<p>waht is the easiest class work wise, and grade wise I can take as a freshman</p>
<p>This is a joke right?</p>
<p>this is sortof a joke...but not really</p>
<p>Goheen (anthropology) and Maraniss (Spanish) are supposed to be two of the easier professors on campus.</p>
<p>It's sort of amazing to me that you can be accepted to one of the most incredible and competitive colleges in the country and you're seriously asking about "easy" classes. Your name "footballyus" doesn't help the image of bright football players. Decline the offer and go elsewhere and allow serious students to take your spot.</p>
<p>Have to assume you're a pre-frosh ('11) since you're asking this question. </p>
<p>Personally, I recommend you stick to survey courses in the "soft sciences" as you'll otherwise have a hard time finding "easy" classes in terms of both effort and grading. This is b/c most classes will have you write essays (LJST, history, polisci), do problem sets (math/compsci), and/or take labs (all lab sciences), in addition to mid-terms & finals. Avoid non-intro courses too as because lack of attendance/participation will often preclude you from getting better than B+ even with perfect exam scores.</p>
<p>And if you are a ball-player, you should consult the rising juniors/seniors on the team when u arrive preseason ahead of everyone else. </p>
<p>Personally, you might consider Psych 11 because of very large class size (120+) and no labs. It's the rare Amherst class where the profs really won't miss you. Then again, if you're a big, hulking football player, you might not be so lucky. ;-) Econ 11 is also easy as it skims macro/micro principles (however it's divided into small sections so your attendance is noted). </p>
<p>My $0.02. And good luck on your fall semester.</p>
<p>If they still have them, you can also check out the results of student surveys of AC professors. </p>
<p>And finally, you will have a few days (two wks?) to switch classes w/ the Registrar at the beginning of each semester.</p>
<p>How crazy is it to take 5 classes in Freshman Spring Semester? (I am a Biology major so I was thinking Biology, Chemistry, Multivariable Calc, Another non-Lab Biology and Anthropology or English or Classics, something without a lab) There are so many classes I want to take in four years and I want to get them all in. Also, are many classes offered alternate years or alternate semesters (spring/fall)? Does this make scheduling difficult?</p>
<p>Some people do take 5 classes freshman spring (I know a few) although I don't know of any who are taking two labs plus three other classes.</p>
<p>Five classes is doable (I started out as a bio major but changed to something else) but it won't leave you much margin of error if you intend to juggle sports, ECs, research, etc. like many people. For example, during my time a lot of premeds did crew; some bio majors (bio PhD track & MD/PhD pre-med types) lined up work-study gigs in the lab during the school year and also summer research gigs: </p>
<p>If you want to accelerate the progression toward your major or premed requirements, you might also consider enrolling in summer courses elsewhere (I did mine @ UW in Seattle one summer) for courses outside your major (e.g., intro chem, math 11 for premeds). Hell, you can even take courses this summer before matriculating....</p>
<p>Really this summer?? ( : I am considering a double major in Chem and Bio, but I do plan on doing research esp since I got this Schunf Scholars(or something I can't spell) program which seems to focus on research. I am leaning toward MD/Ph.D so reseach is def something I want to do. I'll probably see how much work I have Fall Semester and go from there, but it seems like it would be too much. One more question. How good do you have to be to be in sports (specifically Tennis). I'm first singles for my HS and have gone to sectionals and super sectionals but never States or anything. Would I even make the team or is it a lot of recruits? Amherst doesn't have JV sports, do they?
Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>Okay I lied...one more question
How tough is in general to double major? I plan on taking Math through Linear Algebra and Diff EQs and am considering a double major in Biology and Chemistry in addition to premed requirements. Is this GPA suicide for a premed?</p>
<p>Eventer, the tennis team is all recruits I think, but you could definitely try out. No JV sports unfortunately, but there are intramurals. Intramural tennis tends to have a lot of people like you who were good high school players but who weren't good enough to make the team at Amherst.
In terms of double majoring, it is very easy, because there are no requirements outside of a freshman seminar. As a result, you have 31 classes to choose from, more than enough to fulfill 2 majors (which usually will be around 20 courses combined) and still have some freedom to experiment in other departments. A double major combining biology and chemistry virtually completes all the premed requirements (4 semesters of chem, 2 of bio, 2 of physics), leaving you with only math (which can be placed out of) and English (only 2 courses, I think). That proposed major is very doable also because both majors have similar pre-requisites.</p>
<p>Being overloaded your first semester as undergrad is a common pitfall; why not think about the "big picture" while taking just four courses? (Ask, "What do I want out of my undergrad exp at AC?", "How do I plan to demonstrate that I'm a good fit for medicine, esp. clinical research?"). You have a long road ahead of you so you might want to allot some time & energy on playing sports, building ECs, making new friends, as personal relationships (read: your AC support network) are built mostly outside class.</p>
<p>I don't know anything about tennis (at AC, in general), but I encourage you to inquire with the Amherst tennis coach. Now. </p>
<p>Be advised that you can but do not have to double-major. (Easy to declare any major, sometimes hard to fit in all the classes.) If you're interested in biochem or similar interdisciplinary field, why not just do one and pick up add'l courses from the other? (I mean, do you intend to do two honors theses?)</p>
<p>If you're interested in clinical research (MD/PhD), why not think of the research you want to do and work backwards? You might want to start identifying/eliminating specific clinical topics that seize your imagination. For example, an MD/PhDs I know considered immunology and rad-onc because they both relate to new/innovative cancer research (e.g., using viruses to target cancer cells in immuno; gamma knife therapies for RO). (He ultimately chose RO btw.) Once you identify something that sounds cool, ID the labs that are working on that particular problem (look for articles in the corresponding journals); you obviously won't get a summer internship right away, but you can start acquiring the lab techniques/exp. quickly that will (over time) make you a very appealing MD candidate. I'm sure you'll have good enough MCATs and GPA, so you just need something to set you apart (med school prestige doesn't matter in private practice but unfortunately does matter in academic medicine).</p>
<p>I hope that helps.</p>
<p>Thanks! (10char)</p>
<p>any more easy classes</p>
<p>Sorry, footbally. I can't think of any others. </p>
<p>Even survey courses that might be considered conducive to "easy As" (ones we called "clapping for credit", "rocks for jocks" come to mind) still make you sweat for it. (e.g., when I took CompSci 11, I got an "easy" A as it was mostly turning in problem sets/original programs; if you have a nack for OO coding and concepts, its comes easily right?)</p>
<p>Like most top schools, I learned freshman yr that Amherst will make you work for the better grades; since everyone else is (at least as) smart as as you are, one's "average" effort usually translates to "average" grades.</p>
<p>Of course, you can scrounge UMass if you're really determined....</p>
<p>eventer, </p>
<p>you should check out the AC premed page:
<a href="http://www.amherst.edu/%7Esageorge/guide1.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.amherst.edu/%7Esageorge/guide1.html</a></p>