<p>How difficult/time consuming are the following classes considered, if anyone has any experience with them:</p>
<p>Neuro 101, Bioloical Basis of Behavior (Karen Murphy)
Neuro 114, Fundamentals of Neuroscience (Warren Meck)
Spanish 76, Advanced Intermediate
Econ 55d, Intermediate Microeconomics (Nechyba)</p>
<p>Thanks for your answers in advance!</p>
<p>mermaid123456-</p>
<p>Spanish 76 was definitely not one of my favorite classes from freshman year, but was generally manageable with regards to workload. Spanish 76 (and the Duke Spanish department in general) is known to give a ridiculous amount of busy work, which is good on the one hand because it’s largely mindless little assignments, but also annoying because these assignments are tedious and seem like a waste of time. For example, we spent a couple weeks reading a 100-page novel, and then only one 50 minute class discussing it. There are definitely times during the semester when you’ll have several things going on at once (a composition, preparing for a debate, random homework, etc), but it’s all on the syllabus so if you stay on top of things it’s not unmanageable. The tests normally went as expected and the grading is fine if you put in the effort. (You’ll find this is true for most classes at Duke - you can’t even blow off the “easy A” classes if you want a good grade.) </p>
<p>I will give you the unsolicited advice that if you’re only taking Spanish to get the language requirement out of the way, I would check out the placement suggestions on the department website and consider if Spanish 105 is something you could handle. It doesn’t count for the Spanish major/minor, but I found the grading/work to be easier than 76. If you don’t need the review from Spanish 76 (particularly for subjunctive and conditional verb tenses), you can probably go right into 105 and get the language requirement over with in one semester. Let me know if you have more specific questions about placement.</p>
<p>So is there a Spanish placement exam for those of us who did not take AP, or can we just choose whichever class we think would work for us?</p>
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</p>
<p>No placement exams, so just pick the class that you think would work based on how much Spanish you’ve taken and what each course covers ([Duke</a> University | Romance Studies: Placement](<a href=“http://romancestudies.duke.edu/languages/spanishl/fl-requirement-placement-credit]Duke”>http://romancestudies.duke.edu/languages/spanishl/fl-requirement-placement-credit)).</p>
<p>bluedevil13- so it’s to my understanding based upon that link that even if you didn’t take the AP spanish exam nor the SAT Spanish exam, then you can still take 105 if you’ve taken 4 years of spanish?</p>
<p>Also, I’ve heard that Spanish 105 is a lot more interesting and lot less tedious work than 103, but I feel as if I’m a lot better at spanish writing and reading than I am at speaking. Would you still recommend 105 for me?</p>
<p>hmm, I got a 4 on my AP test, can I still start out with a higher class? I’d like to start out with Spanish 101 since speaking/listening is definitely not my strength. How is that class?</p>
<p>BallerDuke14- </p>
<p>Correct, you can take a 100-level class without taking AP Spanish or the SAT II. If you feel like your 4 years of high school Spanish prepared you adequately for 100-level, I would definitely recommend skipping 76 and avoiding all that busy work. As for Spanish 105, I did find it much more interesting and less tedious than 76. We actually talked about real world issues like immigration and Latin American politics. I’m similar to you in that I consider myself a much better writer/reader than speaker/listener, but that didn’t hinder me in any way in 105. The grading was based more on participation, effort, and personal growth than how well you speak. They also seem to place a lot of emphasis on using varied grammatical structures and correct verb tenses. If you speak up during class, you should be fine and will probably see a visible improvement in your oral communication skills. The only reason I wouldn’t recommend 105 is if you think you may want to major/minor in Spanish, because it doesn’t count for either. </p>
<p>mermaid123456-</p>
<p>They tell you to use AP exams as a guide, but if you feel prepared for 100-level and have taken enough high school Spanish, you can definitely start with a higher class. Every class in the Spanish department has you fill out a form at the beginning of the semester with your previous experience in the language (years of HS Spanish, SAT II scores, AP exam scores, etc.) but I’m not even sure they really look at those unless you’re clearly in the wrong level. Like I mentioned to BallerDuke14, speaking/listening was definitely not my strength either, but I did well in 105. Some people in the class spoke very well and others could barely put together a grammatically correct sentence, and I would say I’m probably somewhere in the middle. I didn’t take 101 but I’ve heard that it is a good deal of work and whether you like it or not depends largely on the professor. Because 101 is required for the major/minor, you will probably have native speakers and other very strong Spanish students who had 5s on their AP exam, etc. with you. </p>
<p>In the end, it’s really what YOU feel most comfortable with, but I would absolutely recommend checking out Duke CourseRank to get an idea of what other students thought about the different classes. You also may want to check out the Syllabus Archive (<a href=“http://cgi.duke.edu:80/web/syllabi/index.php[/URL]”>http://cgi.duke.edu:80/web/syllabi/index.php</a>) to get an idea of what sorts of things you’ll be expected to do in each class.</p>
<p>Yeah Bluedevil13, I don’t want to major/minor in Spanish, I just want to take one spanish class ( hopefully 105) to get the t-req out of the way so afterwards I can take more classes towards my major(s). Does 105 fulfill that t-req or do I have to take 103 or another class? Also, would you recommend 105 for a first semester college student?</p>
<p>Take 105. It is the easiest 100 level to take no matter what lever youre at</p>
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</p>
<p>Yeah, 105 fulfills the language T-Req. It would also be completely fine for a first semester student, except I think there are about 5 spots left so you can probably only get in if you have 1st registration window.</p>
<p>Does anyone know anything about Spanish 104- Advanced Spanish Grammar? I really want to get this language requirement out of the way by taking a 100-level class first semester. I’m really good a grammar/vocab/writing, but would I be prepared without having taken the AP?</p>
<p>A few more random questions: I plan to major in BME, so what kind of backpack do you think would be the best (i.e. size, brand, type). I figure I can’t afford to get a subpar one if I’m going to be carting around my laptop and heavy textbooks.</p>
<p>And another question: what book does Chem 151 use? I tried looking it up on the Duke Textbook website, but for some reason it didn’t show up. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Get an LLBean one like this one:</p>
<p>[L.L.Bean</a> Deluxe Book Pack: Teen Backpacks at L.L.Bean](<a href=“L.L.Bean Deluxe Book Pack | Backpacks at L.L.Bean”>L.L.Bean Deluxe Book Pack | Backpacks at L.L.Bean)</p>
<p>I have one and used it for all of HS and college with no problem. One thing though, make sure it’s waterproof or else things could go badly. But durability and size-wise that bag is great. </p>
<p>The chem 151 book is Loudon’s Organic Chemistry textbook. I used the older edition but apparently a new edition came out last year. No clue what edition Duke is using now.</p>
<p>Fifth edition for orgo</p>
<p>Just wondering but is it possible to make the trip from EGR 53 to Econ 49S (which is held in the room Languages 312, if that means anything to anyone) in about 20 minutes? Thanks!</p>
<p>^Definitely possible. The Languages building is attached to Perkins so it’s probably a 5 minute walk.</p>
<p>^ Seconded CIEMAS is 2 buildings over from languages. you’ll have plenty of time to spare.</p>
<p>Now that housing assignments are out, I’m wondering how Blackwell is. I got assigned a single btw.</p>
<p>Blackwell is great. Rooms are a bit small (I always felt slightly claustrophobic when visiting) but you’ll be comfortable and air-conditioned while your classmates in the older dorms bake in the heat.</p>
<p>One trap that people in air-conditioned dorms sometimes fall into is staying in their rooms. In the older dorms, the heat in the rooms can be unbearable, which forces people into the common rooms. Since you don’t have that built-in socialization opportunity, be extra mindful to spend time in the common room and meet people.</p>
<p>How is Giles?</p>