<p>Okay, well i dont know if its really crazy, but i'm not sure if the classes i want to take will be too much. I'm a science/math person and it comes naturally to me. Did little work in AP Bio/Chem/Physics/Calc BC and still pulled near perfect grades and 4s and 5s on AP exams. Right now heres what i plan on taking (sorry, i dont know the exact course codes):
General Bio (3-5)
General Chem (might take higher level if i use my AP credit) (4)
Nutrition, Health and Society (3)
Personalized Concepts (1)
FWS (3)
PE
Evolutionary Biology and Diversity(4?)
Calc (Not sure if I should take I or use AP credit and jump to III)</p>
<p>I'm a Human Biology, Health and Society major so the first 6 are required. Going for pre-med so i'm not sure if taking a challenging schedule will improve my admission chances. Also, as a side question, if i wanted to sit in on a class just purely out of my own interest and without actually being registered for the class, is that allowed? For instance, I'd like to learn another language, but my schedule won't allow it, so i was wondering if i could just be a "sit in". Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>well, since ive never taken a class at cornell, i wouldnt really know how much time and effort these classes will require. Maybe i wont take the second bio class… is ~20 still too much?</p>
<p>I’d recommend not taking more than 18 credits your first semester, ideally around 15, not including PE. That should come out to about 4 or 5 classes. You’ll get a better idea once you get to campus and speak to other students in your major and to your advisor. Don’t worry -you can still change everything around in August during the add/drop period. Also, be aware that you may find you have less work in a 4 credit class than a 3 credit class!</p>
<p>Cornell is great, but you may initially experience unanticipated stress from dorm life, living away from home, the climate, etc. I’d suggest avoiding unnecessary academic stress your first semester if possible. You’ll have 7 more semesters to take a heavier courseload once you’re more adjusted - no need to rush!</p>
<p>I agree, don’t load up on too many credits during your first semester at Cornell. You want to have a successful transition. As a first-year, you’re not only dealing with academic responsibilities, but also adjusting to a new environment. Later on, you’ll get the hang of things.</p>
<p>It’s not a crazy schedule in that none of these classes are particularly difficult ones - well, depending on what FWS you get anyway. The problem is that it’ll be a good amount of work across the board, and while I’m sure you can pull it off with some industry and discipline, I don’t think you ought to monomaniacally lock yourself up in the libraries during your freshman year. Naturally, if you have some larger objective in mind - triple-majoring, or graduating in three years, or so on - you’ll have to make some sacrifices, but otherwise, there’s no good reason to be depriving yourself of a balanced lifestyle. </p>
<p>Regarding sitting in, most professors don’t mind, particularly in larger lectures, but I imagine some of the language instructors - whose teaching necessarily involves developing rapport in a small-group setting - might not be comfortable with a ‘sit in’ who does not approach the sessions with the same grade-motivated discipline and may therefore sap from the atmosphere of classroom. Bottom line is ask politely and attend if you like, but make sure to be keen, attentive and non-disruptive.</p>
<p>More likely than not, you probably won’t be allowed into language classes. They tend to be structured toward controlled (in terms of number) lectures and small sections. If you’re so interested in taking a language, you should probably wait until another year or adjust your schedule. Introductory language courses tend to be a large commitment of class time since a lot of them meet at least once every day of the school week.</p>
<p>EDIT: My FWS (only 1 semester of it) will probably be MW 7:30 PM because of scheduling conflicts. Is there a way I could defer this first semester of FWS to 2nd?</p>
<p>^yes, that is completely fine. you could attend and first to check it out, or you could just drop immediately. if you buy your books at the Cornell store, you can return them for no charge if you drop the course. obviously the more affordable booksellers (like Amazon.com) do not have such a deal.</p>
<p>You can drop a FWS during the add/drop period, but you’ll have a hard time finding a decent one to add. Most of the few open seminars have around one spot left.</p>