Is this schedule for the fall too heavy? (

[twofu]

Is this schedule for the fall too heavy? :((

-Intermediate Mechanics I
-Intermediate E&M I
-Linear Algebra
-Fundamental Mathematics (intro proof class for math majors taken after Calc III)
-General education course (irrelevant)

Total: 15 hours

It's very important for us Physics majors to get straight A's. Will this hinder that process? Too heavy?
I should also mention I've never taken a course about proofs.

Thanks in advance! :D

 

[Pengwuino]

It's very important for us Physics majors to get straight A's.

Uhm, since when?

Your schedule looks pretty standard. 15 hours is a normal courseload.

 

[Clever-Name]

Looks pretty light to me actually. I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

[twofu]

Everyone I know says its too heavy. 2 "advanced" physics and 2 math courses will kill me, according to some. But I'm glad you guys think its light.

 

[twofu]

Uhm, since when?

Since my Advisor "tsk'd" me when he saw a B+ in intro Thermal

 

[Fizex]

Do you think you can get an A in these courses if you give it your all?

 

[Pengwuino]

Since my Advisor "tsk'd" me when he saw a B+ in intro Thermal

He must have been joking with you. Very few people hold 4.0s as undergrads and when going to grad school, it's nowhere near as important as your high school grades going into college. That being said, that load is not heavy. If you threw in another physics course, you might be having some issues.

 

[twofu]

Do you think you can get an A in these courses if you give it your all?

Well, its my first time taking non introductory Physics, and I'm worried about math proofs since i don't know anything. So probably not.

 

[twofu]

He must have been joking with you. Very few people hold 4.0s as undergrads and when going to grad school, it's nowhere near as important as your high school grades going into college. That being said, that load is not heavy. If you threw in another physics course, you might be having some issues.

No, unfortunately he wasn't. The department here assumes every student wants to go to MIT or something. Well thanks, with that being said, I am a little relieved.

 

[Fizex]

He must have been joking with you. Very few people hold 4.0s as undergrads and when going to grad school, it's nowhere near as important as your high school grades going into college. That being said, that load is not heavy. If you threw in another physics course, you might be having some issues.

I think people's GPA's will have to increase if they want to get funded for grad school. The reason I think this is because with the budgeting of U.S. science funding, institutions will have less money to give and less spots available. With JWST being axed so close to completion the U.S. seems desperate to save a few pennies anywhere it can find. Basically, if you want to be future-proof get a 4.0 with good UG research.

 

[Pengwuino]

I think people's GPA's will have to increase if they want to get funded for grad school. The reason I think this is because with the budgeting of U.S. science funding, institutions will have less money to give and less spots available. With JWST being axed so close to completion the U.S. seems desperate to save a few pennies anywhere it can find. Basically, if you want to be future-proof get a 4.0 with good UG research.

That won't future-proof you. You're ignoring every other criteria like GRE, PGRE, letters of rec, etc.

 

[Fizex]

If you have good research then your mentor will likely write you a good recommendation. If you have a good GPA then you're likely to have a good PGRE. I wasn't really ignoring it but I was implying it.

 

[Pengwuino]

If you have good research then your mentor will likely write you a good recommendation. If you have a good GPA then you're likely to have a good PGRE. I wasn't really ignoring it but I was implying it.

Agreed on your first part (however, remember you need 3, not just one). However, the GPA -> PGRE correlation is suspect. In the small data sample I have (the university I've gone to), PGRE and GPA are not correlated.

 

[Fizex]

Think I may have been wrong about the PGRE GPA correlation as seen by data in http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3421"

 

[twofu]

Thanks for the info guys. I personally hold no self-worth in grades. But the system runs on superficial things like grades and standardized testing, but i guess that's the best they can do. I think I will cut the proofs course and find something easier. This will hopefully bump my chances with A's.

 

[Pengwuino]

Thanks for the info guys. I personally hold no self-worth in grades. But the system runs on superficial things like grades and standardized testing, but i guess that's the best they can do. I think I will cut the proofs course and find something easier. This will hopefully bump my chances with A's.

Despite how you feel about grades and standardized test scores, don't screw up either. People will debate the merits of high GPA and scores, but no one will debate what a poor GPA or low PGRE score shows.

 

[twofu]

Despite how you feel about grades and standardized test scores, don't screw up either. People will debate the merits of high GPA and scores, but no one will debate what a poor GPA or low PGRE score shows.

Very well stated :)

 

[Choppy]

Although I would think this is self-evident, it bares pointing out in this discussion.

You're a physics student. That means that you've chosen a path that involves a LOT of physics courses and a LOT of math courses. Once you get to graduate school you can't organize your schedule to avoid physics.

It's important that you don't jump into something over your head. Examples of this might be:
- overloading with courses (taking more than the recommended number of units)
- assuming that a high school course has prepared you for a senior undergraduate course
- balancing a full time courseload with a full time job while raising a family

But it's also important to challenge yourself. You know a lot better than any of us what your limits are.

 

[MissSilvy]

You go to UIUC you say? I took MATH 347. Most physics majors hated it, but it was very good for me, but I enjoy proofs a lot. I am not sure what physics classes you're referencing (intermediate, what?) but you'll be fine. That schedule is normal.

 

[twofu]

Although I would think this is self-evident, it bares pointing out in this discussion.

You're a physics student. That means that you've chosen a path that involves a LOT of physics courses and a LOT of math courses. Once you get to graduate school you can't organize your schedule to avoid physics.

It's important that you don't jump into something over your head. Examples of this might be:
- overloading with courses (taking more than the recommended number of units)
- assuming that a high school course has prepared you for a senior undergraduate course
- balancing a full time courseload with a full time job while raising a family

But it's also important to challenge yourself. You know a lot better than any of us what your limits are.

Thanks Choppy. I agree that I know my limits more than others.. I realized its a silly thread a few days after posting..hehe. I was just nervous about proofs. I know they take a lot of time of the week, to sit there and think and figure them out. This would cut my physics studying time; applied math is no problem :)

 

[twofu]

You go to UIUC you say? I took MATH 347. Most physics majors hated it, but it was very good for me, but I enjoy proofs a lot. I am not sure what physics classes you're referencing (intermediate, what?) but you'll be fine. That schedule is normal.

Yes! I am at UIUC. Intermediate mechanics is Physics 325, int. E&M is Physics 435
I don't know if I enjoy them yet or not; I've been told the homework takes a long time to do on your own.

 

[Fizex]

Thanks Choppy. I agree that I know my limits more than others.. I realized its a silly thread a few days after posting..hehe.

Which is why I said:

Do you think you can get an A in these courses if you give it your all?

It requires a lot of thinking on your part and minimally on others.

 

[Jack21222]

Mechanics and E&M in the same semester will be difficult, but still reasonable. I spent about 20 hours a week on each of those classes at my university, so expect to work hard.

I have no idea how some people here are calling it a light schedule.

 

[Visceral]

Mechanics and E&M in the same semester will be difficult, but still reasonable. I spent about 20 hours a week on each of those classes at my university, so expect to work hard.

I have no idea how some people here are calling it a light schedule.

I agree with this post 100%.

the "intermediate" e&m and mechanics courses are much more advanced than the intro courses. Many students in physics I know took the E&M and Classical Mechanics sequence(I and II) concurrently and claimed that by the end of the spring semester they felt completely burned out. Apparently between those two classes and Thermal Physics, we are to expect 30-40 pages of problem set homework a week.

I have a somewhat similar schedule as you do for the fall, and I expect it to be challenging and the hardest semester yet.

 

[Fizex]

^^^ Hope I do well with E&M, mechanics, QM, and thermal then. From your description it sounds like hell. Then again, graduate students do this all the time right?

 

[twofu]

Mechanics and E&M in the same semester will be difficult, but still reasonable. I spent about 20 hours a week on each of those classes at my university, so expect to work hard.

I have no idea how some people here are calling it a light schedule.

Yeah, I was a little surprised to hear people call it light. Those two classes are a pain, and a proofs course on top of that. T_T. People I know warned me not to take them at the same time if I want A's.