<p>Hello. I am attending ASU next year, and I will most likely major in physics. However, the default major map the school provides is for the ones who are yet to have made their choices yet (which is normal). Because of it, the first year is filled with somewhat unnecessary exploratory courses. So my questions are:
1.) Is it possible to take first semester physics and calculus II (the two goes together) the summer before enrollment? I have AP credit for calculus I.
2.) The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences require 15 combined humanities/social sciences hours and 6 science and society hours (not to mention the SQ, MA, and first year composition). Is it normal to have so much general studies requirements?
3.) Will it be too rigorous if I were to take 4 STEM classes a semester?
4.) Any tips for physics majors?</p>
<p>The specific questions (like #1) would be best directed to the university. If you have already been accepted, see if you can get in contact with the person who would be your academic advisor there and they could probably help you out with the details. (It’s getting to registration time for a lot of colleges, though, so they might be kind of swamped right now.) You might also try just asking on the ASU board here on CC.</p>
<p>Those gen ed requirements don’t seem unreasonable. There’s a lot of variation between schools, with LACs usually having the biggest breadth requirements.</p>
<p>For the STEM classes, it’s definitely doable, depending on the courses. The more lab classes you take, the harder it will be. I would check with current students to see what the difficulties of particular classes are; I accidentally ended up taking 2 writing intensive courses and 2 lab courses last semester and it made things kind of… fun.</p>
<p>I have to take 6 hours in the humanities/fine arts, 6 hours of social sciences, 3 hours of life science, 6 hours of composition, 3 hours of western cultural studies, and 3 hours of non-western cultural studies…plus 4 hours of physical science, but I’m a physics major so that obviously isn’t an issue. GenEd cores can be pretty comprehensive. </p>
<p>Taking 4 STEM classes in a semester is definitely doable. I currently have Physics I, General Chemistry I, Calculus I, Intro to Anthropology, and Beginning Spanish I. I’m in honors sections of physics, calculus and chemistry as well. My biggest concern is not taking to many writing intensive courses at once. I’m done with my composition requirements though, so that won’t be much of a concern anymore aside from my honors projects/lab reports.</p>
<p>It’s definitely doable, but it depends in big part of what else you’re taking and how much time you’re willing to devote to it.</p>
<p>I presumed that ASU’s general requirements were more than others, but apparently they aren’t. </p>
<p>So it sounds like 4 STEM classes in one semester is in fact doable. I think I can manage the first two semester with 4 STEM classes, but I think it will get much harder after (if I can finish physics I and calc II during summer, I’ll be able to do upper division physics in my second year, which includes quantum physics and classical particles, fields, and matter). I don’t think I will be able to handle a fourth regarding how rigorous the upper division physics courses will be. </p>