<p>I have a few questions about choosing classes:</p>
<li><p>How many credits do I need to take per semester to graduate in 4 years? And what number is too many?</p></li>
<li><p>I’m going to take Econ 101 but I’ve never studied the subject in school, will that be a problem?</p></li>
<li><p>What exactly are first year seminars? Are they worth taking?</p></li>
<li><p>Any classes that you thought were really good? (matter of personal opinion I know, but I’m open to ideas).</p></li>
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<li>I took the AP Chem exam and am expecting a 4, so is it <em>recommended</em> to go on to Chem 210/211 or would it be better to start with Chem 130 and re learn everything?</li>
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<li><p>You need a total of 120 credits, including AP/IB/etc. to graduate. I think you need a minimum of 60 taken at U of M. You take 12-18 a semester. I'd say most people take on average 15 even if they have AP credit.</p></li>
<li><p>People tell me Econ 101 is a joke. Most people who take it don't have that much background in Econ. That's why it's 101.</p></li>
<li><p>First year seminars are smaller classes restricted to first year students. They're just like any class, really. If you're interested in a topic, then take it, but it's not like the university isn't full of small classes to take.</p></li>
<li><p>What are you interested in?
Polsci 339 with Mary Gallagher is fairly easy, even though a bit reading intensive, and it will blow your mind: China has so many problems.
A lot of people I know really enjoy college-level English a lot more than high school English, so you might want to try that out for humanities credit. Of course, I found a lot of people's writing skills not exactly up to par when I went to college, so if you have a good writing background, you might be more interested in higher level English classes when people aren't experiencing the, "Whoa! That's how you're supposed to write!" feeling for the first time.
Anthrobio 362 by Professor Brace is a good class to take for your Race and Ethnicity requirement if you don't care about it much. You basically get a small coursepack with an outline of lecture, non-required readings, non-required but helpful quizzes and midterm, a take-home final and final essay. I did nothing for the class and then apparently my final essay blew his mind away. He told me that he wanted to research my topic? And thus I got an A. Silly professors stealing ideas!</p></li>
<li><p>I don't know.</p></li>
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<p>1) The minimum number of credits to graduate is 120 (which is 15 per semester, assuming you started with no transfer or AP/IB credits). You may end up needing to take more than that to finish all your various degree requirements, depending on how many electives you take.</p>
<p>2) Nope, it's pretty simple if you have a basic understanding of math.</p>
<p>3) Smaller classes for first year students that are more in-depth or an interesting/current topic that wouldn't be covered in a standard first-year course. No clue if they're worth taking.</p>
<p>4) I dunno.</p>
<p>5) I think if you review a little and do good on the placement test, you should be fine to take Orgo. The placement test doesn't really even cover AP-level material, I think I scored in the 93rd percentile having just taken my high school's basic chemistry class (although I had finished that class about a week or two before orientation, so it was all pretty fresh to me).</p>