<p>Ok so whats the point of getting ahead and skipping to tougher courses in college? I could understand why in hs, you want to look good to colleges. But once you are in college, grad schools don't look at strength of classes, mostly gpa. For instance, if I want to be a humanities major w/science, what would be the reason to take tough math classes if i could just take the basic ones to get the requirements out of the way? Its not that im trying to be lazy its just that why take something more difficult when youre not ready? And whats the big advantage into college students taking classes during summer quarter to get ahead when they could just go on the normal track??
All I want to know is what is so great about getting ahead in college when in the end you finish wit a degree and a solid gpa(hopefully) just like the guy next to you.</p>
<p>actually difficulty of your classes do effect your standing when you apply for research and school.</p>
<p>Only if it's relevant to your field of research though. If you went to Law school, I doubt they really care if you took a class on ODE.</p>
<p>Sometimes people take higher level classes because it will allow them to move further in their major over the four years. Sometimes people want to have most of their credits completed by half-way through their senior year so that they can relax during the last term. Sometimes people want to go abroad and know that if they want to complete their major on time that they will have to do the harder classes earlier because the abroad site won't offer it. (That might also be the reason for people taking summer classes.) Sometimes summertime is a good opportunity to focus on difficult classes like chem and physics. I know that alot of people at my school like to take these courses in the summer because they are so hard to do well in during the school year while taking all of your other classes.</p>
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grad schools don't look at strength of classes, mostly gpa.
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<p>This is completely wrong.</p>
<p>They care about strength of classes, courseload, gpa, letters of recommendations and GRE scores. They don't care whether you take hard classes completely out of your major or do random ECs like football and clubs.</p>
<p>Some people like to challenge themselves to better prepare for grad school or research, or just for the sake of challenging themselves.</p>
<p>I'll be doing that. The reason is that I've mastered the topics (in APs) and I'm quite knowledgeable in them already. It seems pointless to be bored in a class where I'm repeating what I've already learned. This is my major; I don't want to be bored.</p>
<p>Lots of people take classes in the spring/summer to fulfill requirements they may not want to deal with during the regular semester. Generally upper level and elective classes are only offered during the regular school year, so some people would rather take as many interesting/relevant classes as they can when they're available, and leave the requirements for some other time. I did an intensive language class to finish off my language requirement because it's easier to learn languages when you're immersed in it, and it meant I only had to spend 6 weeks worrying about language requirements instead of two semesters. Also, if you struggle with a class/subject that's required, then you'll be able to devote more time to it during the spring term.</p>
<p>Yes, graduate schools do care about what courses you have taken. What math classes do you think it takes to go to grad school in economics? No economics major I am aware of requires more than statistics, multivariable calc and maybe linear algebra or differential equations. Here's what Wellesley says for students considering grad school in economics:</p>
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7. Typical Math Background of Recent Applicants Admitted to the Top 5 Ph.D Programs in Economics
Math 115 (Calculus I)
Math 116, 116z or 120 (Calculus II)
Math 205 (Intermediate Calculus)
Math 206 (Linear Algebra)
Math 210 (Differential Equations)
Math 302 (Elements of Analysis I)
Math 303 (Elements of Analysis II)
Math 305 (Modern Abstract Algebra)
Econ 303 (Mathematics for Economics)
Econ 317 (Advanced Econometrics)
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<p>And really, real analysis and abstract algebra have nothing to do with economics per se.</p>
<p>Besides the reasons other posters have mentioned above, some students also take higher-level classes because they enjoy learning, or even because they might be easier than other classes. (Ever heard of The Curve in intro classes?)</p>