<p>is this a good idea? say someone placed into the 200's for a certain language but wants to take a 100's class in that language since they'll probably have a better chance of doing well? what's your take on this?</p>
<p>I think this would be kind of a cop-out. The language placement test is designed to put you in a course where you are likely to be at the right level and succeed- if you put in work appropriate to the class in the level to which you have tested, you’ll probably do just fine grade-wise. Taking a class lower than the level you placed in to would probably just be boring for you and a waste of your time because you won’t be learning anything new.</p>
<p>Yeah- frankly I’m going to say that in this case, one has to determine whether new knowledge or a higher GPA is more important to that individual.</p>
<p>From what I’ve seen it’s OK to take only three classes in a quarter. Use the extra time to do really well in those classes and consolidate your position at Chicago. Forget the “what will look good” for the moment.</p>
<p>S took three classes in the fall and was quite pleased he did – he was able to make friends, join organizations, get a job, get himself organized and do well in his classes, too. I’d take three classes rather than an easier one, too.</p>
<p>Are you that concerned about your language ability in a 200 class or is the GPA that worries you? Different solutions to different issues.</p>
<p>I plan to only take 3 classes for as many quarters as I can. I know the challenge of Chicago and taking one less class will create a much more stress free environment and just more time in general.</p>
<p>I would advise at least starting every quarter with 4 courses, then dropping one if necessary. I have taken four courses every quarter so far (I’m a second year), and I think I would be bored with only three. Personally, I also feel like I’m somehow wasting an opportunity to take a cool class, because there are so many that I want to take. And even with four I have plenty of time to relax. What I do try to do is make sure my schedule is balanced. I usually try to take three challenging classes and one that is a little easier. But it is always a class that is interesting to me and that will teach me something new-I wouldn’t take a course that just repeats information that I’ve learned elsewhere. I especially wouldn’t do it with a language course. I took a 200-level language course (the one I placed into, in fact) that repeated so much material from high school that I was bored out of my mind every class. Even though this made it an easy A, it was one of the worst classes I’ve taken here. I have had much better experiences in tough classes where my grades ended up bringing my GPA down.</p>
<p>Everybody is different, and you may find that three classes is the way to go sometimes. But there is no harm in at least signing up for four and then dropping one.</p>
<p>I won’t advise anything. :)</p>
<p>Each kid approaches UofC and its courses in different ways. Fortunately, students have lots of flexibility the first week or two (but watch out - courses are fast paced, and it is hard to catch up if you join the class too late.</p>
<p>So perhaps a better way of viewing the situation than listening to advice like “take 3 classes” or “starting every quarter with 4 courses” is to view the first week or two as a chance to shop around - you might even start by attending 5 or 6 courses, then narrow the field to what seems like the best fit.</p>
<p>One advantage to “shopping” is that what’s hard/easy, boring/exciting and such varies a lot from student to student. First hand experience is the only way to get your own, personal, grip on these issues.</p>
<p>You might even end up like my D did one quarter her 3rd year: She could not decide which Spanish course to take, so she started attending two grad level and one upper undergrad one. She liked each so much that she stayed with all three! (Plus something else plus lab research. Yes, it was a tough quarter!).</p>
<p>Even closed classes rarely stay closed. In fact there was not one time where my D could not finally get into a course she wanted during her 4 years.</p>
<p>S did sign up for four courses originally, and decided to drop his SOSC after being so thrilled with his HUM that he wanted to extend the “Core awesomeness” as long as possible. He also shopped between three math courses for a week and a half. The two courses he thought would be really tough turned out to me not as time-consuming as he feared, so he had more time on his hands than he expected. He was glad it turned out this way.</p>
<p>From here on out, though, he plans on taking four a quarter unless he has some major research or graduate applications going on. (There is a seminar he may sit in on this quarter in addition to the four courses, but Chicago won’t let him take five classes, so it will have to be unofficial, but totally fun.)</p>
<p>Just pointing out that Chicago has no official “shopping period,” but it is not uncommon for students to sit in on many more classes than which they have registered for.</p>
<p>Also, if you haven’t gotten into a class and want to get into it, e-mail the professor… NOW to let him or her know you are interested. Every prof deals with backflow differently, but it’s not uncommon for a prof to either let in all the kids who e-mail beforehand or draw a lottery with the kids who e-mail and not the kids who just show up.</p>
<p>Unalove is right – S had permission from someone in math advising to check out a couple of courses and see what would be the best fit given his circumstances, and the profs also knew that he was doing this. The classes weren’t full, either, so he wasn’t taking a spot from anyone else.</p>
<p>unalove,</p>
<p>Few schools have an official shopping period, so let’s not get hung up on terminology. But every school recognizes that kids need an opportunity to see what classes are like and whether they fit. And faculty everywhere, not just Chicago, reward persistence, so someone that really wants into a class will probably get in, unless it is just wanting into the section of a favored, popular prof when there are alternatives. </p>
<p>Another hint: pre-requisites are guidelines, not binding. If you think a class may be interesting and you think you can handle the work, talk to the prof. The prof can tell you the real story. On the same note, course catalog descriptions may or may not adequately describe a class, hence the value of (a) “shopping” (b) reading an up to date syllabus, reading list etc and (c) talking to the prof if you still have questions.</p>
<p>CD, your kid does not really need “permission” to explore options. And “checking out” hardly deprives anyone else of something, don’t you think?</p>
<p>nmd–</p>
<p>I just point out that there is no advertised “shopping period” so as not to discourage students from doing exactly what you suggest. I just imagine students coming to campus, asking, “Hey, guys, when’s shopping period?” and getting puzzled looks. Other schools make a point of calling the first week or two “shopping period,” which seems to actively encourage to try different courses. At Chicago, it’s just called “add/drop.”</p>
<p>Students can add/drop a class without it appearing on the transcript until Friday 3rd week, and can withdraw from a class at any time (which is not desirable, but it’s an option). Students can ALSO elect to take a class pass/fail at any time.</p>
<p>So, a couple of y’all were talkin about sitting in on a seminar class in addition to the 4 classes for credit. What would that be like? Can you attend a fifth class without an extra charge or having to petition the school? Would the only differences be that it wouldn’t show up on the transcript and you wouldn’t get credit? I’ve been looking through the course catalog and there are just so many awesome courses to choose from and, if accepted, I would like to take advantage of as many of them as possible.</p>
<p>I would only hope that, tit for tat, sitting for one hour in an “extra-ordinary” class just for the hell of it would beat playing a video game for one hour any time.</p>
<p>LZD,</p>
<p>You want credit for the 5th, you pay.</p>
<p>You just want to absorb the knowledge? That’s free as long as the prof says OK. </p>
<p>Much of the interesting, deeper stuff in a university is seminar based, often not for credit anyway. You might want to find a prof that is willing to mentor you. Then you have a kind of “guide” to the good stuff…</p>
<p>In one of S’s classes this fall, the prof asked students to identify themselves and why they were in the class (i.e., third year CS major, first year grad student, first year math major, etc.). Prof specifically said that if one was just observing, that was OK. This would depend on the size of the class, and the prof’s feeling on sitting in, but there were only a dozen students and the prof was cool about auditing.</p>
<p>LazyDog: One must petition to take a fifth course. See pages 1-2 of the pdf. <a href=“http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/pdf_09/academic-regulations.pdf[/url]”>http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/pdf_09/academic-regulations.pdf</a></p>
<p>yeah thanks guys. I wasn’t looking to take a fifth course for credit. I was just asking about sitting in on another just for the sake of learning, and fun of course.</p>