<p>I've been reading some posts about this. But I had a question. Why would anybody NOT want to do the core?</p>
<p>it's a lot of courses, a lot of work, and people seem to think it restricts their ability to do other things, which isn't entirely true.</p>
<p>some people think it tries to be a canon, but it's impossible to be all-inclusive, and it's a tricky thing, deciding what should go on the list of books to read.</p>
<p>It gives a much more esoteric education. Gives you a taste of everything so university isn't like specific training for a future job. Some people who might want to major in science however might find they have to sacrifice courses they like to fit in the core.</p>
<p>should i assume that most arts students love the core?</p>
<p>nope, and you shouldn't assume that science students hate the core.</p>
<p>or that humanities students like it. </p>
<p>For example, there are about 25 books in Lit Hum...some are very good, some are very bad; I think that's the case with a lot of the classes and even books within the classes: some are very good, and some are very bad. Each person likes/dislikes different books from each class.</p>
<p>Really, the best way to get multiple opinions is to go to CULPA and plug in all of the Core classes that kids have rated. It will give you an idea of the amount of work required for each and how well the course is received by the students. Also, if you are a humanities major, you are required to take some math/science classes as part of the Core. Research the Core and understand what you will have to be taking.</p>
<p>My son is finishing his Freshman year at Colulmbia. I warned him about the Core when he was making his college decision and told him to understand what classes/courses are required. He brushed me off. While he loves Columbia, I hear an awful lot of complaining about the Core.</p>
<p>acinva, it's a shame that your son didn't have a good Core experience. Personally, I like the Core, and I know a lot of people who like it too. However, I know a lot of people who don't. Maybe next year he'll have a better section preceptor/class.</p>
<p>blah1111 - Thanks. He loved his Art Humanities and Lit Hum classes (although the amount of reading was off the wall). He hates Frontiers of Science and hated Universitiy Writing. He's dreading having to fulfill another science requirement and hasn't heard or read on CULPA the greatest things about Contemporary Civilization. Evidently, there's maybe only 1 or 2 really good Music Humanities teachers as well. I know he would have preferred much more freedom of choices. Still, he loves Columbia and hopefully next year he'll be more inspired.</p>
<p>acinva -- my son also disliked university writing (mostly the nature of the class) and hated Frontiers of Science -- but loved LitHum and is really enjoying Contemporary Civilization. Suggest that your son reads the Culpa section on "surviving the core," if he hasn't already.</p>
<p>I think most of the university hates Frontiers of Science. It's Columbia's poor attempt at getting the science-phobic to be more in tune with the forefront of scientific research. Non-science people dislike it because the lectures are still kind of boring and too intense from a technical standpoint, and scienc people hate it because, well, the lectures are kind of boring (but in a different way). Luckily, Frontiers is only on a five-year experimental run. Even though the principle of the class is well-intentioned enough, hopefully the committee in Core instruction will be smart enough to eliminate the course and revise the science requirement.</p>
<p>They just got a Howard Hughes grant to continue Frontiers.</p>
<p>I agree with you blah, on its origins and intentions. It's an admirable ambition that may be impossible to pull off -- to turn the non-science students on to science while keeping the science students interested. I have heard that they may begin to assign people to sections differently, so that potential science majors or people with more science background are not in sections with non-science types. My son actually enjoyed some of the lectures (at least, the astrophysics ones). It was his section and the homework assignments that drove him crazy.</p>
<p>kind of off topic for a resurrection of the thread but i didnt see the need in starting a new topic...</p>
<p>firstly, can anyone tell me exactly what Z1003 or ALP1006 are?? (look here <a href="http://www.engineering.columbia.edu/students/academics/dept/cheme.php?tab=undergradreqs%5B/url%5D">http://www.engineering.columbia.edu/students/academics/dept/cheme.php?tab=undergradreqs</a>)</p>
<p>secondly, does the gateway lab have only 1 professor + a few assistants? I was looking on culpa.info and only saw Jack McGourty as a teacher of the lab (along with 10000 negative reviews on him....)</p>
<p>thirdly, considering the weeks around midterms and finals, would it be a bad idea to take gateway, UW, and everything else in 1st semester? i guess by everything else i mean would chem, physics, gateway, UW, and math be insane around midterm time?</p>
<p>you can't take both gateway and UW in one semester. half of the freshman class is preassigned to gateway for sem 1 (those usually with last names beginning with L-Z), while A-K begin with UW first sem.</p>