectures. That’s pretty normal. It’s good to take courses in a variety of departments right off the bat, especially if you aren’t sure what exactly you want to major in. Take the intro courses for whatever interests you.
Most courses are only offered in either the fall or spring semester. Intro courses/the first courses in a sequence are most often offered in the fall because, well, that’s the first semester. Then second semester you can take the next course in the sequence/an upper-level course in the department.
Writing seminars vary in difficulty. Mine were both hard and I hated them both even though I love writing. The grad student teaching it will most likely make or break the course. They change each semester so there’s no way of really knowing what you’re getting yourself into.
You may want to consider starting your foreign language right off the bat if you’re doing the three semester intro sequence, because otherwise you’ll have to wait to take the intro course until your sophomore fall and take it into your junior year, and by then there might be other upper-level courses in your major you want to take.