<p>I was offered Early Sophomore Standing in December and I thought I'd take some time and come to a conclusion but as it's almost IAP and I still haven't reached a conclusion, I'm asking for advice.</p>
<p>This past semester, I took 8.012, 5.112, 18.03, and a literature class. I definitely didn't find this easy, but it wasn't horrible either, so I'm not really sure if I should try breaking the credit limit next semester.</p>
<p>I'm interested in course 16, but I'm not sure because I've never taken an engineering class and don't really know what that's like. Also, I really liked biology in high school and I don't know if I'm ready to give that up for 16 - in general, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to give up the pure sciences for engineering, despite the fact that I've been interested in aerospace for several years and I really enjoyed my experience interning in an aerospace lab. I'd really like to take next semester to explore different fields so I'm more confident about declaring a major.</p>
<p>Next semester, I definitely want to take 8.022, 16.00, and a HASS class. Since 16.00 is 9 units that leaves me with two open slots for classes if I don't break the credit limit. I have ASE credit for 7.012, so I'll have to find another way to explore biology, but it seems like all bio classes require 5.12 as a pre-req. Do you (Chris or Mollie or other bio majors?) have suggestions on what to take to try biology?</p>
<p>My other question is about the best way to explore - I don't know if I should stay a freshman on ABC/NR or if it would be better to declare early sophomore standing and have Sophomore Exploratory and/or be able to take more classes.</p>
<p>Thanks for all suggestions/comments/bits of advice!</p>
<p>The best way to “explore” biology freshman year really is 7.01x. Sadly you’ve passed yourself out of it… 7.02 and 7.03 only have 7.01x as a requirement. 7.02 is a much bigger commitment (18+ units) for a potential non-bio major, but I thought it was more interesting than 7.03.</p>
<p>8.02/16.00/HASS/5.12/7.03 is a really ambitious courseload though. There’s nothing wrong with dropping 5.12 or 7.03 and taking 3 less units than normal.</p>
<p>are you a bio major, EmpireAnts? I’ve heard mixed things about 7.03 - several people I know say that 7.03 turned them off of biology, so I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. What did you think of the class itself? I probably won’t take 7.02 next semester… I don’t think it fits with 8.022 and like you said, it’s a big commitment for a potential non-bio major.</p>
<p>I have a jumble of thoughts, so I’ll just make a list:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>My feeling is that you should only take sophomore standing if you have a specific reason to do so – if you definitely want to exceed the credit limit, or be assigned an advisor in a major, or graduate early. Otherwise, it seems more logical to just stay a freshman and keep A/B/C/NR and prolong the decision about a major a little longer.</p></li>
<li><p>The good thing about both 16 and 7 is that there isn’t really anything you have to take second semester freshman year to stay on track. I think it’s a great idea to take 16.00, especially because it isn’t actually that time-consuming, so don’t worry too much about taking 54 units.</p></li>
<li><p>I agree that 7.03 isn’t the class I’d recommend to see if you’re interested in staying with 7. What about sitting in on lectures of 7.013, even without formally taking the class? I think the most fun thing would be to take an advanced undergraduate seminar, but a) they are intended to be for juniors and seniors, so the subject material can be pretty advanced, and b) they’re not really like most course 7 classes in terms of format. </p></li>
<li><p>My husband has a friend from his year who doubled in 16 and 7. Let me see if he’s still in contact with her, and she can talk with you.</p></li>
<li><p>Course 7 tends to be pretty lax about prereqs, so if there’s something you want to take that requires 5.12, I wouldn’t avoid it just for that reason. I can’t really think of a time I actually had to apply 5.12 knowledge in an upper-level course 7 class (thankfully, because 5.12 was not my cup of tea).</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><ul>
<li>I could sit in on 7.013 lectures, but I had a really good AP bio course, so I already know that I like intro bio. I know MIT bio is a little bit different, but ideally I’d like to see something beyond intro bio. Also, out of curiosity, what is it about 7.03 that no one seems to like? Just from skimming the bio offerings, pretty much everything that looks interesting to me requires 7.03 or 7.05, and I’d be hesitant to jump into an upper level bio class without the pre-reqs, especially since I haven’t actually taken 7.01x at MIT.</li>
</ul></li>
<li><ul>
<li>that’s possible? O.O I had considered that at some point… but figured a double with 16 wasn’t necessarily realistic.</li>
</ul></li>
<li><p>Well, most courses seem to require 7.05, which requires 5.12… </p></li>
</ol>
<p>anyway, if I don’t take 5.12 or 7.03, I’m not sure what to take instead. I’d like to fill the 57 units, and the only other thing I’d really considered was getting ahead on the 16 requirements - but that wouldn’t be entirely helpful in making a decision on major.</p>
<p>Well, it’s possible to double in 16 and 7 – definitely not easy. I don’t actually know if she finished the double or if she ended up technically having a major/minor.</p>
<p>Genetics is just rather abstract, and isn’t very “biological” in nature. It’s not that it’s a bad class, it’s just somewhat different from a lot of the other upper-division 7 courses. </p>
<p>The most useful choice would probably be 5.12, although that doesn’t really help with your decision. I don’t think 7.03 would be a bad choice overall.</p>
<p>You could always come listen to me and my husband duke it out over whose major is superior. We get into some great philosophical discussions about who is better, scientists or engineers. :)</p>
<p>Okay, I think I understand about 7.03 then. I might still take it though, because it seems interesting on its own and it opens up other options for me in future semesters and I need something to take. </p>
<p>I bet those discussions between you and your husband would be very entertaining, mollie. Next time you have one you should tells us the highlights. :)</p>
I don’t actually know if she finished the double or if she ended up technically having a major/minor.</p>