<p>Hello All!</p>
<p>My son does not use the great resource that is CC, so I have decided to post for him...</p>
<p>He is an incoming freshman who wants to major in physics, but is also interested in foreign language. He has 5s on both Physics C tests and has taken astrophysics, modern physics and multivariable calculus. Does anyone have an opinion about him starting with PHY 205?</p>
<p>For foreign language, he is trying to decide between Russian, Chinese and Arabic as his second foreign language (he will continue with German). With the knowledge that he would like to study abroad, which language has a good reputation at Princeton?</p>
<p>Thanks for any help!</p>
<p>I think he could start off in 205-- and drop down to 203 if he needs to. But he could talk to someone in the physics department just to be sure. Princeton is very good in all three languages-- they have more established summer programs in russian and in chinese, but the NES department has a lot of money for study abroad. The russian department is very small, so you get a lot of attention. The chinese department is the biggest of the three, but lots of peolpe I know really liked intro chinese and PiB. PiB is a very large and well organized program where students study abroad in bejiing for the summer. There is also PiA which can get you a job in Asia vs. studying abroad.</p>
<p>I am a physics major, and I highly recommend physics 105 as a freshman. The kids that go into 205 as freshman go wayyy above and beyond in physics, more so than simply astro and modern (altho your son seems great at physics!). On the other hand, your son could still take the exam to place into 205 if he wishes to do so - he’ll have to contact hte physics department about that. </p>
<p>In any case, unfortunately, I know kids in all of those languages, and they ALL say they are taught great. Princeton has a very, very good Chinese program, as many people know (and as many chinese students on campus notice as friends become fluet so quickly) but the other languages are taught well as well.</p>
<p>whats the difference between PHY 101-102 and PHY 103-104?</p>
<p>PHY 101-102 presumes like no prior knowledge of physics or calculus. It’s not really for prospective concentrators.</p>
<p>what about hebrew and turkish are those good? i’m trying to decide between arabic, chinese, hebrew and turk. i might take two but that would take up a lot of course space…</p>