<p>"It's Interdisciplinary Studies Field Major (ISF), by the way, but that's a minor detail. =T I think we've talked about this before, and it's nice to see that you're attempting to go through with it. In terms of the concept viability, you'd actually get a better opinion from an English major than an ISF major because an English major would have a better understanding as to how unique, how niche that particular course of study is. If, for example, that English student finds that your current pathway is familiar within the English major to what some other students are/have attempted, then that's a solid indication that your application into ISF will not stand out as much. As far as how strict major approval is, I would not imagine it to be that difficult (I will undergo the process by second semester). If you've invested a fair amount of time in the planning and actual participation in classes you've designated for your major, that would be compelling evidence to admit you. Just keep in mind that you must fufill at least one part of the world civilizations requirement before you can apply into that major, and that you'll eventually have to take ISF 100A and ISF 100B, C, D, or E. I mentioned this last fact because it answers Question 2: as a transfer student, you'd have a difficult time completing major requirements in addition to the nine courses you've listed, on top of university and college requirements. My advice is to cut down your list of courses to the minimum of six classes, just so you can graduate in good time (I'm not sure you'd even graduate by first semester of fifth year with the schedule you've outlined; and, if you somehow do, it's going to take a heavy toll to make up all the courseload). I'm not sure if you've already done this, but when you look for classes, make sure you search through summer, fall and spring listings. Be sure you look at other unique majors as well, because just looking over the departments represented on your list, they appear to be the "usual suspects." For example, my course program includes Sociology, Demography, City & Regional Planning, and Environmental Sciences and Policy Management- a unique combination of courses that are to be found only within certain departments- I'm not so sure concepts similar to screenwriting cannot be found within the English major. In an effort to make your course study look more appealing (in the eyes of your advisor), you should step back from generic courses (Intro to Literacy Theory, Rhetoric of this and that) and shoot for more specialized topics. If you are pursing a specialized field of study, as assumed under the ISF major, then it would only make sense that your course program must be equally represented by specialized topics. While some deride ISF as a joke major, there is also a large population of students who recognize that it's not easy (which is closer to reality than the former). Although it can be made simpler if you choose courses you particularly like and fit them into your major, as an ISF major, all the classes in your course program are upper-division courses. The designation, "upper-division," itself is not the concern but what it implies: that you must master all concepts found in the lower-division level. For instance, some of the courses I selected for my course program have pre-requisite Statistic or Economics requirements. I must take these courses on my own, outside of my major and outside of my minors, just to take those courses within my major. I'm not sure I have much else to say, but if you have any more questions, I'd be happy to field them in a public forum (I don't like PMs, I like to share answers so lurkers out there can share the information)."</p>
<p>Wow thanks ttgiang15! Hehe, yeah someone kept describing it to me as IFS so I got confused. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Yeah, I intend to finish both world civilization requirements my first semester at Cal (I thought both were required to declare?). I'm planning to take Eng 125 E (Contemporary Novel) and Chinese 183 Traditional Culture or History 30A Science and Society (Antiquity through Newton). Any advice on whether to take these classes or something else on the ISF list <a href="http://ls.berkeley.edu/ugis/isf/major/worldciv_f06.php%5B/url%5D">http://ls.berkeley.edu/ugis/isf/major/worldciv_f06.php</a> for Fall Semester. I want to take the easier classes because I want the smoothest transition into Cal and don't want to get discouraged by a gpa killer of a class.</p></li>
<li><p>Hmm, so you advice me to cut back on the amount of classes. Well, I was initially planning to do something like this. Go to UCB for two semesters. Defer for the semester of my senior year (to make my half assed attempt at writing a novella and more short stories). By defering early enough, I will have time to edit my pieces and perhaps use it on my application to MFA programs come the following Fall. Off hand, do you know if this is possible? Or can you only defer and extend your academic career with extenuating circumstances? I also want to spread out my courseload over five semesters so I can max out my gpa (Ha sounds like a typical CCer...I know) for grad schools...So possible or no?</p></li>
<li><p>Yeah, I had to eliminate courses from my proposed line of study because they had cumbersome prerequisities. I wish there was a way to bypass prerequisities but I'm assuming not because you had to take the class prereqs regardless. Or it possible on a case by case basis?</p></li>
<li><p>I'm planning to do the ISF creative thesis option. Do you know if this has to be an entirely new work? Or can I gather some of the pieces from my CW classes and perhaps write some more and have this as my ISF creative thesis? If it is required that all the material be new, do I have to be enrolled in school to write my creative thesis (like I can I write it during a summer or for the semester I intend to defer and submit it when I return to school)?</p></li>
<li><p>Do I really have to make my course selection more appealing to my advisor by taking more specialized classes (versus some of the baseline intro classes mentioned) I mean because these are the classes I really want to take. I thought ISF would give me the freedom to meet my interests like no other majors would. </p></li>
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<p>Thank you in advance!!! This is helping me so much!!! I'm glad to hear I will likely be able to go through with this (I'm pretty much 99% sure I'm a ISF major now!)</p>