<p>Hiya.</p>
<p>So my CalSO is tomorrow, and I originally decided to sign up for Chem 1A and Physics 7A for phase 1 of TeleBears(advised to by ppl on CC).</p>
<p>However, I was looking at Math 54 on Ninja Courses, and I really want Holtz as my lecturer...however, his class is already half full(214/429), and most of his discussions are filled up. I was wondering if I have to sign up for these discussions. They have an enrollment cap normally of 20-30, but are they mandatory in the sense that you have to sign up for them(instead of just going to any discussion session you prefer)? I notice that the lectures have a bigger enrollment cap than all the discussion sessions combined, so that can't be the case.</p>
<p>Chem 1A on the other hand has 3 lectures/classes with a student cap of ~520 students each. Only around 50 students have signed up for ea teacher so far. Wouldn't it be reasonable then to sign up for Math 54 instead of Chem 1A during phase 1? The only reason why I'd be afraid to do this is that my counselor allowed me to transfer to ChemEng after a semester if I took Chem 1A first sem, so this is the only mandatory course which I do not want to jeopardize.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Sign up for Chem 1A.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If you get stuck with a lab section that’s inconvenient to your schedule, it’s harder to work around since this is a four-hour block of time.</p></li>
<li><p>Almost everyone gets into the math class they want eventually. Lots and lots of people typically drop math within the first five weeks of class. If you can’t get into a convenient discussion section, waitlist.</p></li>
<li><p>If you don’t get into Chem 1A this semester, you’ll be a year behind on the ChE track since Chem 4B is offered in spring only, Chem 112A and ChE 140 are offered in fall only, etc. It’s already hard enough to graduate Chem E in four years as it is. You don’t want to risk starting out a full year behind.</p></li>
<li><p>If you don’t get into Math 54 this semester, you’ll still be ahead of the proposed track. Plus, you can take Math 54 any semester or summer you like. It is offered literally all the time. You may not have as good a professor in other semesters, but that’s okay. I had a horrible 54 professor and I self-taught myself the entire course from the textbooks, which were quite good and clear. I think your success in this course will depend more on your personal understanding than on the quality of your professor.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hope that helped.</p>
<p>Thanks for the quick reply, Apple! Yeah, I’ll definitely heed your advice…I’m kind of used to self-studying math anyways with the teachers I’ve had.</p>
<p>Definitely Chem 1A.</p>