<p>a. take Calc, Physics, Chemistry your first year
b. Not touch languages until junior/senior year?</p>
<p>a) Not at all.</p>
<p>b) A bit risky to wait until senior year. You should try to complete the core by your junior year. You just don’t want any surprises. Some students kick themselves because they have to take fully loaded courseloads their last semester (or even worst pay for summer school) because things just sort of piled on. 4 language courses in 1 year…That’s 2 simultaneous languages if I’m not mistaken.</p>
<p>At that point you’re all about your major and the workforce. Internships, applications to grad schools, first jobs, flying across the country for interviews, fellowships, etc…</p>
<p>Give yourself a little leeway. I have seniors in my Art Hum and Music hum classes and they all seem quite bitter about that fact.</p>
<p>Get the core done with by junior year is the way to go in my opinion.</p>
<p>I just don’t know how to best complete the core with a chemistry major…</p>
<p>toast, ah, well, it is not impossible as we previously mentioned and i knew many students when i graduated who were just finishing their language. so don’t worry. it is just different. </p>
<p>are you taking a langauge now?</p>
<p>and lastly - ask your adviser when you get to campus or when you get a chance what they think. they know how to do it better than any of us probably. also you have 4 years to figure it all out. it is not impossible, but mostly just requires being headstrong and disciplined. and who knows - you might be asking in a year about another major. 
finish up your senior year, have fun, columbia will be a great adventure.</p>
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<p>Also risky because of scheduling issues. Your 4th semester of Polish may only be offered MW 1-3, and some required course for your major that you can’t take until your last semester because of prereqs could also be offered only MW 1-3. Then you’re f’ed.</p>
<p>So, how would you all advise fitting in general and organic chemistry, calc II-IV, physics, a language, and the rest of the core in the first two years?</p>
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<p>This isn’t hard to do. LitHum and UW/FoS are already registered for you so you can’t chose and there are always multiple chemistry and physics sections per semester. There are also like 15 calc sections each semester for calc2,3,4. </p>
<p>Pretty much every engineer’s first semester is calc, physics, chem, uw/gateway, and 1 or 2 more classes. if 300 engineers can do it i’m sure you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>also tho, you don’t take general and organic chem in the same year. it’s either general or you take the test to get into freshman orgo.</p>