<p>I was just wondering if anyone could detail what classes they've taken and how the teachers have been. Especially for GE's because there is so many choices it's hard to choose just based on interest. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Well, that's a really broad question, and certain classes won't matter to a lot of people because they aren't for their major, so I'll limit my class experience to GEs.</p>
<p>Cat 1: I took a class outside of USC.
Cat 2: Religions of Latin America, with Lint-Sagarena. I would recommend it. Not always the most interesting class, but it's better than most and the teacher definitely is lively. There's a lot of reading, but basically if you study the other material, you'll still be fine if you don't read (which i NEVER did).
Cat 3: The Atmospheric Environment, taught by something with a B (Bauer, I think?). Don't take it. The worst class I've ever had. This may possibly not be true if you love the material, but the overall experience was not good. It was pretty hard for me, the prof wasn't the best (he was knowledgable, though) and it was boring. And the labs were often hard.
Cat 4: The Universe, with Rhodes. I guess I would recommend it, but there are definitely other classes that would be better than this one. The prof is nice, but there is WAY too much info you need to know.
Cat 5: Changing Family Forms, Silverstein. I really liked this class. A lot of the reason may have been because I had friends in the class, but I loved the teacher, the subject material wasn't bad, the tests were pretty easy, and overall, the experience was great.
Cat 6: The Broadway Musical, Zorn. Take it if you can. I really enjoyed it, but then again, I love musicals. :)</p>
<p>sunnydaysee,</p>
<p>My best advice when comparing classes would be to use <a href="http://www.senatecourseguide.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.senatecourseguide.com/</a>. Often, the information presented is very reliable. I'd often check the course guide after the first day of class and find that my first impression of the class/prof clashed with the course guide's... only to find out course guide became ultimately right as the semester progressed. </p>
<p>Early in my college career, my first priority in picking classes often was time schedule. Obviously, this is something no one can completely ignore when picking their classes but I'd urge you to make the quality of the class/quality of the professor as much of a priority as how a class fits into your schedule. For instance, if you have to choose between a section with a low-rated prof@12 vs. a very highly rated prof@10, go with the 10am one even if you hate waking up that early. Not only will it benefit how much you ultimately learn, but it will also impact your interest in the class, your grade, and ultimately your GPA.</p>
<p>And whatever you do, for category 4, stay away (as Senate Course Guide advises you to do) from BISC-150!</p>
<p>This semester was so-so, but that was expected as the subjects were relatively dry to begin with. Next semester will be AWESOME - or at least I expect it to be!</p>