Telebears Phase I Advice?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>I wasn't really sure if this belonged in the "post your schedules" thread because to be honest, I have almost no idea what to enroll in.
College of L and Sciences
**Major: **Math and Physics
Okay, so right now I'm taking Math 53 and 54 this summer in the summer session. I'm almost definitely going to be taking Math 55 for the fall. However, I don't think this would be a top priority class because it's not that sought after, so I'm putting it in Phase II.
I'm also going to take Physics H7A.</p>

<p>So my schedule so far:
Math 55 (probably Phase II)
Physics H7A (does this class fill easily?)</p>

<p>Does anyone know the general progress for a math major? In other words, what courses do I take after Math 55? Also, I want to take two breadth requirements as my last two remaining classes, but I'm not sure which ones are easiest/most interesting/etc. Any general advice would be great. As you can see, I have no idea what to Phase I. If it's not too hard, I'd love to take one upper division math course along with those two and only one breadth requirement class (I'd assume Math H104 comes after 55?). However, I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to or if it's just impossible to do well in all of them.</p>

2

<p>Look here [Majoring</a> in Mathematics - UC Berkeley Department of Mathematics](<a href=“http://math.berkeley.edu/undergraduate_major.html]Majoring”>http://math.berkeley.edu/undergraduate_major.html) then in the subtopic depending on which of the three submajor types you will declare.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the link. I’ll definitely look into it!</p>

4

<p>So far my schedule is:
Math 55 (Phase II)
Physics H7A (Phase II?)
Math H110 (Phase II?)
Class that is easy/interesting and takes up the Arts/Literature requirement</p>

<p>Does that seem already too hard? I’m a bit hesitant whether Math H110 relies on some concepts from Math 55 or not, or if the workload as a whole is just too much because I’m aware that I have 3 “hard” classes.</p>

5

<p>Math 110/H110 relies on Math 54 than Math 55. I wouldn’t downright say Math 55 and Physics H7A and Math H110 are “hard” classes since those few who are really geared towards math and physics majors have no trouble digesting the materials. However, I would wait at least one semester to take any upper division math classes at Berkeley. Whereas most lower-division math classes tends be a weeder and competition-driven, upper-division math classes are small (except for Math 110 which recently had merged into one giant lecture due to budget cuts) and are for those who are really in it. There’s minimal problem solving in class and lectures are almost entirely conceptual and proof-driven. In a way, Berkeley math dept. has probably one of the most advanced approach to math and I would suggest take Math 55 as a transition to upper division classes. If you are really curious, simply audit the Math 110 lectures and see how is it like.</p>

6

<p>You seem to know what you’re saying, and I will probably regret my decision, but I’m still siding with taking Math 55 in conjunction with Math H110. If things get too bad, I could always drop out, although I’m not sure about the policy of this. Anyways, I’ll be sure to research more on this issue tomorrow, but I don’t have much time today (I have a midterm for M53 tomorrow). To be honest, it doesn’t seem like a large workload that I haven’t done before. My senior year, I took 11 AP tests, and this summer, I’m doubling up on M53 and M54. This summer, I’m already basically spending 5-6 hours a day on math outside of the classes simply to study and master the material as best as possible. </p>

<p>You declassifying the classes as “hard” is also a bit encouraging because I find the topics extremely interesting. I understand that waiting a semester before taking upper division math classes would be an enormous help, but I’m on a bit of a tight schedule and I want to progress as quickly as possible in my math since I am a bit lacking compared to other, more competitive math majors (in other colleges mostly) when we all apply to grad school 4 years from now.</p>

<p>TLDR; I’ll talk to my advisor about this when I get to my CalSO (this Friday) and hopefully, I can get more specific info on some people similar to me.</p>

7

<p>Your CalSO counselor will most likely to say NO just because it is hard. But really, it’s not hard for some few people. If you are really into it; sign up for it, then drop it if necessary.</p>

8

<p>if you’re smart enough to take 11 APs, why didn’t you go to MIT with your uber confident math skills</p>

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<p>Right now, this is my proposed schedule (before talking to the advisor):
**Physics H7A<a href=“Phase%20I”>/b</a>
**German R5A<a href=“Phase%20I”>/b</a> (to fulfill my R&C requirement, which will take a year if you include R5B next semester)
**Math 55<a href=“Phase%20II”>/b</a>
Math H110 (Phase II)
= 16 units</p>

<p>I’m only a bit worried about not taking any breadth required classes. Excluding R&C, I have 7 semester long courses I need to take.
During the Spring, it’ll probably be
Physics H7B
German R5B
what ever class is after Math H110 (Math H104/H113?)
Breadth Required Class</p>

<p>Does this seem like the right thing to do, or should I switch Math H110 for Spring and the breadth class for the fall? That seems like way more work in the Spring than my original idea since I’ll be taking 3 honors courses simultaneously.</p>

<p>Bolded = almost definite
Normal = subject to change</p>

<p>

I was rejected from MIT. I was accepted to Princeton however, but I felt that the competitive pool when I apply to graduate school would be extremely difficult because all the math/physics majors would be at my level or further basically, especially since I’d assume most have already taken Multivariable and some Linear Algebra. Also I have to say that money was an issue and I got two scholarships from Berkeley (the Regents and the Leadership), but this is all besides the point since I’m already at Berkeley.</p>

10

<p>A lot of people change their minds about the math major after taking an upper division math class and find out its not what they wanted to do. Just take your first upper div and worry about it from there. Worry more about enjoying college and having time to hang out.</p>

11

<p>Thanks for the advice. I know that my interests will likely (almost definitely) change during the years at college, especially when I take my first upper division math class. However, I still need to look at a general idea of my schedule of the spring semester to even know what my schedule in the fall should be. I’d guess that the best decision would be the proposed above then. I can take four breadth sophomore year (two per semester), finish the last two junior year and then I should be fine requirements-wise I guess.</p>

12

<p>haha i see. must’ve taken a lot of thinking to take cal over princeton. cal’s a great school, but still, you know what i mean. princeton’s princeton.</p>

<p>props to you. good luck at cal.</p>

13

<p>Here is the reality facing most entering students. At their high schools, they were able to take on the hardest level of work, lots of APs and some college classes. They came in at or near the top in grades in those classes. </p>

<p>What they don’t realize is that Cal is filled with people just like them. Most of the students who will be in classes with you had the same grades, work ethic and brainpower. </p>

<p>The university is not going to give 80% of the students a 4.0 average. Thus, the workload, the grading standards, the kinds of questions on tests and the performance of everyone around you will be substantially higher. </p>

<p>Every can’t simultaneously be the top students here. The percentages say that most of you will not be the top students here. Most of you will be surprised and disappointed by the results you achieve, at least compared to what you were able to do in APs and high school and community college work. Fact.</p>

<p>That doesn’t mean that an incoming student won’t be garnering straight As, able to immediately do well with a very heavy workload, or dive right into advanced classes. A few of you may well be ready and able to take 18 units in Fall, to combine multiple classes considered tough or weeders by most students here, and to ace upper division courses. It happens. It just doesn’t happen with most new students. </p>

<p>Those of us who have been here a while see so very many cases where overconfident freshman run into the reality buzzsaw and emerge battered with low grades and the shock of not doing well for the first time in their lives. Add on top of that the distractions of being a freshman, which most people underestimate. No friends nearby, first time away on your own, freedom to set your own schedule, freedom to ditch class, get intoxicated, experiment with new kinds of relationships, mystifying procedures and systems, even intellectual distractions as you discover fascinating new subjects. The CalSO counselors will be fairly conservative, caution you against UD courses, multiple weeders and high unit loads because that for most of the incoming students who try that, the results are evident and not pretty. </p>

<p>Some on this board are top students at Cal, some are more like most of the student population. Most are sharing these cautions because it is impossible to tell in advance whether each of you is the one in twenty or one in fifty who can handle this effortlessly. </p>

<p>We are suggesting that you are not able to tell that either. You don’t know whether you are that one in twenty student, because you have no experience to judge against, but you will figure it out rapidly in your first semester. Thus the litany of advice to be a bit cautious, just for Fall 2010, until you get the measure of Cal and of yourself. Better to be a bit bored, have a 4.0 first semester and ratchet it up, than to have a 2.2 first semester and be stressed to the max.</p>

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<p>Also don’t worry about being behind in math. Take a look at this guy’s page:
[History</a> of classes](<a href=“http://math.mit.edu/~ssam/classes.html]History”>http://math.mit.edu/~ssam/classes.html)</p>

<p>hes now a grad student at MIT and he didn’t finish 53/54 until the end of freshman year.</p>

<p>edit: really great advice from rider730</p>

15

<p>Thanks for the advice, especially from rider730! The reasoning behind your logic is basically why I’m already at Berkeley, doubling up on Math 53 and 54. With the summer classes, I can gauge my limit somewhat since I find that Math 53 and 54 are fairly manageable, and I heard that the summer classes are harder than the normal classes because it’s within a shorter time period.
I hope not to sound like the typical overconfident freshman who thinks he’ll be the best at Cal and wants to take 18+ units their first semester or something. And to be honest, this isn’t usually how I talk/post. It seems rather formal and annoying. Even I can see the somewhat arrogant attitude I’m displaying in this topic, especially in the sentence I am typing right now. However, I am aware that I am (at least) better than the average Cal student with proper justification (excelling in M53/54, Regents scholarship, etc.). I will never know how I will do in Math H110 until I take it.
The schedule doesn’t seem that hard since Physics H7A and Math 55 taken in conjuction would probably be as difficult as taking Math 53 and 54 at the same time. German R5A is easy, and Math H110 will another “hard” class piled onto the other two. It seems “rigorous”, but manageable in the end.</p>

<p>EDIT: Thanks for the link JetForcegeminix! That’s a really helpful page! I’ve been dying to see another math major’s schedule of classes, especially a successful one who went to an amazing grad school, which my goal.</p>

16

<p>Well, the workload in a honors physics class is going to be higher than any of those summer courses. 7A, yes, but H7A is a different matter. </p>

<p>Also, you will get a better sense after you take your midterms for those two classes and get the grades back. Often people think they are doing well until that point, which is when the harsh curving and the competition first shows up.</p>

17

<p>Maybe it should be:
Physics H7A (Phase I)
German R5A (Phase I) (to fulfill my R&C requirement, which will take a year if you include R5B next semester)
Math 55 (Phase II)
2 Breadth classes (1 3 credit, 1 2 credit)</p>

<p>That seems easier just in case I do have trouble with the previous schedule, but still a pretty tough workload. I was planning on taking 5 classes similar this some time in the future anyways, but doing it now would also be fine. I modeled this schedule similar to [url=<a href=“http://math.mit.edu/~ssam/classes.html]History”>http://math.mit.edu/~ssam/classes.html]History</a> of classes<a href=“the%20second%20semester%20of%20his%20freshman%20year”>/url</a>. I can always take H110 second semester and another honors math class if I think I can manage it. I’ll have a better idea after the fall semester I bet. Does this schedule seem fine?</p>

18

<p>Just do it, see and experience for yourself, and enjoy. There’s really not much to say.</p>

19

<p>It’s hard to play with my fall semester without changing my spring semester schedule.
Option A:
Fall 2010
4 Physics H7A - Honors Physics
4 Math 55 - Discrete Mathematics
4 Math H110 - Honors Linear Algebra
4 German R5A - fulfills R&C requirement</p>

<p>Spring 2011
4 Physics H7B - Honors Physics
4 Math H113 - Honors Intro to Abstract Algebra
4 German R5B - fulfills R&C requirement
2 Music 20A or Music 20B or Music25A (Arts and Literature Breadth)
3 Psychology 2 - Principles of Psychology (Social and Behavorial Sciences Breadth)</p>

<p>Option B:
Fall 2010
4 Physics H7A - Honors Physics
4 Math 55 - Discrete Mathematics
4 German R5A - fulfills R&C requirement
2 Music 20A or Music 20B or Music25A (Arts and Literature Breadth)
3 Psychology 2 - Principles of Psychology (Social and Behavorial Sciences Breadth)</p>

<p>Spring 2011
4 Physics H7B - Honors Physics
4 Math H113 - Honors Intro to Abstract Algebra
4 Math H110 - Honors Linear Algebra
4 German R5B - fulfills R&C requirement</p>

<p>Option B sounds helpful and transition-like for the fall semester, but suicide for the spring semester with 3 honors courses. Compared to Option B, Option A sounds enticing, since it spreads the difficulty, although it makes the fall semester harder than the spring semester.</p>

<p>However, there is an Option C which is the best of both worlds, although I’m not sure I can do this:
Fall 2010
4 Physics H7A - Honors Physics
4 Math H110 - Honors Linear Algebra
2 Music 20A or Music 20B or Music25A (Arts and Literature Breadth)
3 Psychology 2 - Principles of Psychology (Social and Behavorial Sciences Breadth)
4 German R5A - fulfills R&C requirement</p>

<p>Spring 2011
4 Physics H7B - Honors Physics
4 Math H113 - Honors Intro to Abstract Algebra
4 Math 55 - Discrete Mathematics
4 German R5B - fulfills R&C requirement</p>

<p>By putting Math 55 in the spring semester, I can split up the honors courses and it still gives me leeway in case I think doing a combo of upper division math + math 55 + physics honors is too much since I can always change it spring semester. The problem with this strategy is whether or not I should take Math H110 and then Math 55 later (which seems like a downgrade to be honest).
This is basically what I’ll ask my advisor about. Thank you guys very much so far! It’s been very helpful and I wouldn’t have known what classes to take and how I could gauge myself otherwise. These types of topics are exactly why I love CC so much.</p>

<p>**TD;DR. **Sorry for the ridiculously long post.</p>

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<p>^the math and science L&S advisor at CalSO was horrible</p>

<p>just a heads up, he basically tells everyone to take the easiest classes they can. As much as I think it is a good idea to go easy the first semester, it’s silly to repeat math 1a/1b (which was his advice to all of us) for everyone (especially those focusing in math/physical sciences)</p>