<p>So, I'm going to be a freshman this fall in college. My college doesn't allow freshmen to choose classes until June, but they did give me a link to all classes offered first semester next year. </p>
<p>I noticed the course numbers varied from 100-400. I understand that 100's are the easier courses, and the 400's are the toughest, but I do have a question, even if it is silly.</p>
<p>Barring any senior thesis/capstone/whatever your school calls it, am I able to just take 200 numbered courses as a freshman? Is this is a bad idea, even if I can? I'd appreciate any help on this.</p>
<p>Typically, 100 level courses are introductory classes, often “survey” classes (think “World History I” or “Biology I.” These will mostly include first year students, although there will be some sophomores taking general education requirements and a sprinkling of upperclass students who for whatever reason are taking these later on.</p>
<p>The numbers between 100/101 and 199 typically are not that significant; most programs do not require that you take classes in numerical sequence. Where I work, for instance, we number the required classes 100, 200, 300 etc and use each “decade” to indicate the subfield, e.g. 130, 230 and 330 are all Cutting with Scissors classes, while 140, 240 and 340 are all Finger Painting classes. So you wouldn’t need to take 130 before 140, if you see what I mean.</p>
<p>200 level classes will be slightly more focused and are likely to include lots of sophomores and juniors, with a smattering of freshpeeps and seniors. These classes are likely to focus on a specific topic (“Estonian History” or “Cell Structure”) rather than provide an overview of the field. Some may have a requirement that you have either taken the prerequisite 100 level class or have equivalent AP/CLEP test scores. If there’s no prereq, there’s no reason you can’t take a 200 level class.</p>
<p>300 and 400 level classes are typically more in-depth and require greater knowledge of a particular field. Some people actually find these easier than the survey classes (less busy work in some instances), but that may be because students typically have more interest in the topics. Some 400 level classes may even include first year graduate students, and some undergrads may choose to register in 500 level (graduate) classes.</p>
<p>I assume this varies from school to school, so I think your best bet is to look online for the required coursework for your program and recommended timeline in which to take the these courses. Better yet, make an appointment with your advisor.</p>
<p>Obviously you expect the courses to get more difficult as the numbers get higher, but once you’ve been in your program for a bit you’ll see it’s a bit more nuanced than that. For example, here, MATH 221 (Calculus I), ENGL 200 (Intro to the Study of Lit), and ADV 300 (Intro to Advertising) are all considered introductory courses for their respective programs. There are courses in those subjects with lower numbers, of course, but unless you look at an expected course timeline you might not be inclined to think these are first semester classes.</p>
<p>Again, that’s why it’s good to speak with an advisor since general courses are setup with somewhat of an order in mind to lay foundational information.</p>
<p>In my school, the specific number doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot as far as “difficulty” goes. A 200 level class is going to be harder than a 100 level class, but within each set, there really is no “ranking.” For instance, in my school, Calculus I, II, and III are MAT 203, 204, and 205, respectively, and Intro Differential Equations is MAT 211. Calculus for Business and Social Sciences is MAT 230. It’s basically a condensed version of applied Calculus…it’s not “harder” than the normal Calculus sequence, and it’s certainly not as in depth. It’s Calculus for the non-math/science major basically. So, the course numbers can provide an indication of what to expect, but you really only need to pay attention to the 1xx or 2xx etc.</p>
<p>See if clicking on course provides class details…these often show pre-requisites that are required. Schools (and colleges within schools) can vary. At D2 there is a “pages written” expectation depending on course level. D1 goes to big school. Neither D has trouble going straight to 200 level english lit based on exempted freshman english. Do some digging into curriculum and course descriptions.</p>
<p>Sometimes it’s just a numbering thing. D1 took 500 level stats but it was still introductory (for science/math). Numbered that way since also used in graduate programs but had no stat prerequisites.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone. I did contact the school and they said the courses are numbered based on the focus of the class. So 400’s are much more focused and specific than 100’s.</p>
<p>They also said that by clicking on the course description, it would tell me if that class had any prerequisites before I can take that class. Thanks again!</p>
<p>What you heard from the school about 100-400 level courses is going to be true at most colleges, but at least one school – the University of Texas – numbers their classes entirely differently. The first digit is the number of credit hours. The SECOND digit tells you the level: 0 or 1 is introductory, 2 - 7 are higher level, and 8 - 9 are graduate level. The third digit is arbitrary, and sometimes courses also have a letter appended to the course number to indicate sequence. For anyone used to the traditional system, a UT transcript looks downright bizarre.</p>
<p>This is a post I made before, specific to my school, but it’s likely similar for most.</p>
<p>Rarely is a class numbered 7XX, 8XX, or 9XX actually a class. They are usually seminars or thesis writing or something of that nature.</p>
<p>Every department has different standards for what “year” corresponds to what “level.” In almost every department 400-level classes are for mainly juniors and seniors and 500-level for seniors and grad. Usually 600-level is all or almost all grad, often all or almost all PhD. In some departments it is common for freshmen and sophomores to take 400-level and in others it’s not.</p>
<p>The typical trend I see is that 100, 200, and 300-level are all introductory courses, 100-level usually having no prerequisites, 200-level being having a 100-level prerequisite, 300-level having a 200-level prerequisite. 400, 500, and 600-level are usually elective topics and form a lot more of your focus within a major. </p>
<p>Often you will see a 200-level class for students of a major (ACC 271, Math 217) has a similar class, but at the 400-level and easier, for non-majors (ACC 471, Math 417). It’s very hard to just look at a number and judge how hard or how advanced the class is.</p>