<p>I'm a incoming freshman at USC that hasn't attend orientation yet. However, I know that I will be registering for GE classes during orientation. So one question that I have is how do I know which GE category that I am supposed to take before attending orientation. I want to do some research beforehand about professors so I know which classes to register for. In case it is important I am a political science major in the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letter, Arts and Science.</p>
<p>You have to take 6 GE’s, one from categories 1-6. The available classes in each category can change from semester to semester, as well as which professor teaches it. Visit here to see the categories and available classes this fall:
[General</a> Education Program > USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences](<a href=“http://dornsife.usc.edu/general-education-program/]General”>http://dornsife.usc.edu/general-education-program/)</p>
<p>It may be a good idea to also use something like ratemyprof to see the reviews of the professors teaching classes, then view the usc course schedule to see which classes are taught so you can figure out what will fit in your schedule. Don’t feel like you need to take all 6 your first two semesters, I found a few I really wanted to take so I waited a semester or two until I was able to register for them since the higher the amount of completed credits you have the earlier you get to register e.g. as a senior you usually are one of the first to register.</p>
<p>If you search these forums or use google you can usually find older CC threads in which people list their favorite GE’s. All I remember is EXSC 205Lxg and PSYC 201Lg tend to be the most popular for GE 4, and PHIL 140g was fun and easy for GE 6. Make sure one of the GE classes you take also knocks out the diversity requirement as well. </p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Kulakai thank you. Do you by any chance know if there are professors/classes that you want to avoid???</p>
<p>for any people that have input about GE classes (current USC students, incoming freshman, etc) feel free to leave a comment</p>
<p>I personally can’t name any because I did my research to pick classes/professors that sounded fun. I was a transfer so I only had to take IV(PSYC 339Lg) and VI(Phil 140g), both of which I really enjoyed. Though when I was originally researching classes, I definitely consulted ratemyprof and classmates to find out which classes to avoid since some can be more difficult than others. So yeah consult ratemyprof and use google or the cc search tool to research through the old posts about this topic.</p>
<p>Difficulty aside, it can be beneficial to take classes related to your academic or professional interest because all USC professors are pretty amazing in their own regard. They’re all quite approachable and can be great connections in your network. Part of the point of the GE program is to also let you study a subject outside of your comfort zone. Most of the classes will test you in critical thinking, logic, and writing somehow.</p>
<p>When you register for Cat 6, make sure you get one that fulfills Diversity at the same time, the class will have a m after (Ex. AMST 100gm), this will save you a class later.
If you can’t get an m in Cat 6, you can also get it from Cat 1 or 2 but the selection is slim so I would recommend doing it with Cat 6.</p>
<p>You are also allowed to take one Category Pass/Fail (Cat 1-6). The general consensus is that most people use this on a science if they aren’t science-inclined or a writing intensive one or just to ease the load. </p>
<p>You can also take the language requirement entirely Pass/Fail if you would like to make it real easy or want to explore a new language but don’t want to hurt your grade. </p>
<p>As everyone else has said, use [Rate</a> My Professors](<a href=“http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/SelectTeacher.jsp?sid=1381]Rate”>http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/SelectTeacher.jsp?sid=1381). The easier ones tend to fill up first but in most cases someone will drop if you consistently check the schedule of classes.</p>