<p>We all hear of some of the "infamously impossible courses" of each subject area. For example, in chemistry/pre-med it's organic chem, in physics it's Quantum Mechanics, in math it's Real Analysis (or some redonculously high level of Calc). I was wondering if anybody could enlighten me of the hardest classes in other fields. For example, what is the hardest class/greatest challenge in a field such as Poly Sci, IR, Woodrow Wilson (for Princeton's case), Sociology, Econ, Psych, English? What Philosopher's works are considered the most difficult to read and comprehend? Etc.</p>
<p>I'm not sure about the others, but as far as philosophy goes, Kant is generally acknowledged as one of the most difficult philosophers to comprehend. A lot of postmodernist theory is pretty difficult as well.</p>
<p>Organic is not always the stopgap for a premed program. At vanderbilt for example, general chemistry is made suffiencently difficult enough to be the premed weedout.</p>
<p>the point is that this all depends on the school, not the major.</p>
<p>Econometrics is a challenge for a lot of econ majors.</p>
<p>Organic chemistry is the breaking point. This is wear pre-med students will get throgh it. Or give up their dreams of becoming a doctor.</p>
<p>So far, Philosophy was my hardest. Just such a different way of thinking. I got a C+. ehh what can ya do.</p>
<p>Yeah I've read some Kant (well, tried to). However, I can't help but ask myself if it's the material that's complex or the fact that Kant is just longwinded and a bad communicator? Could it be both? Or is it solely the former?</p>
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Organic chemistry is the breaking point. This is wear pre-med students will get throgh it. Or give up their dreams of becoming a doctor.</p>
<p>So far, Philosophy was my hardest. Just such a different way of thinking. I got a C+. ehh what can ya do.
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<p>My anatomy teacher said the same thing about organic chemistry. She said in her class the curve would be so bad that someone with a 90% could receive a F.</p>
<p>Yes they do this on purpose. In HS when Chem was ending and you were killed by Organic.</p>
<p>Dont become a doctor. Not going to happen.</p>
<p>If you go into the class, already knwoing the subject or having seen the material, these are the only people who pass.</p>
<p>Could someone please comment on Calc. III? I'm taking the honors course at my local university right now, and it's giving me a hell of a lot of work. Yes, I'm doing well in the class, but I don't think I've ever had to try this much to do well in a math class. So here's what I want to know: How hard are linear algebra and diff. equations in comparison? These are the classes I'll be taking next (when I go off to college), and I want to schedule appropriately.</p>
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I'm not sure about the others, but as far as philosophy goes, Kant is generally acknowledged as one of the most difficult philosophers to comprehend.
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<p>He is not that bad, I can list several worse:
Heidegger
Hegel
Derrida
Levinas</p>
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A lot of postmodernist theory is pretty difficult as well.
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<p>That is not real philosophy.</p>
<p>The most difficult area of philosophy, at least in contemporary thought, is in philosophy of science and mathematical logic. At Harvard, there is a philosophy course called 'Determinism and Quantum Mechanics', which assumes prior experience in calculus and physics, of course.</p>
<p>Though Kant's texts are generally understood to be difficult, the intellectual could always decipher it if he/she earnestly attempted to do so. The problem with contemporary philosophy is that it is so difficult such that it is no longer accessible intellectual, but rather appeals to a narrow audience of philosophers who possess years of technical experience.</p>
<p>It is easier to understand 'An analytic statement is one in which the predicate is contained in the concept of the subject' (Kant), than to understand 'In order to maximize DV, one must first calculate the weightings of CU, EU, and SU, and then provide the actual values for the adumbrated functors. Once that is accomplished, how one should proceed in using DE is in dispute: one could opt for either Von Neuman-Morgenstern's rational ordering of preferences or (neo)-Bayesian probability methodology. </p>
<p>Postmodernists and continentals are obscurantists. They are not worth the effort.</p>
<p>Organic Chemistry is very hard. The material is just very hard. Sometimes you can pass/do very well if there are a lot of free points in your class on homework and online quizzes/assignments. Depending on your school, General Chemistry can also be made out to be very tough as well. As for Calc III, it isn't very difficult, compared to some other higher level math classes. I had a good professor and I was able to visualize things, and the later is very important. Differential equations is much tougher than you can imagine, at least it was for me. That class is the class that diverted me from being an engineer.</p>
<p>But yes, I am currently on the path to being a doctor. But with my GPA, I'm not sure if I'll get into med school.</p>
<p>For engineering majors, Calc III is usually not the one that does them in, but differential equations often is.</p>
<p>"In order to maximize DV, one must first calculate the weightings of CU, EU, and SU, and then provide the actual values for the adumbrated functors. Once that is accomplished, how one should proceed in using DE is in dispute: one could opt for either Von Neuman-Morgenstern's rational ordering of preferences or (neo)-Bayesian probability methodology."</p>
<p>Sure, none of us can understand that statement, but that's just because we don't know what DV, CU, EU, SU, and the two theories at the end are. If we did - and I don't think it would be too hard to find out what they are - I think that the statement would be readable.</p>
<p>At U of I, for chemE, it is actually Chem 205, the ultimate lab. There are many hard sequences yet none ever reaches the time consuming, soul eating difficulty that is The Cobalt Lab. Every chemE and many related majors know what it is. If you know someone chemE you know what it is. It is infamous as the hardest 2 hour course on campus.</p>
<p>Other than chemE (which has it share of other hard hard course like thermo (ChBE 321), I don't really know about hardest b/c sometimes that's hard to judge (difference between an actually hard course and a weed out course b/c the weed out is the one everybody remembers and talks about) but the weed out course for EE & CompE is ECE 110.</p>
<p>This question depends on who you are. I've got friends who get slaughtered in History class, which have never been terribly hard for me. However if you stick me in a Calc class, I'd be thrilled just to pass!</p>
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Sure, none of us can understand that statement, but that's just because we don't know what DV, CU, EU, SU, and the two theories at the end are. If we did - and I don't think it would be too hard to find out what they are - I think that the statement would be readable.
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<p>Which is exactly what I wrote:</p>
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The problem with contemporary philosophy is that it is so difficult such that it is no longer accessible intellectual, but rather appeals to a narrow audience of philosophers who possess years of technical experience.
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<p>Maybe we should all just agree that philosophy Kant be learnt, and leave it at that.</p>
<p>haha, cute. :)</p>
<p>Ditto to whoever listed Econometrics as a hard course for econ majors.</p>
<p>Math. The hardest class is the subject you hate. I hate algebra.</p>
<p>Physical chemistry is doing a pretty good job making me hate life this term. Physics + chemistry? Terrible idea.</p>