<p>^chem e's dont have a compsci req (at least class of 10 doesnt) so cant call it part of the core</p>
<p>I actually enjoyed taking the core. A lot of kids in college, at least when I was there, didn't know what they wanted to major in and being exposed to a variety of fields in the core allowed some kids to get focused or get them interested in a particular discipline. I would never have taken classes like Music Hum or Lit Hum but for the core. It turns out that I actually enjoy Classical music and have a greater appreciation for it. Of course, it is not for everyone. The people who tend to be miserable at Columbia are the ones who didn't expect to take all those classes and, on top of that, have to pass a swim test!</p>
<p>
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...Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, which is a fantastically written primer on the history of modern science.
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<p>concur! recommended to anyone with a passing curiosity or interest in science!</p>
<p>"the engineering core is laughable"</p>
<p>um, not quite skraylor, increasing the number of core requirements would inhibit columbia's ability to give students a proper grounding in engineering comparable to other top engineering programs. as it is, seas kids take more classes per semester than college kids (4-6 for college, 5-6 for seas), now the debate on whether seas classes require less time we'll leave for another thread </p>
<p>point being, more so than most other majors, engineering majors build upon material from year to year, so you neccessarily have to understand the material in the assigned calc and physics theory classes before you can fully grasp the more advanced engineering concepts later on. a first year or soph philosophy major, on the other hand, would be far more willing to take an upper level class, because the discipline does not build on a set of fundamental concepts as strictly.</p>
<p>Most other well-regarded engineering schools, as far as i know, do not have as elaborate cores. mikesown i couldn't agree with you more, seas kids really benefit from the core, it's large enough that it gives you a solid breadth in knowledge, and small enough that it doesn't inhibit the standard classes, (allowing you to graduate on par with engineering grads from other schools), or prevent a minor in another discipline. i personally feel the reduced core is big for an engineering school, but a massive resource, you are not just well-trained in a discipline but educated more holistically.</p>
<p>
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"the engineering core is laughable"
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</p>
<p>i dont think he was talking about the usefulness of the core or what it adds to the engineering program, i think he was talking more about the ease of the classes and the breadth of choice that you have as opposed to the CC core. In some engineering majors, the core classes will be some of the easiest classes you'll take by far.</p>
<p>^^ right, probably my mistake, i thought he meant relative to the CC core, instead of other engineering classes.</p>
<p>Are the LitHum and Contemp Civ classes taught by professors or TAs or a combination?</p>
<p>lit hum and CC are mostly taught by grad students</p>
<p>How are the grad students? Do they teach well?</p>
<p>it really depends, all the core classes depend on who you end up with...some are awesome and some r terrible....as it is with professors too.</p>
<p>csshsm - That is why we thank god that we have <a href="http://www.ratemyprofessor.com%5B/url%5D">www.ratemyprofessor.com</a></p>
<p>Some of these classes are taught by idiotic TAs who give brad grades to undergraduate students who are more educated on the topic at hand than the TA. They feel outsmarter and feel a need to give bad grades to students. One TA I recall from SEAS attempted to fail some students and the school would have nothing of it. Instead they forced him to change most of the grades he had given out to bump up students GPA. Grade inflation is ridiculous at columbia. RETENTION! RETENTION! RETENTIOn!</p>
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That is why we thank god that we have <a href="http://www.ratemyprofessor.com%5B/url%5D%5B/quote%5D">www.ratemyprofessor.com
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</a></p>
<p>ummm.... <a href="http://www.culpa.info%5B/url%5D">www.culpa.info</a>!!</p>
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One TA I recall from SEAS attempted to fail some students
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<p>what do u mean one TA from SEAS? what class r u talking about???</p>
<p>Uri, do you actually go to columbia?</p>
<p>um yeah, i don't know anyone at columbia who uses ratemyprofessor.... uri is lookin mighty suspicious...</p>
<p>also, for whoever mentioned the Lit Hum final scandal, the teacher got fired and the entire final was nulled, so students could either take their grade without the final or take it again in the fall.</p>
<p>about the core, as an incoming sophomore i've only just begun, but I already feel so much more knowledgable after lit hum. sure, i wasn't always enthralled with every greek work the first semester, but I wouldn't trade the bonding from complaining about it with my friends. i found uwriting to be interesting, but mostly because of the readings, not the actual writing assignments. while more interesting for me than frontiers, uwriting is definitely much more work, especially considering the frontiers lecture was podcasted within hours. as for the other choosable requirements (language, science, major cultures) i do like having the well-rounded bases covered, but personally, I feel like I might've fulfilled some of those requirements even if they werent required.</p>
<p>oh, and culpa really is a saver.</p>
<p>hey, yea uri, which class was that? I'm surprised i (and the spec) missed that one.</p>
<p>What's the Core?</p>
<p>columbia's core curriculum, all the required classes you will have to take in order to get your degree (not major specific), i suppose you aren't reading the illiad yet then...?</p>
<p>And here I was hoping you meant the movie The Core. Though I have no knowledge of Columbia's core, if you're looking for the best movie of terrible physics ever made, The Core is AMAZING.</p>
<p>I think the core is good because everyone is taking varied classes, and what's more everyone probably likes those classes. That means you can go to up to anyone in the whole school and have a decent conversation about a given subject area, it makes the school more diverse.</p>
<p>The "core" is definitely one of the reasons I'm attracted to Columbia.</p>
<p>This is bothering me for silly reasons but thats okay. To get the facts straight: the prof who helped her students cheat for the Lit Hum final was NOT fired. She actually received a quasi-promotion, as she's an advisor for English majors this semester.</p>
<p>You can find her name here: <a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/05092007/news/regionalnews/ivy_leak__prof_helps_columbia_cheaters_regionalnews_leela_de_kretser_and_tatiana_deligiannakis.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.nypost.com/seven/05092007/news/regionalnews/ivy_leak__prof_helps_columbia_cheaters_regionalnews_leela_de_kretser_and_tatiana_deligiannakis.htm</a></p>
<p>And if you do 2 seconds of research you can confirm that 1) she still works at Columbia as a professor 2) she's now an advisor.</p>
<p>Where do you ppl get your info?</p>