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<p>They’re good GPA boosters I’ve heard. You get good interaction with a prof too which is always a plus. I’d say people usually take one, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to this year with a bunch of techie prereqs. I think I’m going to try and take a sophomore preference one next year. There’s nothing wrong with small class sizes…not sure why you think that’s bad.</p>
<p>Freshman/Sophomore seminars are probably your best experiences in coursework as an underclassmen. Generally, introsems offer you two things: a) experience in a completely different field (most professors will look for people majoring in completely different fields than the subject of the seminar, instead of only picking interested students) and/or b) getting to know a great professor in the field of the introsem.</p>
<p>IHUM sections, PWR, etc. are small classes, sure. But they pale in comparison to the experience of the introsem. Some of the introsems are taught by incredible professors who don’t normally teach underclassmen/undergrads, and as a whole introsems tend to be specialized (e.g. focusing on specific subjects rather than a big survey/lecture course). This makes introsems invalauble, especially as an undergrad. After experiences in Introsems, you’ll notice the big difference between your experience in that chem lecture and the introsem. Worlds apart.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about low unit counts on introsems. None of that really matters. What does matter is having a great experience in a small setting where you can meet your potential research mentors (like I did), and/or find an interest in a completely different field (like I did).</p>
<p>But, as always, check courserank/other students/the first class to be sure the class you take is good for you. Not all introsems are created equal.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot!!
@ walkyu , how many did you take in Freshman year?</p>
<p>I took two. Wish I couldve taken 3.</p>
<p>I was just wondering how many textbooks/notepads do you have to carry a day? And do you need a huge backpack?</p>
<p>Why is TresEx such a ripoff?</p>
<p>What do you do with your bikes in the summer?</p>
<p>Could I get by with just a longboard, or should I get a bike as well?</p>
<p>I bring my laptop. Occassionally I do bring textbooks/notepads. Some classes won’t even require you to buy textbooks --though these are generally the small seminar classes. I’ve gotten out of buying textbooks for classes for two classes this quarter. </p>
<p>I’ve had a great experience with the seminars, I’ve taken three this year. Stanford actually give profs money to take the seminar students out to lunch at really nice restaurants --which was AWESOME. </p>
<p>i’ve gone to TresEx … ohh, zero times. I go to Wal-Mart haha. You share a storage unit with friends and store your bikes/stuff there during the summer. And plenty of people long-board… I’m sure you’ll be fine without a bike. Also, people do walk, but they are a small number.</p>
<p>I’m by far not authoritative, but when I visited for Admit Weekend, a lot of the people in my dorm (FloMo) said they pretty much never used their bikes.</p>
<p>FloMo is nice b/c it’s pretty near the heart of campus (Tressider, Old Union, White Plaza, Bookstore, etc) and the main quad really isn’t so far away). But a lot of people in FloMo do bike though (including me). The bikes are nice if you regularly go all over campus (aka engineering quad, science-y buildings, or Arrillaga, which are kind of out of the way, at least in terms of walking).</p>
<p>should I be a SLE kid!?!</p>
<p>I have my social and quiet moments.
I do like the humanities, but will be a science major (earth systems, most likely)
I want to meet diverse people, and not feel socially isolated</p>
<p>opinions?</p>
<p>I was leaning toward SLE when I went to Admit Weekend, but decided against it. I didn’t like how much of my schedule would be absorbed by SLE, and the quiet of the dorm compared to the houses of Wilbur and Stern made me second guess myself.</p>
<p>I was also interested in SLE, but my friend dissuaded me from it. Apparently the workload is worth much more than 9 units and, instead of immersing yourself in SLE, you could take many more humanities/philosophy classes that interest you in its place.</p>
<p>@ Code H- SLE is a paradise for humanities-inclined people, but I assure you that there are many, many people in SLE who are techies. And the people in SLE are some of the most quirky and diverse individuals you will ever meet. SLE does not condemn you to a year of social isolation. On the contrary, SLE people are very outgoing and although you’ll make most of your closest friends in SLE (and people in your dorm), you have plenty of opportunities to make tons of friends outside of SLE.</p>
<p>@ applicannot- I’m sorry that you aren’t interested in SLE. SLE isn’t for the faint of heart. Also the fact that the dorms are “quieter” may be a false one. Admit Weekend sort of subdues the partying atmosphere of Stanford. It may interest you that FloMo is closest to the Row houses and frat houses–major partying centers on campus.</p>
<p>@ TheAscendancy- SLE is really something that you should see for yourself. On the contrary, SLE is a good deal in terms of units b/c it covers so many requirements in the span of three quarters. Don’t be intimidated by the extra units–the workload overall isn’t that bad. We actually write shorter and fewer essays than students in IHUM and PWR.</p>
<p>Any music majors here that can tell me about the music program at Stanford? Or even what the ensembles are like (quality, etc.)? Thanks!</p>
<p>@ Code H, TheAscendancy, aplicannot:
SLE was my easiest academic class Fall and Winter quarters. That said, I’m not a literature person and had never written a non-technical essay longer than a couple pages before Stanford. It’s far more about speculation and philosophy than literature, but that needed to be said. I still found it enjoyable. You read extracts from a book or two carefully each week, do some Googling to decipher its background, go to 3 lectures in your dorm, and argue, armed and ferocious, for three and a half hours. That is by far the most important part. Then you watch a movie. </p>
<p>Fall quarter they flat out told us they were easing us into it. My main point of contention was having to read Plato’s Republic. Overall it wasn’t particularly interesting. But we studied it because it’s important, and you can trace it right through Mussolini. (As an aside, the dinner tables in my SLE dorm are pretty argumentative, and Hitler often comes up. Not often -nay, not usually- as the cliched standard of evil.) And that’s the gist of the class. You always try to use historical context, but you also always try to use modern examples, acknowledging any perversions accrued in the interlude. You argue about things that matter.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that SLE is over-united to justify the program’s funding. A more representative scale would be 4 units in the Fall, 6 units in the Winter, 8 units in the Spring. But then units don’t mean much here; the notorious class in which you build an OS is 3 units. In Spring you get many more chances to refer to contemporary journalism and TV, although media compendia like TVTropes are relevant from the first day of Fall.</p>
<p>GeekNerd, thanks for your helpful SLE observations. Can you talk a little bit about what other courses you added to your schedule each quarter, and whether scheduling them was difficult? I know that SLE classes are consolidated into the afternoon/early evenings (which is a big plus IMO) so I’m curious how that affects the overall schedule. Also, do you think it is best to only add one additional class per quarter, if that class is pretty labor-intensive (lots of problem sets, e.g.)? Thanks for your insights.</p>
<p>SLE’s out-of-the-way time doesn’t interrupt adding classes, but certain events occur during SLE - like an occasional music recital or the weekly math symposium. In fact there’s a temptation to fill all of your time with classes, as I did last quarter.
Only do the following if you can stand a good deal of isolation and social fluidity.</p>
<p>A Winter Week
Math 52H (many hrs hw, 5 hrs class, conceptually challenging)
Chem 33 (5 hrs hw, 2 hrs reading, 3 hrs class, liberal resources available)
Activity units (6 hrs, that was waaaaaay too much, exhausting)
SLE (many hrs reading, 1 hr hw?, 8+ hrs class, plus occasional papers)
Social Life (=dining hall) (15 hrs breakfast/lunch, 10 hrs dinner)
Student Groups (5 hrs dance team, 3 hrs fundraising)</p>
<p>That was a hard quarter, and while the classes were all quite engaging, I would have hated it utterly if I wasn’t in SLE, for primarily social reasons. It gave me a strong community so I didn’t feel compelled to go out and make friends outside. To add a weekly party to that you’d have to drop one of the entries, after which it might be quite average. To answer your question, zenkoan, I’d say no. 2 classes + SLE is fine. Sub my chem for a language class (which is truly what it is) and sub my math for a hard class and you should be fine with with 1 activity class and 1 student group.</p>
<p>Having learned from that I’m currently on
2 conceptually moderate math classes
1 chem
1 fundraising group
0 activity classes
SLE
which proved much wiser.</p>
<p>Thanks again, GeekNerd. Wow, my brain nearly exploded contemplating your Winter quarter! Two classes plus SLE sounds very ample to me–I’m pretty attached to getting a good night’s sleep most of the time. I’m glad you found a good balance for yourself this quarter. It sounds like one of the biggest challenges of freshman year at Stanford will be knowing how many things to get involved in, when so many beckon.</p>
<p>Are you an anomaly as a quantitative type in SLE, or are the participants a diverse lot in their academic inclinations?</p>
<p>Also, if you don’t mind sharing, where are you hoping to draw for housing next year? There are so many housing choices! Have you enjoyed living in FloMo?</p>
<p>I read somewhere around here that SLE isn’t ideal for those considering Engineering majors. What truth is there to this? I’m also hoping to be able to take Japanese my entire freshman year, plus have time to explore an extra course or two. Does this seem possible with SLE or am I asking for hell? </p>
<p>Or what if I go for Computer Science? I’ve heard it’s a pretty tough major too, but I have no idea how much SLE would affect it.</p>
<p>There are plenty of CS majors taking SLE. As well as engineering majors. I also know people who are taking SLE + Japanese (or another language) + another class. very doable.</p>