<p>Awakien- although you may have done research on UR, please do not specultate on things that you haven't necessarily experienced. The courseload is indeed difficult- unless 15 hours a week of just homework alone for one class is easy.</p>
<p>tru tru, only those who are experiencing it would know how difficult the coursework may be, but it is good to get an outside point of view (awakien) who has communicated with ppl on campus, and seeing ppl being able to manage their work is a good sign regardless of how much work there truly is...which, i'm sure you will find at any university...also, seeing students enjoying doing dual degrees and all is very encouraging than to find ppl doing majors just for the heck of it...</p>
<p>Alrite here's the deal. For FRESHMAN...
I was told there are three levels of math, each with varying levels of difficulty and workloads.
Math 140s - Jus' enuf math to get by
Math 160s - Math for Mortals
Math 170s - Insane amounts of work</p>
<p>Same goes for Physics n so on and so forth. So I can tell you're taking a higher level course-track arent you. The guy I met said he tried that and he barely managed to get out of it before dropping down. He's doin ok now =P</p>
<p>I only spoke with Freshman soo your point of view may be from an upper classman and I understand that it may be rather difficult at some points - So I apologize for speculating. For freshman year though, thats how it went for the people I spoke to.</p>
<p>And plus, some of the people i spoke to are truely geniuses in their subjects - they breeze through their work lol.</p>
<p>so how do you get into the higher levels? someone said sat scores or something somewhere before, but what is the breakdown? is it like 700s or higher on the Math II C exam can go to 170s? something like that?</p>
<p>No, no placements. You pick the course, you get it. At least thats what it seems to be.</p>
<p>I also heard there's a Math placement test.</p>
<p>hopkinslax, any ideas?</p>
<p>i thought it had something to do with ur math sat score</p>
<p>My son is a freshman at UR this year (class of 2009) and is really enjoying it.
He is thinking of triple majoring in linguistics, philosophy and math. He may decide to go for a minor in math later. He is definitely taking advantage of the Rochester Curriculum.</p>
<p>He is in the math 170s series and doing well in it. Yes, he is working hard and it is much more theoretical than computational. He did not asked to be placed into the 170 series but it was suggested to him when he met with his advisor at the start of the year. I think the UR advisors use SAT and other scores to help freshmen with course selections (the scores were printed on the top corner of the advising sheet). As I recall, the Quest courses were recommended for students with certain SAT cutoff scores. According to my son, he gets 6-8 problems a week and on some occasions has spent 2-3 hours on one problem (definitely not the norm). I think whether you sign up for the 160s or 170s series really depend on what you are interested in doing (e.g., just to fill a requirement for a major, to enjoy mental gymnastics).</p>
<p>I get a general sense that many students posting on College Confidential are looking at college as a stepping stone to another degree, e.g., pre-law/pre-med, etc. and, as a result, a general concern about grades inflation/deflation. I sincerely hope that those who are attracted to the UR/Rochester Curriculum will use it as it is intended to be - encouraging true interest in studying a topic (vs signing up because it is a core requirement). As the saying goes, you have to stop to smell the roses. Enjoy the classes, the professors, the comraderie and the learning for a bit before the rat race starts again for graduate degrees.</p>
<p>Good luck with all your decisions and have a wonderful four years in college!</p>
<p>Thanks for your insight BandW ^^
Yea I do get the feeling that most people posting here are seeing their undergraduate education as a pre-professional stepping stone.</p>
<p>This is definitely not the case for me - Sure certain courses I will be required to take because Id like to keep my options open incase I decide to go Pre-Med, but Im going to Rochester BECAUSE of the Rochester curriculum. In fact, Im thinking UR is the only research university in America that comes closest to a liberal-arts education (something Ive been very interested in - but was unable to pursue - i didnt get into Oberlin xD). I plan on pursuing my interest in Neuroscience because its something that truely interests me, but I am excited about attending the Religion course taught by the Dean of the College - I want to study abroad, learn Chinese, perhaps get someone to teach me violin, definitely take a few English courses and try to tie in Sociology with my Neuroscience major. I wanna also explore areas that I have never really got exposed to because I believe I may find something that really interests me - I just dont know about it yet =P I wanna take a political science course just to see why its the most popular major in the US, and possibly some physics - I did pretty well in Regents Physics but I never really got to find out if I may actually have a knack for physics (it seems quite interesting, and UR is a great place for physics people)</p>
<p>The reason why I mention the difficulty of the math courses is because math really isnt my thing xD, so I would like to avoid the mistake of taking a course that is too tough for me and doesnt interest me as much - so that I can explore other disciplines.</p>
<p>Im actually very much looking foward to getting the most out of my undergraduate experience because I believe that what I will get out of it is the desire to continue learning (someone coined the term "lifelong learning"). </p>
<p>Grade inflation/Deflation was the question brought up , so i simply answered according to what I'd heard =P</p>
<p>Hi, </p>
<p>Figured I should share my insights as well as it applies more to me.</p>
<p>I also considered Georgetown when I was applying. I had looked at their program for MD applicats through their nursing school and I was impressed.</p>
<p>However! </p>
<p>They lack the research programs that we offer here. Plus the med school is closer on foot. :P </p>
<p>But back the academics. I'm currently taking Bio112/113 Which is more or less "honors intro bio." and for those of you who have taken AP. Take 112/113. Trust me you'll seriously be prepared for med school just by taking those intro courses.</p>
<p>They are very hard courses. Bio 112 is taught by the professor of biochemistry <em>from the UR Med school</em> He also teaches the medical students (or had...I forget [oh his name is Professor Terry Platt]) Bio 112 ends up being "Intro to Biochemistry" which is a junior level course practically required for med school. I remember having to study the cascade pathways of insulin binding to the insulin receptors triggering phosporelation of PKB and etc etc etc. </p>
<p>Or something more relevent....the effects of alchohol on the energy pathways and how that causes toxicity and what substances are best to neutralize that substance. It's an interesting and extremely challenging course, but it prepares you for medical school so much. </p>
<p>On top of that, the research opportunities here at the UR are endless. ON campus there are dozens of labs doing a variety of research in biology, biochemistry, organic physical chemistry, ecoystems, phylogency, etc etc. </p>
<p>That's just on campus, go a couple hundred feet to the med school and you get a ton of labs with lots of people looking for openings. </p>
<p>Although I have to warn you right now, this applies across the board, getting paid as a freshman with no prior lab experiance is really difficult. That is to say, if you are applying for grants, it is difficult. The professors here are really nice and if your willing to commit to what they ask for, usually they can pay you something. It may not be great, but hey lab experiance is what sets you apart from other prospective medical school applicants. </p>
<p>if you have any specific questions, let me know! I can help you out there as well or put you in touch with people if you want to talk to them!</p>
<p>just wondering...do the professors actually pay u or does the school set aside money for professors to do labs/etc. with?</p>
<p>Both. </p>
<p>You get paid a teaching salery from the university. But professors usually get their own teaching grants from various foundations and organizations.</p>
<p>what have you decided between the two schools?</p>