<p>How is this for my first semester? Doable? I intend to major in CS in L&S.</p>
<p>Spanish R1A (R&C) 4 units
CS 61A 4 units
Math 1B (poop) 4 units
GWS 100AC (American Cultures + Arts&Lit Breadth) 3 units</p>
<p>I'm most concerned about CS 61A and Math 1B, but moreso Math 1B. Apparently Fall 2013 I'll be getting Vojta, who on ratemyprofessors, is ranked very low in terms of easiness and only 30/400 students showed up for lecture by the end of the semester.</p>
<p>And then the average grade for Spanish R1A and GWS 100AC is an A- with very enthusiastic and easy teachers. And the classes seem interesting since I can relate to both of them..</p>
<p>Comments/Advice?</p>
<p>R&C courses can vary a lot based on the instructor; check the departmental web pages for reading lists to see which ones are most interesting to you.</p>
<p>You have checked the <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/1305840-freshman-math-faq.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/1305840-freshman-math-faq.html</a> on math placement, right?</p>
<p>Aren’t the instructors’ names on ScheduleBuilder? I just looked the professor up on ratemyprofessors and the instructor for Fall 2013 seems pretty enthusiastic and intellectual. And yes, I’ll be taking Math 1B.</p>
<p>Assuming 120 credits to graduate, it’s a solid schedule.</p>
<p>Thanks. It won’t be too hard as a freshman right? All the Berkeley people are telling the incoming freshman to have 13 units.</p>
<p>They are probably advising conservatively since first semester frosh are most vulnerable to adjustment problems going from high school to college work (and college social life). This might be especially true for students who loaded up on “AP lite” courses in high school, mistakenly thinking that they are really equivalent to college courses and assuming that college will be that easy (“AP lite” meaning those AP courses which are a year long in high school but are equivalent to a semester or less of college course).</p>
<p>However, students in the College of Engineering and College of Chemistry pretty much have to take full loads from the start, due to prerequisite sequencing.</p>
<p>Pretty reasonable. It’s a little on the heavier side but definitely manageable.
Math 1B sucks generally. If you can skip out of it, do so. Vojta tends to give out pretty broad ranges on grades, with the average around a B-/C+.</p>
<p>ucb - funny that you say that. Our S got the blessing from his Calc teacher that he would be more than capable to use his AP credit and score to skip that one math section. But we’ve been debating on if he should take it or not and get an A to pad his GPA. His AP Physics teacher said he should just take it and get an easy A, even though he said he should be fine. So now, we’re sitting here debating what to do. OMG using AP credit such a debate hmmmmm</p>
<p>I have no choice. I have to do Math 1B.</p>
<p>Its still possible to get an A though right? I took calc bc in high school…</p>
<p>It is possible. Just keep in mind that many other students in Math 1B have also taken Calc BC, so you’ll be competing with them for that A. Calc BC is much easier than university-level math as well.</p>
<p>Yeah I’m so effing scared. =( Do you have any tips on how to study for Vojta’s class? I should have signed up for the summer class.</p>
<p>Well it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get an A in the class. Oftentimes a B or better is fine too (unless you’re planning to apply to graduate/professional school in the future). </p>
<p>That being said, college is more than just about getting that coveted 4.0. I don’t really have any good tips except that you should practice problems and find his past exams around midterm time to get a flavor of what you might expect. I guess the problem is that these professors research such abstract concepts in math that it is often difficult for them to convey/understand how much a typical undergraduate might understand a lower-division math class. </p>
<p>You could try taking it with Serganova if it doesn’t conflict with your schedule, who has in the past given out a bit more lenient grades. Don’t fret too much about it; you’re bound to get a few “bad” professors during your time at Cal anyways (and good ones too!).</p>
<p>I know; I just don’t want to get below a B because apparently CS is going to be capped soon, and honestly, I have no back up plans. And unfortunately my CS class conflicts with Serganova’s Math 1B class. Oh well, I think it will be a good experience anyways.</p>
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<p>The <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/1305840-freshman-math-faq.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/1305840-freshman-math-faq.html</a> has pointers to various advising resources, including old final exams of various math courses which he can try to see how well he knows the material.</p>
<p>It is advantageous from a scheduling perspective to start in a math course more advanced than Math 1A, since some majors (e.g. mechanical engineering and physics) have a 7 semester long prerequisite sequence starting with Math 1A. Starting in a more advanced math course (and taking Physics 7A in the first semester instead of the second semester) shortens the sequence to 6 semesters, giving more schedule flexibility.</p>
<p>Note that lots of other students in Math 1A are retaking their AP credit to pad their GPA, so it may not be as easy an A as assumed.</p>
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<p>If he has a 5 on AP Physics C mechanics, the College of Engineering allows him to skip Physics 7A. He may want to check the old Physics 7A final exams in this case: <a href=“https://tbp.berkeley.edu/students/exams/[/url]”>https://tbp.berkeley.edu/students/exams/</a></p>
<p>ucb - He actually printed all those examples out and did them. Then he went over them with his teacher after school to make sure they were right. He was able to do them, which is a good sign. Plus his teacher has offered a refresher during summer for those that think they might want to skip. Which is awesome for an inner city public school. Some amazing teachers out there. I’m talking about his calc class. The physics teach is a lil lazy.</p>
<p>Seems like he should be fine skipping the courses whose old final exams he could do correctly. Then he can enjoy more free electives (probably later), either in advanced engineering courses or out-of-major courses of interest. Or leave open the possibility of early graduation and reduce the risk of graduating late.</p>
<p>Hey jesskidding. Let me give you some advice. Taking Vojta’s class is an absolute horror. He is one of the worst professors in my opinion. His lectures were so boring even words can’t describe it. His grades are absolutely brutal and he is not considerate of his students grades. Office hours don’t help either… He’s not a mean person but his grades are very low and his lectures are terrible.</p>
<p>Your schedule looks good but I would seriously consider doing Math 1B with another professor or even looking at Math 1A just to avoid Vojta. There’s a reason why his ratings are so low… Keep this in mind when you are finalizing your schedule…</p>
<p>Are you serious 
What if I’m stuck with Vojta again Semester 2? LOL That would be horror on top of horror…</p>
and you might know something.</p>