<p>Hi guys,
I am an incoming freshman at the uw and was wondering if you guys could evaluate the difficulty of my fall schedule and the amount of work I will have. I will be taking cse 143, chem 142, math 126, and math 307. (18 credits) Will this schedule be overwhelming?</p>
<p>In a word, yes, overwhelming. Both chem 142 and cse 143 have time-consuming labs, so they are more workload than the credits suggest. The math courses can also be a lot of work, depending on your preparation. Also, while not strictly a prereq, completing math 126 is recommended before starting 307. </p>
<p>What preparation did you have in high school (including grades, AP scores)?</p>
<p>I only took regular chemistry in high school. I got 5s and As in both Ap calculus AB and Ap Comp sci. The reason I chose these courses was that I heard that the Uw computer science was a highly competitive major, meaning that you have to take rigorous courses to get in?</p>
<p>You need to take the CS prereqs and you need to maintain a very high GPA, which is hard to do with a heavy technical course load. The UW math 12x series is more rigorous than AP Calculus, as well as <em>much</em> faster pace. Since you took only calc ab (not bc), you might consider taking math 125 at UW. You may find it hard to do well in math 126 with only calc ab. Similarly, you might also consider taking cse 142 at UW, as AP CS is not as rigorous. You will probably find CSE 142 pretty easy, but 4.0 it and it will prepare you better for cse 143. You can take a look online for past math 125/126 and cse 142/153 syllabuses and homework and final exams to gauge where you should start. If you can do the past final exams in math 125 and cse 142 right <em>now</em> under exam conditions, then go ahead and go for math 126 and cse 143.</p>
<p>Also, UW CS don’t even require math 307, so math 308 would be a better choice after math 126.</p>
<p>The CSE dept likes to see physics, as doing very well in physics is an indicator of ability to do well in cs. So if you haven’t had AP Physics (with A and 5), you might consider phys 121 rather than (or in addition to) chem 142. But if you feel you would do better in chemistry, stick with chem 142.</p>
<p>I’d suggest you start your freshman year with just two technical courses plus one distribution requirement, such as one of chem 142/phys 121/math 125/126, one of cse 142/143 and English composition (a CS admin requirement). This will allow you to gauge your ability to handle UW workload. If you can handle more, fine, take more in your second quarter.</p>