<p>About how many classes per semester do you guys take S/NC?</p>
<p>None, but that’s just me.</p>
<p>I haven’t taken any either…some students take 1 a term, some take less on average, and there are a few people who take everything S/NC. Some courses are mandatory S/NC, so you might not have a choice.</p>
<p>LOL, that’s so funny the kids who take every class S/NC. College must be a breeze but I’m not sure what employers think of it.</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, they’re generally seen as “different” and “interesting”…but that’s probably because they are, not because of their choices. (Employers might not like it, but for grad schools, one can get a course report from professors)</p>
<p>This semester, out of five courses (including orchestra), I took three S/NC. However, two of these three were mandatory S/NC, so I only elected one S/NC.</p>
<p>I think the average is one course. I’ve never elected to take a course S/NC (worst decision ever!)–all the ones I have taken were mandatory. Not that I got bad grades, it’s just that I completely went against one of the reasons why I applied to Brown–the freedom to take which ever classes I want S/NC. I’ll definitely be taking at least one or two (non-mandatory) classes S/NC each semester from here on out! For some reason, those who do just seem to have muuuuuuccccchhh more relaxing semesters! Last semester, all of my classes were taken for a grade and I was constantly stressed, but that’s just my experience!</p>
<p>My son elected to take his Calculus class S/NC and received a S_dist (Satisfactory with Distinction) which seems to be equivalent to an A for honors purposes.</p>
<p>My Brown Career:</p>
<p>F '04: 4 Classes, 1 S/NC
S '05: 4 Classes, 1 S/NC
F '05: 5 Classes, 1 S/NC
S '06: 5 Classes, 1 S/NC
F '06: 5 Classes, 1 S/NC
S '07: 5 Classes, 1 S/NC
F '07: 1 Audit + 4 Classes, 1 S/NC
S '08: 1 Audit + 3 Classes, all S/NC</p>
<p>This felt like about the right way to go. I think that generally after your freshman year you should take 5 classes, and one or two of them should be a non-mandatory S/NC in a field that you don’t feel very comfortable with. Then, senior year – especially if you already have something lined up for after college – you can go crazy with it.</p>
<p>Damn, mgcsinc. Very nice.</p>
<p>daughter took at least one course S/NC each semester, except for this one when she didn’t take any S/NC. She said that she worked just as hard in the S/NC courses as she did for a grade. For her, it was just that she was not confident that she could get an A, so she opted out of the grades. But she found that she did not have a relaxing or breezy semester at all.</p>
<p>My experience was similar to franglish’s daughter. The only classes that were ‘easy’ for me were ones that generally have a reputation for being not-work-intensive, and I took those for a grade because I reasonably expected to be able to get an A.</p>
<p>And to clarify, I threw myself into my extracurricular pursuits a bit during my final semester, so I wasn’t just slacking off, lest anyone interpret it that way.</p>
<p>I try for one S/NC per semester, and most people I know do the same. If you take five classes, definitely consider at least one S/NC. It’s nice to have a break, especially if you have a heavy workload and lots of coinciding deadlines.</p>
<p>I disagree with mgsinc re: 5 classes/semester after freshman year. Five classes is a serious time investment; even if your fifth class (or even your fourth) is easy/ has a light workload, it’s still another ~2.5 hours you’re required to be in class each week (okay, you don’t have to go to class most of the time, but you might as well). Plus you have homework, tests, papers, and/or projects on top of that. I’m not saying it’s wrong to do 5 classes/semester all the time, but do weigh the pros and cons, especially if you’re involved in activities or have a job.</p>
<p>Just curious-- how does the grade appear when you receive an S with distinction in a non-mandatory class? Son’s first semester and he elected to take one class S/NC-- just isn’t sure what his final grade actually is and whether or not he received the ‘distinction’??</p>
<p>If you have an S with distinction, it will say S_DIST in Banner.</p>
<p>What are some examples of classes that are mandatory S/NC? Why are some classes mandatory S/NC?</p>
<p>Intro to Chemistry
Math60 Analytic Geometry and Calculus
Calculus I, Part I (Math90)
Practically all of the arts/performance/creative writing classes (You can’t grade talent–well, maybe you can at RISD.)</p>
<p>Not sure why the first three are required pass/fail though. Maybe to encourage people to start at the next level higher? I really don’t know…</p>
<p>I think the first three are, in a sense, remedial. Making them mandatory S/NC reduces the opportunity for transcript padding by taking classes that are below your level.</p>
<p>mgcsinc, also, just out of curiosity, how come you took so many 5 class semesters?</p>
<p>They ask for 32 credits (4/semester).</p>
<p>Even if you had no AP credits you still wouldn’t have to ever take 5 classes in a quarter.</p>
<p>Were you just trying to challenge yourself?</p>
<p>
Brown uses semesters, not quarters, and AP credits don’t reduce the 32 credit requirement, just to clarify.</p>
<p>I’m not mgsinc, but I’ll throw in my two cents. I really can’t imagine taking 4 courses a term. It wouldn’t give me enough to do. (Not to mention, it makes me stand out that I’m taking 5 reasonably challenging courses for a grade every term, and I’m a double concentrator with approximately 30 requirements, so it’s the only way I get electives.)</p>