I am currently a freshman in engineering and I am trying to figure out what classes I should register for winter semester. Right now I’m thinking of taking Calc 3 (I would take the applied honors version but for some reason they decided not to offer it next semester), MATSCI 250, Engr 100, Engr 255, and a humanities/social science.
Is MATSCI 250 a difficult or time consuming class?
I still don’t know what 100 section I’m going to take. I was going to do a cool one like the aerospace or submarine one, but now I think I’m just going to go for one that’s not too tough. Any suggestions?
Engr 255 is a 2 credit class that I have to take because I’m going to be on one of the MDP VIP teams. Does anyone have an idea of how much time this might take up?
I want to take the HU/SS because without it I would only have 14 credits, which seems a little bit low. However, if I take a 4 credit HU/SS then I will have 18 credits. I am currently taking 15 credits this semester and find it manageable, but I am worried for next semester because it seems like all of my classes will be more time consuming. Is an 18 credit schedule with these classes a good idea? If I had to get rid of something it would be the HU/SS class but I don’t want to have to do that.
Also, I have no idea what HU/SS I would take. I am thinking about Psych 111 or maybe Phil 154 (philosophy of science fiction), but reading and writing are not my best subjects so that class might be hard. Would either of these be good or does anyone have other suggestions?
I thought you have 14 credits for intellectual breadth already. Now I read your post again and realized you mean 14 credits for the semester. It is interesting that you are taking MatSci 250 in freshmen year already. My D is taking 220 (an alternative to 250) in sophomore year as she has pretty much finished all IB/Humanity/LSA and common requirements (Calc, Chem, Phys, Bio, etc). Whether it is manageable or not really depends on the student. Make sure you get all the Chem/Phys/Calc finished as early as possible. Some of them are considered weeding classes. My D did take 18 credits in her freshmen winter semester and did well but she only had one class (ENGR100) common with you. She took Calc4 and Org Chem2 in the same semester. How many IB/HU/LSA credits did you have? You may need to fill the schedule with those in the upcoming years anyway.
Yeah I hear Engr100 isn’t difficult but it takes up a lot of time. I came in with credit for physics 140 and 240 and I’m taking chem 130 this semester. So MatSci 250 and 220 are about the only courses I can take without deciding on a major yet. Right now I have 0 intellectual breadth credits, so I could take two IB classes next semester, but I would rather space those out. What 100 section did she have? Also, is she taking 220 now or next semester? If now, do you know her thoughts on it so far? I’m guessing 250 and 220 are pretty similar.
Well, if you have no IB credits yet, then you should take 1 next semester. My D actually got all non 300 level IB/HU/LSA credits from AP Spanish, US history, and English. She just need to take 1 course in 300 level to complete that requirement and she is almost done with it now. Nevertheless, ChemE requires Econ 101 and she took it in the last semester of freshmen year. So she has 20 or more IB/HU/LAS credits now.
As for MatSci 220, she is taking it right now with the session that has no test/exam. She does not like it as it lacks structure. Anyway, my D is the kind that likes reading and taking regular exam. She has very light low now through graduation as she will have ~85 credits in her pocket after this semester in sophomore and just need to keep the 12 credits minimal requirement in the next 4 semester to graduate within 3.5 years.
Hey. I’m also currently a freshman at UofM. I’m currently taking 17 credits this semester and I’m can manage myself, but I find myself pretty stressed around finals cause there’s a lot of work to be done.
I’m also taking Phil 154 this semester. It’s pretty easy, however, be prepared to work on the papers. It’s a fun class. I would recommend it. Sometimes, it gets boring, but you should be fine.