<p>i'm a freshmen and i'm trying to decide what classes to take and stuff. and i was wondering how the seminars work. are we required to take them? i was looking at the seminar webpage and it doesn't seem a lot of seats are sill available. and i'm signing up for classes on monday for calso. so if i don't get one, am i at a disadvantage? thanks in advance!</p>
<p>they are not required at all and the vast majority of students graduate from cal without having taken a freshman or sophomore seminar. you should only do it if you are truly passionate about the subject matter and would not resent a grading system that doesn't exists. you don't take tests and for all we can tell, the grade is basically based on how well the professor thinks you wrote your final (only) writing assignment and whether or not s/he likes you. sure, its only one unit, but some seminars require lots of time and not to mention reading which would be better used studying for your "real" classes. </p>
<p>don't bother with seminars.</p>
<p>Would you rather take a class with 500 people or 10 people?</p>
<p>or better yet, would you rather have classes that count for something or classes that don't count for anything?</p>
<p>Or, would you have a discussion with the professor or sit in a class of 500 facing the professor's back for 90 minutes?</p>
<p>current students ive asked about seminars have told me that there is next to no student-prof exchange in certain seminars because instead of engaging with his or her students, the profs like to hear themselves talk for hours on end and tend to dismiss most original thought coming from the students with disgusted looks on their faces because it isn't really original thought and thus the student is ordered not to speak on the topic unless s/he reads up on it to a considerable extent</p>