Can I Handle This Fall Quarter Workload?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around a student's concerns regarding their fall quarter course load as a sophomore, which includes classes in Materials Engineering, Linear Analysis II, General Physics III, Engineering Dynamics, and Mechanics of Materials. Participants share their perspectives on the feasibility of managing this workload while maintaining a balanced life.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • The original poster expresses confidence in managing the workload, believing some classes will be easier than others, particularly Materials Engineering and Physics.
  • Some participants suggest that the course load appears light and propose adding more classes.
  • Another participant shares their experience of finding a similar course load overwhelming due to the volume of formulas and concepts to memorize, recommending the poster consider reducing their course load for better performance.
  • One participant encourages the idea of achieving a high GPA by focusing on fewer classes rather than taking on too much at once.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is no consensus on whether the proposed course load is manageable. Some participants believe it is light and suggest adding more courses, while others caution against overloading and recommend reducing the number of classes for better academic performance.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying opinions based on personal experiences and perceptions of workload, with no clear resolution on the optimal number of courses to take.

Who May Find This Useful

Students considering course loads in engineering and physics, as well as those seeking advice on balancing academic and personal life during a rigorous academic quarter.

violas
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Right now, this is what I'm enrolled in for my fall quarter as a Sophomore:

1. Materials Engineering - General overview of MATE.

2. Linear Analysis II - Laplace Transforms, series solns to diffeqs, Gram-Schmidt orthog., Sturm Louville theory, Fourier Series.

3. General Physics III - E&M

4. Engineering Dynamics - No explanation needed.

5. Mechanics of Materials - Stresses/strains due to axial, torsional and flexural loadings on beams, bars, and shafts.

I figure the Materials Engineering class will be pretty easy, Physics will hopefully be mostly review, and Linear shouldn't be too bad. Dynamics will be my hardest class, with Mech. of Mate. as the runner-up.

The question is- do you think I'll be able to take these classes and still have somewhat of a life? I'm dedicated enough to put in the necessary work, but I'd like to enjoy this quarter at least a little bit...
 
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Looks a bit light.
Maybe add another two or three courses?
 
AndersonMD said:
Looks a bit light.
Maybe add another two or three courses?

Surely you jest sir!
 
I found 3 physics courses and a math course to be just too many numbers for me. Too many different formulas to memorize, unfortunately. E.G Maxwell's equation in differential and integral form, spherical harmonics, formula for hermite polynomials, coupled oscillator equations etc... I imagine engineering would have more to memorize such as specific qualities of materials etc.

If I were you I'd consider putting off one course for a semester and nailing a 4.0 in four of those classes. That would still be a great achievement.

Good luck
 

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