<p>Background: I'm going to be entering Berkeley this fall as a freshman EECS major, so I'll be skipping Physics 7A with a 5 on the mechanics AP exam. I'll already have Math 53 and 54 down due to taking community college courses, so I'm not worried about the math.</p>
<p>Help me choose!</p>
<p>7B:
[ul]
[<em>]Bordel and Spelio are apparently mediocre lecturers, but I'm used to not paying attention to lectures. (Multivariable calculus, I'm looking at you.)
[</em>]Large lecture format. Not a fan.
[<em>]I hear Mastering Physics and Giancoli aren't exactly great resources.
[</em>]Probably won't be as time-consuming as H7B.
[li]Final isn't on the same day as my other finals.[/li][/ul]</p>
<p>H7B:
[ul]
[<em>]Siddiqi is reportedly pretty awesome at teaching.
[</em>]20-person class = personal attention!
[<em>]Challenging problems and good explanations is my idea of a good textbook. PLus, I've always wanted to try going through Purcell (or K&K) rather than the standard intro textbooks.
[</em>]This will probably be more time-consuming than 7B, and I'll have an upper-division math class plus CS 61A to deal with. Even though I think physics is cool, I don't think I'm going to major (or minor) in physics, and I'm not sure if I want to sacrifice time I could have spent on math/CS-related stuff.
[li]Final is right after the CS 61A final. Sounds potentially painful.[/li][/ul]</p>
<p>I’m in the same situation here. Also entering as an EECS major this fall, and having a hard time deciding whether to take the honors or regular class at Cal.</p>
<p>Unless you’re really good and into physics and have taken e&m before, then I’d advise you not to take H7B. It’s a really tough course and it’s hard to do well without having a prior good grasp of e&m.</p>
<p>If you’re an EECS major, I’d suggest taking 7B so you’d have more time working on CS. If e&m isn’t something you’re passionate about, 7B is definitely the way to go.</p>
<p>How about math 53 vs H53 and 54 vs H54? I’ve completed the materials covered in 53 and 54. Is it worth taking the honors class just to seek for a deeper understanding of the curriculum?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The honors version is generally designed for math majors (proof intensive). However, some professors make the honors classes more computational (with the belief that many of those who are taking it have never really written a real proof before) with proofs as something on the side.</p>
<p>Whether or not it is worth it…your choice…though you might be risking your GPA even if you’ve taken the non-honors courses before. The difference between honors and non-honors classes is huge, unlike the difference between high school non-honors classes and AP/honors courses, where you could sleep and still get an A+ in the class and 5 on the AP test. So, if you’re up for the challenge…why not?</p>
<p>An EECS major who wants to emphasize the EE areas of fields, waves, and communications may well benefit from H7B, if s/he can handle it at this stage. Whether that is actually the case depends on several things:</p>
<ul>
<li>Strong interest in physics.</li>
<li>Math previously taken (if you have already completed Math 53 and 54, that should help.)</li>
<li>Physics previously taken (H7A should get you used to honors physics rigorousness (the Physics Department does not allow physics majors to skip 7A or H7A with AP credit); AP Physics C E&M would be stronger high school physics background than typical high school physics, but note that 7B or H7B includes thermodynamics as well).</li>
</ul>
<p>Here is an old course home page for H7A:
[Physics</a> H7A](<a href=“http://budker.berkeley.edu/PhysicsH7A/]Physics”>Physics H7A)
More can be found here (although 7B and H7B seem to be hard to find).
<a href=“http://physics.berkeley.edu/academics/Courses/Archive/index_archive.html[/url]”>http://physics.berkeley.edu/academics/Courses/Archive/index_archive.html</a></p>
<p>In general, honors courses are for those with good ability, strong prerequisite preparation, and strong interest in the subject.</p>
<p>There are always 1~3 freshmans every fall who take H7B and H53 or H54 combo and they do fine. But more importantly, they’re quite smart…</p>
<p>I’ve decided to take 7B. I don’t think I’m interested or good enough at physics to handle H7B my first semester. Thanks for the help, everyone!</p>