<p>I mean, say I am confident that I have known well the materials. Can I just require for a test and proceed to higher class?
What do you guys think ?
It would be cool if they let us do that.</p>
<p>50% of the classes dont require you to do ANY homework. All you have to do is show up to 1 midterm and 1 final exam.</p>
<p>However, there is no possible way that it will be the case because Berkeley classes are signficantly faster paced than classes at any community college or AP course. And, the material will be go in more depth. I got 5's on AP Biology, Chemistry, AND Physics, but I still learned a lot in Chem 1a and Physics 8a (all lower division easiest classes), and had I just walked in on the final, I would have gotten a 50% for sure.</p>
<p>In HS, I got 4.0, and 1500 on SAT I (780, 790, 800 AP Biology, Physics and Chem respectively). Here, I'm barely managing a 3.0.</p>
<p>Let me tell you: you'll think you can cut classes. I mean, no one's going to know that you didn't go to that 9 am class. And you might get lucky and get away with it. But regardless of whether you can skip lectures or not, you'll feel the pain come finals time. Do yourself a favor, bite the bullet and go to class. I picked that one up the hard way.</p>
<p>^^
LOL, true. You cant cram for a final like during the high school days when you could merely read the book and memorize everything.</p>
<p>First of all, there's a LOT more to memorize. Also, the book doesnt even correspond very well with the final.</p>
<p>the final doesn't correspond to the book?</p>
<p>then what the heck DOES it correspond to? :confused:</p>
<p>"the final doesn't correspond to the book?</p>
<p>then what the heck DOES it correspond to?"</p>
<p>Damned if we know.</p>
<p>In all seriousness, textbooks are often meant as references, not as the outline for the course; in other words, you use the textbook for certain explanations of certain equations and nothing else. Everything else you glean from lectures and sections.</p>
<p>Of course, you may be one of those lucky souls who have a webcasted class. If that happens, you can just watch those lectures in your jammies, eating West Coast Pizza Cheesy-Stix and playing Warcraft at the same time. :-D Even so, don't fall victim to the notion that you can watch a marathon showing of every lecture, especially during Finals Week. It just doesn't work.</p>
<p>doesn't correspond? hmm that's going to take time to get adjusted to. because in high school, to pass most tests are you have to do is know the textbook chapters and concepts well.</p>
<p>is this for all majors? </p>
<p>"use the textbook for certain explanations of certain equations and nothing else." you make it sound like this is just for math/science....is it? </p>
<p>what about the social sciences/humanities?</p>
<p>Not going to class is punishing yourself. If you don't go to class, expect to do 3x as much reading just to get a grasp on the material, at least thats what I found. I used to be one of those people who showed up to class maybe 50% of the time my first semester, then I found out I could do less homework and studying and have more party if I did go to class.</p>
<p>I think most of us have had either really boring or really early classes that make skipping very, very tempting, but I don't know many people who make that mistake twice. I had a class that I used to leave early almost every day because it was so boring, and at the end of the semester I was hurting when I tried to study my notes becuase I was missing a quarter of the material that the prof. covered. And if you are in a class with section meetings you'll be in really bad shape because you wont be able to add to the conversation and the GSI will make note of that. My advise is to just go to the classes and pay attention. For most of us that's the only job we have, so we might as well do it as best we can.</p>
<p>if the motivation is to skip a prerequisite for a class that you do want to take, i suggest you contact the professor of the higher level class and seek out an exception to the pre-req. otherwise, why pay $$ for units that are just being wasted?</p>
<p>Trying to scare people seems to be a popular sport on this board (or perhaps trying to impress with Berkeley's rigorousness). </p>
<p>Let me say that in most of my lower division classes, I only showed up the first day, the midterm and the final, and I have managed A's. At least in statistcs and economics, the tests DO correspond well to textbooks, and actually a lot of these classes have some sort of online homework (or problems sets to drop off in lecture). In general, I have found large one-way lectures to be an inefficient way of learning. However, it obviously varies by learning style.</p>
<p>Wow. Give yourself a big pat on the back. However I do not believe you for a second.</p>
<p>Well, more power to cherokeejew if (s)he could thrive in such a manner. But let's be frank, I'd rather err on the side of caution and be prepared for finals as opposed to getting an extra hour by skipping lecture and playing video games instead.</p>
<p>And we're not trying to scare people with Berkeley's rigor. First of all, if we wanted to scare kids, we'd find a more efficient way of doing it than on an online forum. Secondly, if you feel that these incoming freshmen shouldn't know that Berkeley isn't a cakewalk, then the problem's on your end. We're just trying to help make the transition easier for new Bears.</p>
<p>I don't know, even if you could possibly show up for only three classes and still ace the class, there'd still be reasons to go to class. I mean, most of the textbooks I've read are pretty inane, and, for me at least, one of the reasons to go to Berkeley was to be around the amazing intellectual prowess of the professors there. Why would I settle for only the book when I could listen to people who are qualified to write the book? If you're going to pay for the units, you might as well get your money's worth...</p>
<p>BackToReality</p>