<p>Hello everyone :)
What are the best combinations for students planning to double major?
I'm interested in majoring in course 6-7, but I also like course 3. Do you think it is a good double major? Are there better courses to study with computer science and molecular biology?</p>
<p>The best combinations are likely those that have many overlapping courses, and therefore don’t require you to take as many separate classes. </p>
<p>Perhaps others can correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that 6-7 is already quite similar to a double major in 6 and 7.</p>
<p>I’m 6-7. By choosing 6-7 you’re already picking up most of the requirements and possibly all of the core classes of course 6-3 and course 7, leaving you with more core classes (which in my experience are harder and almost always B or C+ centered, which means if you think you might be likely to ever score average or, God forbid, below average at MIT, your GPA will suffer) and less room for electives than if you were not in a hybrid major. If you pick up a third department you’ll be picking up that department’s core classes in addition, leaving you very little wiggle room to take classes you’re interested in that might not satisfy a requirement. The only department I would recommend double majoring with if you’re 6-7 is 18. Their requirements for a major are linear algebra, differential equations, and whatever seven other math classes you want. Some of those math classes will already be fulfilled through 6-7 requirements cross-listed with the math department, namely 6.042 (math for computer science) and 6.046 (algorithms). Others will be extremely relevant to your coursework in 6-7, like 18.440 (probability) and 18.443 (statistics). That leaves just two more required classes, which are your choice, and the rest is up to you.</p>
<p>You can take elective classes your interested in from a different major without majoring in it.</p>
<p>I largely agree with lidusha with the caveat that there are perks to being in certain majors like being able to do a MEng if you are course 6 or registration priority in some other majors. This is somewhat tangential but I don’t necessarily agree that core classes are more difficult although I’m willing to believe they have lower average grades. Granted I’m in course 18 which has essentially zero core classes but making everyone in the major take a class means the class can’t be that advanced or difficult. There are a lot of undergrad math classes where I suspect the average undergrad math major would do very poorly in if they were required to take it (assuming the class didn’t change). Conversely there are also a lot of math classes that have few very strong math majors.</p>
<p>Three words: Course seven premeds. Three more words: C+ centered classes. Centered. As in, average. At MIT. Gets a C. And you can’t get out of those classes.</p>
<p>As in, there went your GPA, technical and otherwise. Also, there went grad school. And your ability to do an MEng (minimum technical GPA of 4.25). Not necessarily a department perk.</p>
<p>Just saying, it happens. It happens to a good chunk of the class.</p>
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<p>I felt less stressed about core classes than upper-level course 6 classes. More concretely, I’ve also tracked time spent on classes for the past two years, and I’ve spent less time on upper level courses and gotten better grades in them. You could argue that I just got better at doing classwork, but I don’t think that’s enough to make the difference. Core classes operate in a very different way from upper-level classes. (Maybe some people find the difficulty the other way around! I don’t know.)</p>
<p>But I’m with lidusha. A good portion of the class will not have stellar GPAs. I’m in that part of the class. We just tend to not talk about our grades as much as people with 5.0’s :P</p>
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<p>I think this is correct. I knew a guy who was premed and got into Harvard med, and he suggested that the first two years all you should do was study, then the last two you can expand your interests. He was a chem E major, so I think this is especially applicable to chem E, EE, and other fields where the fundamentals are taught in the first two years. By “studying all the time,” I think he meant not to get involved in other organized activities, not that he would never go to a party or play pick-up basketball or something.</p>
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<p>Just to clarify, do you mean course 6 classes are C±centered or course seven classes. My experience was the course 6 classes tended to be C+ centered. A lot of the science classes I remember were B centered (or more descriptively, 60% of the class gets a “B” or higher.) But I never took course 7 classes in particular, so I don’t know about course 7.</p>
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<p>Woops! This was an error! I felt more stressed about core classes, spent more time on them, and did more poorly on them.</p>
<p>Sorry about that.</p>
<p>collegealum: She means that Course 7 core classes that are required for 6-7 majors are C+ centered.</p>
<p>Course 6-3 classes are almost always B centered nowadays. 6-1… I think is lower.</p>
<p>I don’t think I ever took a course 7 class that was C±centered. All classes I can recall were B-centered (and I can generally recall, because I was generally at the center of the distribution). And I took four of the five classes available as restricted electives in biology for 6-7 (as well as all of the core biology classes, of course).</p>
<p>But it’s true, or at least widely perceived to be true, that premeds sop up many of the available A’s in course 7 classes. I can’t say I’ve ever seen the data, though I agree that premeds are pretty horrible in general.</p>
<p>Of the course 7 classes required for 6-7:
7.06 (cell bio) is C+ centered, as stated outright by the professor
7.05 (biochem) is not curved, thank God. First day of class we’re told what percent is an A, what percent is a B, what percent is a C… I’ve never taken another class where this was the case.
7.03 (genetics) I do not know but I have heard is C+ or C centered.
7.02 (lab, worth 1.5 classes) B centered
5.12 (organic chem, in the chem department) B centered
5.60 (thermo, in the chem department) no idea</p>
<p>And the core course 6 classes, as far as I’ve heard, are all B centered.</p>