Questions about CS 70 and EECS freshman schedule

[chrisno12]

<p>Sorry for a new thread but I sort of changed the courses I want to take.
My goal is to graduate in 3 years (paying full tuition 60k+)
I'm toward the CS part of EECS and hope to be able to intern at companies such as Google asap (end of sophomore year?)</p>

<p>The prerequisites I have to take are:
Math 53, 54
Physics 7B
CS 61 abc, 70
ee20 40</p>

<p>And this is my tentative schedule:
Math 54 (just took lin alg + diff equ at my high school for the whole year)
CS61a
CS70
R5A</p>

<p>I was going to take Physics 7B but both teacher suck and I need to take Math 53 with it</p>

<p>These are my questions:
1. According to ucbalumnus, 16 units is perfectly fine?
2. Is CS 70 with Sahai, A really hard? I heard he teaches well but the hw+tests are just way too hard?
3. Which courses to phase I?</p>

<p>Finally,
What exactly is the difference between lecture and discussion (eg. for math 54)?
Do you have tests/quizzes in discussion periods or is it just a time to ask GSIs questions (or hang out)?
Is it good to have discussion periods right after or before lectures?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

[failure622]

<ol>
<li><p>16 units will keep you pretty busy, but it should be doable.</p></li>
<li><p>I haven’t had Sahai, but 70 in general can be tricky if you’ve not done discrete math before. Conceptually it can take a while to grasp, and I’ve heard Sahai’s problem sets take quite a while to finish (one user here says they took him 20 hours/week, that’s probably at the higher end).</p></li>
<li><p>The ones you need the most, or the ones that fill the fastest. Lower div CS classes tend to be pretty good at expanding to let everyone in.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Lecture is usually hundreds of students, and you sit there and listen to the professor lecture. Not very interactive, take notes and be quiet. Discussion section (at least for CS) tends to be 5-25 students with a TA, typically going through a worksheet of problems. Much more interactive, and it lets you apply the concepts you’ve been learning in lecture, ask for clarifications, etc. For some classes sections are optional, but others might have assignments, participation, or quizzes.</p>

<p>As for when section is… I’d say it doesn’t really matter. Pick the one that fits your schedule best, or the one with your favorite TA. Pick an unpopular time slot if you like small sections.</p>