Question about Autumn Quarter Courseload (CS)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

Hi all,

I’m a high school grad from Montana and I’ll be heading to Stanford this fall. I wanted to inquire about whether my planned autumn quarter schedule was feasible (before I meet with my advisor). I want to knock out a bunch of core CS classes during my freshman year. I was wondering if my current load would be considered too tough.For autumn quarter, I’m planning on taking:
Math51 - Seems to be a prereq for serious non-CS classes that I might be interested in taking next quarter (I’m somewhat decent at math. I’ve taken AP Calculus BC, multivariable calculus, intro linear algebra, and intro discrete math/proofs.) I heard it’s worse to take 51 in the autumn because it’s on-track, but I can’t wait until winter quarter to take it (massive scheduling conflicts), so is it really that bad/that much worse? Seems to get a lotta hate on Edusalsa
CS103 - Seems to be a common CS prereq (except 107, but I’d rather not take 107 in the fall). I’ve done intro discrete math which had not-very-rigorous proofs, so I think that might help? Maybe a little bit?
CS106B - With my AP credit, I place into this course. I’ve done Programming Abstractions in C++ before, and 106B’s material looks similar. I’ve also ruled out X instead of B because I doubt I’ll have enough time.
(Also I was scheduled to take PWR during this quarter, but I’m hoping to petition and move it to a later quarter. Anyone have any experience about this, especially regarding how lenient the PWR people are about switching quarters?)

I’ve done some research on degree requirements and 4 year plans and these are the specific courses I have to take to move on to the higher level courses, where I’ll have more flexibility to choose. It’s a bit packed since I prefer to finish the core curriculum in my first year. But anyways, my main question is whether you think my autumn quarter schedule is too heavy. (Or is it too light…could I fit in PWR or an introsem :O? Or is it just right?). I’m still keeping in mind that I’ll have to have time to adjust, check out some extracurriculars, make friends, etc.

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That’s honestly pretty heavy…doable with a social life–especially if you are good at or have previous experience with coding and linear algebra–but pushing it. Whatever you do, you should definitely not add on PWR, an introsem, or any other real class if you do want to have time to socialize. If you’re willing, I would recommend switching out one of these classes with another one, so that you don’t have a triple-tech first quarter when all of your dormmates AKA potential future best friends are enjoying light quarters with lots of time to socialize.

You’ll likely hear the same from your dorm staff and advisors. Enjoy your last bit of summer, and have fun on the Farm!