<p>There aren't any reviews on the SCG for this class, so I was just wondering if anybody has taken it and could provide some information. How was it? There aren't any math prereqs, so I'm assuming the math concepts that are presented aren't too difficult. The professor is John Gott for the fall semester.</p>
<p>This looks like a new class. I think it’s intended for non-science majors or just people who want to learn more about astro without having to major in it. It’s probably comparable to the spring-semester course AST 203 (aka Stars for Stoners) in terms of difficult (which means it isn’t that hard, compared to other classes). Personally, I am taking AST 255 this fall, and as far as I remember, there aren’t any hefty pre-reqs for this course. But, I’ve heard it’s supposed to be a more fascinating course overall, if nothing else.</p>
<p>Yeah, I thought it might have been new since it had no reviews; looks like it is after all! :)</p>
<p>AST 255 requires at least one course in either bio/chem/etc. which I won’t have as a freshman, and I didn’t take AP tests in high school (IB instead) so I wouldn’t fulfill the prereq for it. </p>
<p>I’ll be happy with AST 201 though; I’m mostly just looking to fulfill my QR requirement early on and to add some diversity to the tentative schedule I’m forming for my academic meeting. It’s a little heavier on LA and HA classes.</p>
<p>^You should check with your advisor when you meet with him/her in September and see if IB can stand-in for AP in this situation (that is, if AST 255 is of any interest). If not, AST 201 is perfectly fine, and it’ll be a course that you’ll enjoy (I wish I had had a course like that during my freshman year haha).</p>
<p>AST 201 is a brand-new course, and is definitely intended for non-science majors; I think it’s supposed to be more of a visual thing than a math thing so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Your adviser may or may not be very helpful (it really depends) so I would actually go talk to Prof. Gott himself if you’re concerned about it.</p>
<p>Prof. Gott is one of the best, most entertaining lecturers in the astro department so my guess is that this will be a really interesting class. Go for it!</p>