Freshman Schedule - A&S

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>So is this a reasonable schedule - 15 credits + PE</p>

<p>Phil 1111 - FWS, love philosophy, did 4 years of philosophical debate in high school
Math 1920 - Possibly going to go into physics/comp sci for grad school (or even major), want to keep options open
Econ 3130 - Love economics, 5 on micro/macro this year
CS 1110 - Want to delve into comp sci, got a 4 on the exam, basically self-studied
Any PE recommendations? Was between basketball, volleyball, boxing</p>

<p>Spring:
Math something - Diff EQ or linear algebra for engineers
Econ 3140 - Macro
Phys 1116 - Is this a reasonable class or is it too hard? (Got a 5 on phys B, phys C E&M, phys C Mech, and BC, 800 SAT IIc math, decent math background)
Language, not sure which yet, got a 4 on Spanish, yet to take the placement test
Elective - not sure yet</p>

2

<p>That should be a tractable schedule for the first semester. You may or may not have periods of busyness, though. As for the PE, I can only tell you about basketball, which is more of a “fun” class. It’s a lot better if you can already play the sport somewhat well.</p>

<p>Languages can be very time consuming, and there’s no guarantee you’ll test into the second semester of a full-year course. Keep that in mind.</p>

3

<p>Ah, what do you mean about testing into the second semester of a full-year course? I don’t really love language so I didn’t want to start off college with it, but will I have to? Yeah I’ll definitely do basketball, I’ve been playing it ‘recreationally’ forever. I’m totally okay with business, I wanted to go to more than 18 credits first semester, but my parents (who are footing a large part of the bill) and everyone else says that isn’t advisable, lol.</p>

4

<p>There are many language courses that are 01-02 style, which means that one half is only in the fall and the other half is only in the spring. 02 is a continuation of material only taught in 01.</p>

5

<p>Looks like a solid schedule</p>

6

<p>A note on 1116: If you are considering physics for grad school/your major, I recommend taking the AP credit for 1116. Now, don’t get me wrong. It is a great class, and you will learn a lot. </p>

<p>However, if you take it the spring, you could get behind on the requirements for the physics major. Also, more importantly, most of 1116 (classical mechanics/relativity) is not very relevant to the physics major. If you ever want to learn the material, just buy the book and/or enroll on the blackboard site and read through the lecture notes and homework. Just my two cents.</p>

7

<p>I thought AP credit placed you out of 1112, not 1116?</p>

<p>I’m a bit confused about the physics classes, didn’t do all too much research on the subject.</p>

<p>Edit: Nevermind I see what you’re saying, skip 1116, place out of 1112, and dive directly into the non-introductory stuff, or 2214/2218 rather. If I wanted to do the honors stuff, I wouldn’t be able to though right, because I’d have placed out of the classes instead? Would that affect grad school/PhD possibilities or anything? </p>

<p>And if mechanics/relativity isn’t relevant, then what really is exactly, I’m curious lol. </p>

<p>I guess my interests lie in a lot of different places, but computational physics seems really interesting to me also.</p>

8

<p>The honors intro sequence (1116, 2217, 2218) is designed to prepare you for upper-level physics courses, such as advanced E/M or quantum. They’re usually very challenging, but highly intellectually rewarding courses designed for future physics/AEP majors. They’re also really nice, since they give you more 1-1 interaction with the professors due to the small class sizes. In addition, they’re a great ‘bonding’ opportunity, as you get to meet many other fellow physics/AEP majors. However, they are absolutely not required for grad school or the physics major. In addition, there are other opportunities to get to know your fellow physics majors/professors, such as SPS (society of physics students), Undergrad Research, etc. So they’re a nice benefit, but absolutely not required since you have AP credit for 1112 and 2213 (5’s on Phys C gives you credit for 1112 and 2213, so you don’t have to take 1116 or 2217). </p>

<p>As for 1116, it is a great intro to mechanics/special relativity. If you really enjoy classical mechanics and can commit 10+hrs/week to it, then the class if a good fit for you. However, classical mechanics is not important for the physics major, so don’t worry too much if you can’t take it. Also, another nice alternative to 1116 is Phys 2216, a 1-credit intro special relativity course. It’s pass-fail so it’s a lot less work, and it can be a very fun alternative to 1116!</p>

<p>As for 2217 (honors E/M), E/M is VERY important for the physics major. However, since you already have a decent background in E/M, whether or not you take the class is a personal decision, depending on your interest/background/room in your schedule. Just be sure you have a strong background in E/M before continuing on to more advanced physics classes. </p>

<p>Whether you do 1116 or 2217 is entirely up to you. However, you will eventually have to take either 2214 (regular waves/osc/basic quantum) and 2218 (honors waves, oscillations, and thermal physics). These classes are absolutely ESSENTIAL for more advanced physics courses. Try to take them by fall semester of your sophomore year at latest, as many more advanced physics courses will require material from 2214/2218. </p>

<p>Hope this info helps!</p>

9

<p>Thank you so much for the info!</p>

<p>However, lol, with all that being said, I feel like I’m at more of a loss now with respect to what I should do. Given all of that information, what would you recommend? I have to draft first semester classes in two days hahaha! My E&M background is okay, decent is probably an acceptable word, but it’s definitely not going to be up to par with the necessary amount for the physics major, I could probably say the same about mechanics. But because mech isn’t as important, should I second semester take 2217 instead of 1116, and take the special relativity course alongside it? And then first semester sophomore year take 2218? I pride myself on my time management skills lol so 10 hours a week doesn’t seem too crazy for me, I just hope it isn’t killer.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t want to miss out on those honors benefits, and I should brush up on E&M before the advanced classes anyway right?</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

10

<p>Sure, many physics/AEP majors have a schedule very similar to that, so it sounds like a good plan! Again, it’s a completely personal decision, so I can’t tell you what to do. The best thing to do is to try out your schedule, and see what happens. If it turns out you don’t like 2217, you could switch into another major-required class/etc. </p>

<p>Yes, it definitely does help to review AP Physics C E/M before 2217; Also be sure to review mechanics. Some of 1116 does help with 2217/2218, but it’s mostly just the fundamentals of the course such as harmonic oscillators, work-energy/potentials, etc.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

11

<p>Okay, I’ll probably do 2217 in the spring then 2218 in the fall of my sophomore year. I’ll definitely review, but this seems like a sound schedule to me at least.</p>

<p>Fall:
Math 1920
CS 1110
Phil or Engl FWS
Basketball
Econ 3130</p>

<p>Any other comments, concerns? Lol</p>

12

<p>I heard a lot of people saying that 4 classes really isn’t tough at all, I was thinking of adding Govt 1817 or something of the sort to my schedule for first semester, is that reasonable? Maybe chemistry? Physics?
I don’t want to be pulling my hair out in boredom my first semester haha!</p>

13

<p>maybe engineers who are used to taking 20 credits a semester would think that, but outside of that I would think 4 courses is pretty standard. unless you are way out on the right tail of the distribution for academic ability at Cornell I am sure you will find that schedule to be plenty. </p>

<p>that said there’s no harm in adding whatever that govt course is and dropping it if you decide that you don’t need it to keep yourself occupied. </p>

<p>PS. there are valuable ways to spend your time that do not involve more classwork. even if you want to stay in the academic realm, consider getting involved in clubs. not in the high-school sense where you need to be in many prestigious clubs, but something cool that you might not be able to do outside of college.</p>

14

<p>You should not primarily alleviate your boredom with academics. Try to find something that you’ll actually enjoy doing for that purpose.</p>

15

<p>I mean, would I not enjoy classes? I honestly did like stacking my schedule in high school, but I know those aren’t comparable at all. I’m no doubt going to join clubs, I can already think of two that I’m probably going to join!</p>

<p>I’ll probably just add the Govt class with Katzenstein, if it’s too demanding with my other stuff, I’ll drop it. I talked to the head of engineering because I may want to transfer into CoE, so I also have to worry a little bit about that lol (the credits etc.)</p>

<p>And faustarp, how would I determine my location on the academic tail for cornell? I mean with SATs/ACTs/SAT IIs/APs I would say I’m in the upper echelon, probably 80-95th percentile in A&S, but again, that probably means close to nothing.</p>

16

<p>yes, I would say those scores mean nothing. you will have to wait and see how you do.
to use myself as an example (bearing in mind the pitfalls of that approach) I got a 35 on the ACT, a 5 on AP bio in high school, and then I got a B in my introductory biology course fall semester freshman year. obviously that is not terrible, but it shows that I was basically an average Cornell student…and I needed to work hard for that B! not saying that’s going to be how you experience things but it’s well within the realm of possibility.</p>

<p>I also think that you definitely will enjoy classes, but you will miss out if you do not also make it a priority to interact with your fellow Cornellians, who have a lot to offer you for sure!</p>

<p>if you want to transfer to engineering then you might consider taking chem 2090 or something instead of econ, especially 3130 which is rather theoretical imo. especially since you had mentioned you might like to take a chem course anyway.</p>

17

<p>Don’t all freshman have to take two semesters of writing seminars? I don’t see you have this on your schedule, unless I’m just not recognizing it. In arts and sciences, if you have gotten a 5 on either AP language/comp or lit in high school, you only need to take one writing seminar as a freshman.</p>

18

<p>You may very well end up being a student who is can handle 20 credits without much stress. I wouldn’t test that your first semester; maybe you’ll feel confident your second semester and that’s fine. So much is going on your first semester (much, maybe most non-academic), I don’t see any reason to test yourself in that way.</p>

<p>All Cornell students start off on equal footing. Your previous academic work doesn’t give you any edge over any other student. In most classes at Cornell, students pulling B’s are still working pretty hard and often are working at least as hard as students earning A’s, with different aptitudes being the only difference.</p>

19

<p>Faustarp that’s very interesting, and yeah I try not to be overconfident about things of this nature. I kinda wanted to avoid chem first semester, I just know I would not enjoy it nearly as much as econ, and I have like 3 science AP credits so I’m not too far behind on that sequence, at least according to my knowledge.</p>

<p>And yeah I probably shouldn’t test that first semester, but there is no penalty for dropping classes early on right, if it seems problematic etc.? Yeah I’m taking 1 FWS and I have credit for Lit and Lang so I only need to take the one (I actually got a govt one)</p>

20

<p>you really won’t know until you come here how hard the courses are…you’ll find students that work extremely hard for the B/C and then students who seem as if they do nothing but still get an A. </p>

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<p>I’m not sure that’s an entirely accurate statement. If you’ve taken similar coursework in the past then this will definitely help you (in your case, students that have taken Lin Alg in the past will have a leg up in terms how quickly they can grasp the concepts). But in some other courses, like mikey said, it won’t matter at all.</p>