<p>I'm kind of confused about the physics courses:
1. I will prob get a 5 in ap physics C both parts and am now taking MC Calc and Linear Alg (got a 5 on BC test)
2. The bulletin says I should take Physics 45 (formally 51) which skips mechanics and E&M and goes into light and heat
3. They also offer physics 61, 62, 65 as "advanced freshman physics" which starts with mechanics. Requires math 51-53 concurrently. Do you take all three of these if you have the ap credit for physics c?</p>
<p>I'm not sure what I want to major in -- maybe symbolic systems or physics. </p>
<p>I'm interested in the advanced physics, but it seems like too much to take that and the math 51H (which I am also interested in) in my first quarter.
Should take the phy 45 later in the freshman year and then take the intermediate physics classes (110, 120, 121) later on?</p>
<p>Yes, you would have to take the whole 60 series if that's the route you want to go, although you could talk to someone at the department and ask about it. Send an email to Rick Pam; he's kind of "everyone's advisor" in physics.</p>
<p>And note a couple of things:
- It's entirely possible to take 61 and 51H at the same time.
- If you don't do 60 series, you'll also have to take physics 70 at some point.
- 110, 120, and 121 are usually taken sophomore year, but you can certainly take them earlier.</p>
<p>Just because you can place into 60 series physics of 50 H series math doesn't mean you should take those classes. Take 60 series physics only if you really love physics because the class will probably take a good deal of time each week. 50 H series math is very proof intensive, if that appeals to you it might be a great series to take. If it doesn't, it's perfectly fine to take 50 series math, which would probably be more helpful when it comes to physics anyway. In high school if you can place into a higher level class it's almost always a better idea to take that class, but that's no longer the case in college. </p>
<p>Although I don't think you have to take the entire 40 series, to take Physics 120 and 110 it wouldn't hurt to retake Mechanics and E&M, at least E&M. (Physics 110 is an entirely different approach to mechanics so 40 or 60 series mechanics won't help much.) </p>
<p>SlySi is a genius, even in the context of Stanford. Although he might have been fine taking both 50H series math and 60 series physics, not everyone can handle that. I don't think I could have. You can always go to both lectures for both 50/50H math or 45/61 physics for the first couple of weeks of the quarter and get a sense of the level of each class and which one is right for you. That's what I did with 45/61 physics and eventually chose 60 series physics.</p>
<p>Oh, I think I get it now --
If you take the 40 series, you miss relativity and quantum theory, which you get in the 60 series, so you need to make that up by taking physics 70 (which you skip if you take the 60 series)?
Is that right?
How exactly do you "shop" a course? Do you register for both, or just one and then change if you decide you like the other?
Thanks -- this is really helpful!</p>
<p>Does the biology core series (41, 42, 43) conflict with the physical chemistry series (171, 173, 175) every year in terms of scheduling, because apparently these classes have conflicting schedule this year and we cant take both.</p>
<p>It says on the bulletin that if you get a 5 on the AP Chem, you enter the class "CHEM33 or above". I wonder what that "or above" means. Does it mean that I can place out of CHEM33 somehow?</p>
<p>With reference to your 2nd question, I think I would attempt to answer it.</p>
<p>I just checked the Bulletin and there are 2 courses that don't require Chem 33 as a prerequisite, namely Chem 135 and Chem 36. Probably a 5 on AP Chemistry can allow you to take those 2 courses instead of Chem 33. Hope it helps.</p>
<p>LF61: yes, they do pretty much every year. Besides which, taking both at the same time...I mean, if you're a genius or have done all the material before, go for it, but it's definitely not advisable...</p>
<p>Also, getting a 5 on the AP chem doesn't really mean more than skipping 31X. You will not be allowed to take 36 until you take 33 because of the space limitations of the class. I guess you could take 135. But if you plan to take pchem you might as well take 171 instead.</p>
<p>Thanks jwj and edwinksl, Im living in Japan so this is when I post...</p>
<p>I have few more questions....</p>
<p>Can the Math50 series be double counted towards a minor in math and a major in chemistry, cuz the math department says they allow double counting for the 50s, so whats the general rule on double counting?</p>
<p>And one more question...Do I have to send in my IB scores if I am going to place out of everything I can place out with my AP already, I really dont want to start preparing for college rather than studying for IB...</p>
<p>Double counting is generally ok, but only up until a certain point. The math 50 series is a basic requirement class, so that's fine. Check with each department for others.</p>
<p>If you can place out of everything you want with your APs already, then I doubt there's any point in sending in your IBs.</p>
<p>ok...i'm kind of confused about the ap credit policy. like, i'm already getting out of the language requirement with my sat II's, so is there any point in trying to get a 5 on the ap spanish test? it would get me 5 credits--but are those only toward skipping a level of spanish? or could i just say now i only have to take 175 credits at stanford even if i never take language courses again, and use it to lighten my course load a little at some point?</p>
<p>There's really not much point. If your goal is to skip out of the language requirement, then don't bother with the AP if you already have your SAT. It'd only get you 5 units of credit anyways, and to be honest, no one has trouble hitting the 180 minimum--those 5 units aren't going to be worth much to you in the long run.</p>
<p>Does anyone know anything about the SymSys program? I am definitely going to be studying CS, but I'm thinking that maybe Symsys will be more interesting and fun then just regular CS.</p>
<p>Also, is there a lot of flexibility on the coursework that you can do within symsys? So if I wanted to focus more on the techie/sciencey stuff rather than the humanities stuff, will they let me do that?</p>
<p>It will depend on the employer. Some will consider it good, some will consider it unnecessary. But most of the big ones will expect you to be hardcore techie, so they won't really care as much about your humanities stuff, at least I don't think. Google definitely won't give a crap, from what I hear about their interview process for engineers/programmers.</p>
<p>Dunno about flexibility, you'll have to ask a SymSys advisor, but if you're going to focus on techie stuff anyways, I guess the question would be why not just do CS? :-/</p>
<p>I have a question about my courseload fall quarter of freshman year.</p>
<p>Ideally, I'd like to take 15-16 units. IHUM takes up 4, and I really want to take an introsem, which would be another 3-4, so that leaves me with about 8 units. But all the normal intro classes I can find are 5 units. So I take one of those, and then I have 3 loose units floating around...what do I do with them?</p>
<p>I'm sure there are random classes you can take that are 3 units or less. For example, I took Brain and Behavior my first quarter of freshman year, and that was 3 units. You could also do an activity class, such as swimming. The Time Schedule hasn't been published yet, but I'm confident that there are some good low-unit classes floating around. When autumn comes, flip through the Time Schedule alone or with your advisor and I know you'll figure out a good plan. Don't worry too much about it now, as it won't do much good.</p>
<p>Take Social Dance I!!! Seriously, best class I've taken at Stanford. You don't have to even be all that coordinated for it to work out, the prof is awesome, the material is lots of fun, pretty much everyone I know who took the class loved it.</p>
<p>I'm an engineer who hates humanities and wants to fulfill the IHUM requirement with the least amount of work possible (especially the least amount of writing). What autumn IHUM should I take?</p>