<p>I was just glancing through the course catalog/time schedule for Autumn 2011 and got really overwhelmed...so many subjects! And I can't really tell from their brief descriptions which ones are really hard and which ones are good "freshman" classes...I don't really know how to explain I guess. Does anyone have any tips for an overwhelmed incoming freshman? I heard that at A&O there's not really much advising, they just tell you HOW to register... :/</p>
<p>Depends on your major.</p>
<p>first, good luck.
pick classes that seem more interesting to you more than other. the terms “hard and easy” classes are very personal and relative. try not to look at it from this point of view.
“pick classes that speak to you”.</p>
<p>tips:-
- try to email the professors who teach those classes and request a syllabus.
- go to ratemyproffesor.com and read what other students have to say about the class and or the professors.( i don’t like this option since its not always true. i enjoyed classes with teachers who were rated poorly).
- you can do a search and google the name of the course to learn more about it.</p>
<p>You can use the Course Evaluation Catalog, too.</p>
<p>momomomo, let’s kind of ‘walk you through this’ =)</p>
<p>First, some questions. I know you may have answered these in earlier posts, but <em>in case any have changed</em>
- Intended major(s)? Minor(s)?
- Do you plan on graduate school? (Getting a masters, going to Med/Law/Pharm/Dent Schools, etc)</p>
<p>After we figure that out, we’ll look at some classes:
- Composition (Graduation requirement)
- Honors courses
- Prereqs to your major, intro courses, or classes related to your field</p>
<p>Then we’ll go from there! :)</p>
<p>Aww thanks! I appreciate it 
</p>
<p>I’m really undecided, but pretty sure I want to go into the humanities? Social work or public health or the anthropology/global health route. But there’s also the possibility of computer science. And I want to do Spanish, but probably only as a minor. So yeah, I’m kinda all over the board :/</p>
<p>I’m not sure about grad school, possibly get a Masters. </p>
<p>I’m taking eng 131 and 111 in high school right now. </p>
<p>I enrolled in the Honors program :)</p>
<p>Hmm. So since you’re kind of undecided, I suggest classes of different types. That will get you started on different fields, and you can figure out whether you really enjoy them or not, given our restraints (mostly intro courses, perhaps some time spent with advisors)</p>
<p>Anthropology/global health: Array of classes you can choose from in the Anthropology department. [url=<a href=“http://www.washington.edu/students/crscat/anthro.html]ANTHROPOLOGY[/url”>ANTHROPOLOGY]ANTHROPOLOGY[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Computer Science: Have you taken APCS? I suggest CSE 142 to get a feel for the field. Note that it won’t be at all ‘easy,’ except for a few who have had quite a bit of programming experience before. Autumn is also the most competitive quarter since most freshmen knowing they want to be CS/CE majors want to get CSE 142/143 out of the way ASAP so they can apply to the major. If you’re not too sure about taking CSE 142 this fall but are planning on taking it, Winter would be a good quarter.</p>
<p>How far are you in terms of Spanish? IF you minor, will you plan on starting from Spanish 101, or perhaps a 200 level (2nd year college) course?</p>
<p>Check out the Honors courses if you’re interested in any: [url=<a href=“http://www.washington.edu/students/timeschd/AUT2011/hnrs.html]HONORS[/url”>HONORS]HONORS[/url</a>]
Let’s say we can figure out 5-10 credits of courses (roughly 1-2 classes) you want to take for sure, and let’s ‘assume’ you can get into them no problem. We can fill the last few credits with (a) Honors course(s), if any spark an interest!</p>
<p>Thanks so much!! So should I just pick a starting anthropology course? And I will probably have classes with upperclassmen not just freshmen right? I also <em>might</em> be interested in International Studies. As for Spanish, I’m in 103 at my HS right now so I think I’ll be in 201 next year.</p>
<p>And no, I haven’t taken APCS. So is it ok to take CS 142 winter quarter even if I don’t end up majoring in it…?</p>
<p>Yeah! Let’s see:
So so far on our list, we’ll have Spanish 201, an anthro course, and maybe an international studies class.</p>
<p>And yeah, anyone can take CSE 142 You’re not obligated in any way to apply for the major or something after you take it.</p>
<p>Cool cool don’t I have to take an honors 100 course or something autumn quarter tho??</p>
<p>Oh, yeah. So you’ll take Honors 100 (one credit seminar) as part of your Autumn classes.</p>
<p>However, it’s just one credit…and honestly, minimal (but busy) work.</p>
<p>For now, we’ll focus on finding 3 courses you’ll probably take, then tack on Honors 100 for 16 credits. If you want to take less than that, since it’s your first quarter, we’ll adjust accordingly.</p>
<p>I think the best plan is to have a schedule of 3 classes you’d like to take, then have back ups in case they’re full (ie. current UW students want to take intro anthro courses).</p>
<p>Oh, I didn’t realize it’s only one credit…would 16 credits be a bad idea for a freshman?</p>
<p>And also, I feel weird not taking a math or science for a whole quarter…</p>
<p>(I apologize for all these questions and thanks for answering them!)</p>
<p>Honors 100 - No, not really. I took 17 credits my first quarter. Some people take 18. Some people… take 20 because they’re sure they can handle it.</p>
<p>Haha, welcome to college, where you don’t have to take math or science for a quarter. What math are you currently in? Depending on your major, you might not have to ever take math or science (although CSE has math requirements up to 308 and at least 2 sciences). I know after CSE 308, it’s going to be REALLY WEIRD for me to not take math =O</p>
<p>Do you want to throw in some math / science options for the Fall quarter? Some people ask if they’ll be ‘looked down upon’ if they don’t take math or science classes, and to be honest, you won’t (with exceptions of people who believe that all students should take math and science for as long as they’re in school… uhh…a minority). College is different from high school where you have a chance to find and pursue what you are really interested in.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info! The thing is, I don’t know what I’m interested in…haha! I’ve always been good at math, and now I can’t decide if it’s something I want to stay with or not…but I feel like I have to decide right away. I got a 4 on calc BC last year which places me in math 126 but I could never skip the first two quarters of calc and come out alive!</p>
<p>Hahaha, well you could choose to skip math for a quarter but drop in some classes (math 124, 125, 126) to see what it’s like. Maybe you find that you can totally ace Math 124, and if you do end up wanting to take math (or have to), take 124 for an easy 4.0. Or maybe go into 125.</p>
<p>Ahh! So many choices, right?</p>
<p>So, this is kind of unrelated to the ongoing discussion, but what english class should I take freshman year? I got a 4 on the AP Language & Composition test, and apparently that’s equivalent to ENGL 190 (5 credits) at UW. Should I take ENGL 131 like most other freshman?</p>
<p>I think you only need one composition class, and I think English 190 covers that…not entirely sure though.</p>
<p>Yes, speedsolver, way too many choices!! I don’t know what I want to do with my life so how am I supposed to choose classes!! hahah</p>
<p>You need a composition taken at UW. They require this, it does not seem to be a very hard class, to be honest. Take it freshman or sophomore year (past sophomore standing, you have to wait until Period II to register for them and you’ll get the 6pm or 8:30am comp classes left over… if any. If you go in as a junior, talk to the advisors and they’ll give you an add code right away). </p>
<p>@momomomo - Haha maybe we can just start with the more ‘general’ classes, like anthro, math, and english? Are you interested in FIGs? The only way to get English in Fall quarter is a FIG, unless you manage to find a spot in the single non-freshman class, which is usually held really late in the day. Then you can get involved in some societies where you can learn more about the fields you might be interested in pursuing before taking other classes.</p>
<p>Taking math now will open up some doors in case you want to pursue a major that needs math. However, you could always take this later if you wanted. The only problem is that let’s say you need the entire calc series before you can apply for a major (ie. generally engineering majors). You might feel strained to take it right away when you figure out exactly what major you want to pursue so you can apply to it, and then take upperlevel courses in that department.</p>