<p>Congrats on your admissions! Truly, the workload varies immensely based on the course. Some are really manageable, and some syllabi simply are not reasonable. But, a huge chunk of school is figuring out how to prioritize one’s work for classes. I’m a Political Science and French double major, but have dabbled around a bit in other humanities/social sciences.</p>
<p>For reading-intensive courses (versus, say, math/science/intro languages) I would say that most of my courses have expected ~150 pages of reading/week. That said, there are plenty of courses that assign 300+ pages/week, and plenty that assign 40-60. The basic Shakespeare course (that’s supposed to be amazing, and is some form of a requirement for the English major) does a play per week. Keep in mind, though, you have a lot more flexibility with your reading than you do in high school. If you fall behind, you can always catch up later. </p>
<p>Evaluative coursework in reading-intensive classes also varies significantly. Some classes require a high degree of in-class participation (meaning the syllabus is more rigid), and some don’t (meaning, keep up as best you can, but otherwise, you’ll catch up before the assignment is due). Basically, as I’ve taken them, the combinations have been: midterm and final; final; midterm, short essays (5-7 pgs), and final; midterm, short essays, and final paper (8-12/12-15/15-18 pgs); 2-3 shorter essays (5-8), and a longer one (12-18); one biiiiiiig paper (25-30); thesis (unlimited). Again, if these seem daunting, you’ll get used to it. Plus, most assignments are given with a good degree of advance notice, so you have enough time if you budget correctly.</p>
<p>Language courses vary a lot, as well (even within the languages). Some are pretty breezy, and others will give you workbook assignments that, while extremely helpful, take an unholy amount of time. For those, generally there are regular homeworks, quizzes, midterm, final, short papers, and maybe an in-class presentation.</p>
<p>Grading, as with everything above, varies by teacher and department. I really have very little exposure to the English department; in my first-year lit course, grades topped out at A-. For PoliSci, there is a pretty large bloc of professors who, with VERY few exceptions, do not give out higher grades than A-. French is a little more relaxed, and I would say it’s pretty common to get As. Courses that rely more on testing than on papers seem to grade a bit higher, if only because it’s a bit more formulaic to grade.</p>
<p>In terms of work in correlation with GPA, it depends a lot on your working style. It seems like you are really motivated, and know how to work to get the grades you want. That kind of drive is super admirable, and will serve you well here! There will be a bit of a learning curve, but you’ll figure out what the best way for you to study is. </p>
<p>Honestly, the work I did in school for my APs was not remotely comparable to the work I do here. But, that also depends a lot on how your AP classes are structured, and, again, how you do your work. I have pretty good recall, take super detailed class notes, and had a pretty decent exposure to a lot of the subject matter before I got into the AP classes (I’m an only kid…I did a lot of arguably age-inappropriate historical reading in my early years). Plus, as I recall, the courses were usually graded based on unit tests, midterms, finals, and a research paper (8-12), meaning that I did not spend a lot of time with the textbooks, really only the night before a test. Studying for a final AP exam is not entirely dissimilar to studying for a college final, although college courses generally have more organized themes, and tighter subject delineations (i.e., you don’t have to go through the whole process wherein you try to recall all of world history, excluding North America, and the salient themes before the AP World test). I took AP US Gov over the summer in a three week long program, and I would say that’s probably a bit closer to the college experience (minus the ungodly long class sessions)…heavy reading, two short papers, midterm, final, 13-15 page final paper.</p>
<p>Ivy League…womp womp. Don’t worry about the labels, and don’t worry about your fellow students. You know what works for you, and other students know what works for them. Everybody has to work hard here, and nobody just gets things intuitively (maybe some kids in SEAS, but that’s a different sort of learning). This is especially true for a major like English that’s highly evaluative. Everyone in your class has to read the same books, and come up with her own cogent analysis, based on the things that jumped out at her. I suppose good recall could serve to the advantage of some, in that it’s easier for them to remember details and quotes. Even if that is the case, the vast majority of students need to take notes and practice. Professors expect this, and the class will be targeted towards that.</p>
<p>It’s great that you already have good practice in taking reading notes! To paraphrase one of my great PoliSci profs, you don’t haaaaaave to take detailed notes; but, you’d be a damned fool not to. 5 courses, 2.5 hrs/week, 15-ish weeks, outside reading. That is an impossible amount of information to keep track of without notes. So, you see, you’re right where you should be. And, truly, the fact that you have well-developed work habits will serve you well.</p>
<p>Addressing mdh625’s points, it is definitely do-able, with time left over for other activities. My involvement has shifted semester-to-semester, but I’m highly involved with a few campus groups, have been interning since Spring of my first-year, spend a lot of time with my friends, and do my best with the rest (yoga, fun NYC things, etc).</p>
<p>Overall, the workload is heavy, but you adapt to it.</p>