<p>I’d take or try linear and see how you feel before deciding one way or another about crypto. I have no idea what to expect for Math 0540 this fall (As far as I know, I’m the grader, but it’s a book and professor I haven’t worked with). There are multiple professors in the spring, perhaps with a different textbook.</p>
<p>CHEM0330 (which would be somewhat review) or any bio class that requires BIOL0200 would be appropriate. There’s also the intro neuro class, though I’ve heard that it’s more memorization intensive than anything.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that intermediate macro and micro are fairly easy. They don’t sound like the sorts of courses that would be reading intensive, either.</p>
<p>I can’t offer any advice on English courses, as I have no experience with that department.</p>
<p>I’m a prospective Chem/Biochem major, and each of those tracks requires math. I have taken AP Calc BC and expect a 5.</p>
<p>The Chem concentration says that I need 2 Math courses. Does my credit satisfy these? </p>
<p>I am considering engineering for grad school, so I want to take MATH18 or 20 and probably 52 or 54 in addition to some CS courses S/NC for my own benefit. My question is, would waiting until 2nd semester to take 18 be a bad idea? I have good retention, and could review some concepts, but is the class fast-paced and difficult such that I should take it right away, with the BC material fresh in my mind?</p>
<p>Also, not to inundate you with questions, but is it odd for Chem concentrators to take the physics sequence sophomore year instead of freshman year? I think that the 1st and second physics courses line up with the third and fourth chem courses, so it should work schedule-wise.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! You’ve given me a lot to think about and some great suggestions, both of which I really appreciate :)</p>
<p>@bruno14: haha good point I just looked at the chem placement information again. Thank you for the correction!</p>
<p>@Uroogla: You’re the grader? That’s so interesting! How does that work? Is it a paid TA or work/study kind of thing or are you just volunteering? </p>
<p>And as for linear algebra, I should go for 540 instead of 520? We didn’t do too many proofs in my high school. Maybe we did more than I thought, but I feel like I remember my teacher repeated saying that the proof wasn’t that helpful so he would explain it to us visually. We did a decent amount in BC I think but less in multivariable this year (possibly because he doesn’t truly understand why some of the things work haha).</p>
<p>@pkm2232: Although I don’t know for sure, and contacting the concentration advisor is the best plan, I’d imagine the AP credits would count. I would advise you shop both 18 and 20, since 18 is often poorly taught, and you’ll want to find the best teacher for you. Whether you take multi in the fall or spring is really up to you. Generally, it doesn’t make use of the hardest concepts of calc (the focus is on multivariate techniques, not on what you’ve learned in BC). You can always take an APMA course in the fall to keep your calculus fresh. Many chemistry and biology concentrators put off physics until at least sophomore year, if not later. You would hardly be alone in that regard.</p>
<p>@Chlorinated: I was hired at the beginning of the spring by the math department. I’m paid hourly for grading, but I have no direct interaction with the students, so it’s not like my TA positions in the CS department. The decision whether to take 0520 or 0540 is challenging. 0520 is a perfectly good introduction to linear algebra. 0540 goes into more depth and involves numerous short proofs. Generally, 0540 is much better preparation for upper-level courses that have proofs (like crypto), though there exist students who take 0520 and do fine in upper level courses. Shopping both is a good idea - I think 0540 is doable without a background in proofs, but I really like linear and took the course having already seen much of the material in high school, so talking to others would give you a better idea. I am somewhat confused when you say you did proofs in BC Calc - many of the proofs (except maybe delta epsilon) are inaccessible to students at that level. The technique is the most important thing. Many students get the right idea for proofs but struggle to formalize their ideas, leading to anything from a minor case not considered to techniques that are completely incorrect. That just takes practice.</p>
<p>@pkm2232: Re. the physics FYS (Are There Extra Dimensions Under Your Bed?), I know a couple of people who took it. While the content is definitely interesting on its own (and Meenakshi is a fantastic professor), they said that it was much more like a lecture than a discussion-based class and would have taken a different FYS had they known this earlier. Different strokes for different folks, though, so – as always – shop before you make a final decision.</p>
<p>They weren’t exactly proofs, more just he showed us how/why things worked, which he called “proofs,” versus in my MVC class where he didn’t really understand why most of it worked so he just taught us how to do the problems. I guess my wording was bad on that post! </p>
<p>Thanks again! I’m going to go revise things (after I finish my UCAAP application) with your comments. Seriously, the amount of time you spend helping people out on here is wonderful and we all really appreciate it.</p>
<p>^Look bad in what sense, and to whom? I know someone who’s taken in 3 years 18 or so math courses, plus several physics courses. Not much variety there, but he’s applying to math PhD programs, so it shouldn’t be a problem.</p>
<p>I feel like advisors would try to get me to not take so many science courses heheh. I just finished a rough schedule for next year (2 biol, 1 chem, 1 csci, and 1 hisp - yes I’m dropping one) and then in the mail there’s a plme advising letter that says “As a general rule, I recommend that you avoid taking more than two science course in a single semester…Your first year at Brown should be one of exploration and general liberal education.” I guess I should work on really getting across the thought I’d rather be done with all bio prereqs and other sci courses in the first year and then explore in the later years…</p>
<p>Oh, you’re a PLME. You really should let go of the idea that you’re going to finish your pre-recs, then go onto the fun stuff. It’ll be a lot better in the long term if you mix them up together. What specific classes were you looking at? I’d recommend taking Chem 330 (or 100 if you’re not prepared) and either the CSCI or one of the Bio classes. Then add on the Spanish class and some sort of smaller class - an FYS or small seminar. Since most of your other classes will be large lectures, you’ll enjoy having the small seminar.</p>
<p>Have you found out who your PLME advisor is yet? I’m pretty sure he/she will give you the same advice I have. Please consider it - there’s a reason for the “L” in PLME!</p>
<p>You really don’t want to do 2 lab sciences, CS, and a language class in the same semester. CS classes are incredibly time intensive, as is the lab component of CHEM0330. You wouldn’t be behind in bio by putting it off, since the standard first course, BIOL0200, is a spring course. You could put off CS, since it doesn’t serve as a prereq to anything unless you decide you want to take more.</p>
<p>Some people are also much happier taking Orgo as a sophomore or junior, so it’s worth considering, as well.</p>
<p>Intended Concentration: Chemistry (Biochem track) (Maybe engineering, if not for grad school, then)</p>
<p>AP for credit: Chem, Bio, Spanish, BC Calc</p>
<p>** Classes:** [ul]
** CHEM0330:** Equilibrium, Rate, and Structure
** [li] ENGN0030:** Intro to Engineering[/li]** [li] HISP730:** Early and Contemporary Writers of Spanish America[/li]** [li] RUSS0320D:** The Tolstoy Event: War and Peace [/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>** Comments: **
I decided to change up a few things, now that I’ve been able to see The Critical Review. I can’t find the Russian Lit course on there, as it may be new, but the Professor received fantastic reviews, as did the Spanish one. </p>
<p>Is it common for people to have no class Friday? I was looking at Mocha, and it is certainly doable. I need to place my labs and sections accordingly, but the time doesn’t seem too crunched to me.</p>
<p>Your schedule looks pretty good. Feel free to shop another class or two, just in case one ends up being not as good as you hoped. It’s always worth it just to see what they’re like.</p>
<p>It’s very doable to have no class Friday, depending on the classes you’re taking, but the question is whether there would be any benefit to it. I know that for me, having no class on Fridays would mean that I’d waste the entire day instead of studying. If it works better for your study habits, you could use the day to do work.</p>
<p>Hi! I’m going to be a freshman next year, and I’ve been playing around with the course scheduler. I want to concentrate in Cog. Neuroscience btw. Do any of these look manageable/suitable? </p>
<p>CLPS0400: Brain Damage and the Mind (formerly PSYC 0470)
GRMN0750B:Tales of Vampirism and the Uncanny
MATH0090:Introductory Calculus, Part I
NEUR0010:The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience</p>
<p>or </p>
<p>CHEM0100:Introductory Chemistry
ENGL0110:Critical Reading and Writing I: The Academic Essay
GRMN0750B:Tales of Vampirism and the Uncanny
MATH0090:Introductory Calculus, Part I</p>
<p>orrr</p>
<p>CLPS0020: Approaches to the Mind: Introduction to Cognitive Sciencem
MATH0090:Introductory Calculus, Part I
NEUR0010:The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience
SOC0230: Sex, Gender, and Society</p>
<p>Take Intro Neuro now. If you do it as a freshman, you can take Neural Systems (another CogNeuro requirement) sophomore fall and even NeuroBio in the spring if you’re interested. It’s a good course to get out of the way, especially because you’ll find the knowledge useful for other CogNeuro requirements.</p>
<p>You can take Math 9 any semester, but if you’re interested, take it now.</p>
<p>You will have to take Intro CogSci at some point. It’s a good class, and the professor is fantastic. Like Intro Neuro, it’s a course worth taking early on because what you learn will inform other requirements and electives you take in the next few semesters. (Note that for CogNeuro you can take either Human Cognition, which I really liked, or Intro CogSci to fill the same requirement). </p>
<p>Regarding your electives (Vampires!, SOC320, CHEM 10, and English 110) see what fits, especially after you get the syllabus. Intro Neuro is a lot of memorization. Lower level CogSci courses can be, especially if you don’t have a background. Math 9 can be a lot of work, especially if it’s not well taught. And then English 110 will probably be a lot of writing, and Chemistry is also work-heavy.</p>
<p>In short, though, all your sample schedules look fine. Don’t commit yourself now, thoughshop.</p>
<p>Does anybody know the difference between the workload of Hisp0730 and Hisp0740? I know Hisp0740 is “Intensive” but it seems like there’s barely any difference according to the critical review…</p>
<p>1) If I have a weak HS background in chemistry (only took freshman summer regular chem to get ahead for bio…) but I pass the placement exam, should I take chem 0330 in the fall or spring? If I take it in the spring, how often do people take chem 0350 in the summer before sophomore year?</p>
<p>2) I have AP Calc BC (5) credit, and I’m deciding between Math 0170 (Advanced Placement Calc) and 0180 (Inter. Calc). I don’t particularly like math…would taking 0170 make me look like I’m being “lazy”?</p>
<p>@Zulatooka: Many biology majors find their lives are much easier taking Chem 35 sophomore spring - in general, they’ve gained better study skills, so the course doesn’t make their lives hellish. This is an option if you’re exceptionally worried about the course. But…that schedule for the spring looks incredibly reasonable. Bio 20 is a lab science, but the lab component is not particularly time consuming. Depending on your background, much of it may be review, as well.</p>
<p>@chippedtea: You don’t need to take orgo freshman year, and there are quite a few premeds who take it sophomore spring and junior fall (or off campus). A summer version is supposedly seen as less rigorous and less impressive, but I have no clue how much that matters for med school. I’d take Chem 33 whichever term you can fit it and not worry about trying to squeeze orgo in freshman year. Math 17 would not make you look lazy, and some premeds make that choice, With that said, it tends to be substantially harder than 18. Proceed with caution.</p>