<p>My next semester seems a bit hefty. I wanted to get some other peoples’ opinions on the matter. I am aiming for all As and A-'s, of course ;)</p>
<li>Math 53 with Sethian</li>
<li>Chem 3a/3aL with Frechet</li>
<li>Econ 1 with Olney</li>
<li>Haven’t decided yet; Waitlisted for a 3 unit Geography course and 4 unit Political Econ 101 course. May end up taking a History course instead (also 4 units)</li>
</ol>
<p>Total 16 or 17 units.</p>
<p>I’ve heard from last semesters’ students that 53 (although Sethian wasn’t teaching last semester…) wasn’t too bad. However, Chem3a is killer and apparently Econ 1 with Olney is difficult as well.</p>
<p>What do you guys think? How many hours would YOU expect to study a week if you were taking the above courses and was aiming for a 3.7+?</p>
<p>getting 3.7+ means all A- and above, econ 1 shouldn't be too bad, its not as time consuming as chem 3a, 53 can be an easy A if your good in math, i suggest taking a really easy 4th class to balance the load, econ 1, 53, and 3a are all Core courses so getting an A in all 3 in the same semester will definitely be challenging but possible (for econ u got 5 problem sets, 3a has labs weekly, 53 has hw everyday, so yea, be prepared to study quite a bit each day)</p>
<p>I think that schedule is not hard at all. Econ 1 is easy and not at all time-consuming. Just make sure you study hard for the final - I didn't do well on the final and lost a sure-fire A.</p>
<p>Prof. Sethian curves to a 2.2 class average. Beware of that. He also changes his grading policy without warning. When I took Math 54 with him in Spring 2006, the weights were 25% MT1, 25% MT2, 40% Final, 10% HW. Then, about two weeks before the final, he announced a new clobbering policy so that the final would be worth 90% (clobbering both midterm scores) if it helped your grade.</p>
<p>I got a solid B in the class despite having accumulated a 95%+ average going into the final. I didn't have as much time to study for the final due to a cramped exam week, and was hoping to use my midterms to compensate for a poorer performance on the final. If I had known about his ridiculous, ever-changing policies, I would have rescheduled my entire class load during the first few weeks of that term.</p>
<p>He may have a similar clobbering policy this year, or he might not. It depends on his mood. But if he does, he always announces it without warning close to the end of term. Therefore, be prepared for a final exam that's worth 90% of your grade.</p>
<p>If I were aiming for 3.7+? I would take only those 3 classes. Most students tend to overestimate their own abilities, especially at a school like Berkeley, especially in the sciences, because grading is harsh and they don't expect it. They're not used to competing with a class where everyone is pretty academically competent. They aren't used to getting C's, or God forbid, something lower. Yet in a class such as Chem 3A, about 30-40% get exactly that.</p>