<p>Its not that heavy, but I want to know from people that have taken these classes, for the average person, is this too much, too little, or just right?</p>
<p>The last two are lecture type courses so I dont think there is much if any work involved in them, but otherwise, 18 credit total. What do you think. PS. No prior coding experience.</p>
<p>About Intro to CS. I would highly advise you not to take Prof. Steinberg because he has Parkinson’s Disease. You can barely understand him or make out what he is drawing on the powerpoint. However, I do believe even if you are registered with Prof.Steinberg, they allow you to sit in on other lectures for different profs. They all go over the same information anyway. </p>
<p>If you have no coding experience, you may have a very difficult time adjusting to the assignments. The syntax of java is something you need to learn quick and just get out of the way…and keep in mind syntax is not even what you should be concerned about. The issue is getting the program to do what it is supposed to do. I had no clue what the course entailed before I registered for it…and I had to withdraw from it. If I knew what I was getting myself into beforehand, I would have prepared before taking the course. Yes, it is just an intro course, but some people are not able to adapt to the nature of programming as easily as others. Sometimes it takes a bit more time.</p>
<p>They just throw these assignments at you to do and you are just expected to somehow whip out the code from somewhere ( the ones who can most likely have some experience in it). And do not even remind me about codelab. The iClicker quizzes…pain in the A.</p>
<p>If you think you can get it down…go ahead and take the class, no one is stopping you. But just be warned…the answers are not in black and white. You have to really think how to write the code and get it to work. Answers are not set in stone .</p>
<p>Alright, I will delay Intro to CS until later. Any advice on how to prepare for it? I have been dabbling in MIT OCW’s python course but I haven’t gotten far, it definitely is a challenge. Do you know anything about the intro to statistics course there? I might need to take it for my major, and I’d rather get it out of the way early.</p>
<p>I have just completed intro stats with Prof. Dong. If you took it in high school it should not be terribly bad, meaning you should be able to at least pass the course with a C. I really did not like the Prof. though because all he did was just say exactly what was in the book and he took attendance by you having to write down the title of video he played (negligible part of grade). But then, if you skip classes and are unsure of a topic that may be on the test…he may have mentioned so in class. Again, just a clever way to have students come to class. Great idea would be to make a couple friends where you can attend every other class in exchange with your friend…and exchange notes and ideas.</p>
<p>In my opinion, it is much more manageable than Intro to CS. I wouldn’t take Intro to CS until you prepare yourself a little, perhaps read some intro to java books over the summer or something just to familiarize yourself. Another thing I hate about the Intro to CS is they have no required textbook, just some online e-book thing which for me was pretty difficult to read.</p>
<p>A book you may want to try is. Starting Out with Java: From Control Structures through Objects (4th Edition or 5th edition). </p>
<p>The good thing about that book is it it starts you out with fundamental programming exercises.</p>
<p>The intro to CS course is based on the Java programming language, so I do not think MIT’s Python course would do you much good.
Also, you DEFINITELY want to download Eclipse software because it points out a lot of errors in your code and you can test the program in it.</p>
<p>Pretty average schedule except intro to comp sci could be a bit more difficult. Keep in mind that intro to comp sci does not count towards the engineering computing requirement.</p>
<p>With no prior coding experience, and Expos requiring a time commitment, I think I would drop CS for now. If you want the credits, take an easy elective. You need to balance hard/easy courses each semester if you want to keep up your GPA. Don’t kill yourself first semester. </p>
<p>Yeah, I will. I decided to not take that one extra class and focus on extracurriculars and getting experience in the job hunt even though I will likely not get one. Anyone know how difficult is Intro to Matlab for someone without any experience (how difficult to get a B or A) for the second semester?</p>
<p>Matlab is manageable, but I would strongly encourage you to use the time you have now to at least look into Matlab programming basics, it will make your life a lot easier. There are many free resources available online. Otherwise, I would make sure you complete all the problem sets they assign in class, even if they are not graded, as the only way you will actually learn to code is by trying things out and failing rather than simply listening to a lecture. From what I have been told, the homework assignments do not count for as much of the grade as they used to, but you really need to take them seriously especially if you have no prior experience. </p>
<p>Calc 1 will probably be the hardest course on your schedule, even if you’ve taken calc in high school people tend to have trouble with it, hard to fail though.
Physics you can do nothing all semester and the worst you’ll get is a C because of some crazy curves.
CS i have no idea about but it might be smarter to just take matlab this semester and be in the same boat as your peers.
Expos will be your most annoying class, but you’ll get through it, most likely with a B and as an engineer if you’re doing bad like a C you can make it a pass/no credit course.
Orientation and your seminar are just a matter of showing up.</p>
<p>Hmm, can you explain a bit more about the pass or no credit? Also, I am taking an Engineering Exploration class, do you have any idea about that?</p>
<p>PS. I took calc BC in high school, and got a decent score on the AB portion, but I goofed off the entire second half of the year and now I feel a bit handicapped so I thought I would go over it again to develop a good foundation.</p>
<p>The pass or no credit option can be used i think once every two semesters or something like that. It lets you turn any humanity/social science elective into a Pass or fail (no credit) grade. Many students who are good at science and math may do worse in these types of courses so if you make it a pass/ no credit course it is not counted towards your gpa. You should only use this option if you’re getting a C or C+ in the class though, unless you do so well normally even a B will bring your gpa down, up to you.
you can read more about it here: <a href=“http://soe.rutgers.edu/oaa/pnc-repeat”>http://soe.rutgers.edu/oaa/pnc-repeat</a></p>
<p>Engineering exploration is just a bs class, i’m sure it’ll be fun with like projects and stuff but it’s not helping you with any graduation requirements which at the end of the day is what your courseload should be about. You really only have 4 “real” classes on your schedule right now, if i were you i would think about dropping exploration and pick up an easy humanity class since atleast that is a requirement for graduation and most freshman take a humanity elective first semester.</p>
<p>As far as calc goes, having taken what you did in high school you should be fine IF you dont slack off because you feel like you know everything already. Do your homework.</p>
<p>I’m guessing you have credit for chemistry? if not you should definitely be taking that instead of exploration.</p>
<p>Yes, I do have credit for Chemistry. This is such a hard decision now. Ive decided to not take Intro to CS as I am interested more in Mathematics, so I will take extra classes for that down the road. That leaves me with 3 real classes. I guess I will look into it.</p>
<p>The best thing you could do when picking your classes is to look at the curriculum of the major you plan on pursuing. There are not many choices available to you as far as electives go, but there are enough for a minor in Math or econ if you plan out your years carefully and start early.
<a href=“http://soe.rutgers.edu/oaa/degree_programs”>http://soe.rutgers.edu/oaa/degree_programs</a>
Under the branch you’re interested in, click curriculum, it will show you what classes you need to take to finish on time without taking summer courses. Of course if you don’t mind taking summer courses you can really take whatever you’d like.</p>
<p>If I were in your shoes I would take
Calc
Physics
Expos
Matlab
and an elective
the elective could be something easy as a gpa booster, think art appreciation, or more strategically for a minor you wish to pursue</p>
<p>If you dont want to think to hard about an elective, you could take microeconomics if there is an open section but then you’d have a harder than average semester.</p>
<p>For comparison my first year (this past year) consisted of
Fall - calc , physics, expos , matlab, conflict and conflict resolution in the work place
Spring - calc , physics, statics, microeconomics, and psychology of mental illness
I had a 3.2 gpa at the end of the year and I enjoyed myself</p>
<p>Only take art appreciation if you like lots of writing and if you like looking through hundreds of slides of artworks. I don’t consider it a gpa booster. A lot of women take this class. I think my son was the only male in the class. He did not appreciate it.</p>
<p>If you’re looking for a GPA booster ==> Music Theory, the joke class of RU. An acquaintance of mine passed with a B+, and he just bubbled in all C’s for the final exam.</p>