Might need to take 5 courses one semester in second year physics/math

[ScienceGuy42]

Might need to take 5 courses in one semester. Are these courses too much?

I would have to take:
-Second year linear algebra
-Real analysis
-Mathematical modelling (a relatively easy course involving only high school calculus)
-Second year calculus
-Second year E&M.

A plan I thought of was to contact the lecturer for the easiest course (modelling) to get the lecture slides and material and essentially teach myself, to the best of my abilities, the content over the mid-year break so that it should be a breeze and I can focus on my four main courses. Thoughts? I also work a casual job at around 10 hours per week.

These are the links to the course descriptions and content summaries. The ones that I feel will be easiest have the lowest level of assumed knowledge, which include modelling and analysis.

[Mathematical modelling](https://www.newcastle.edu.au/course/MATH1800)

[Linear algebra](https://www.newcastle.edu.au/course/MATH2320)

[Calculus](https://www.newcastle.edu.au/course/MATH2310)

[Analysis](https://www.newcastle.edu.au/course/MATH2330)

[E&M](https://www.newcastle.edu.au/course/PHYS2112)

Thankyou everyone!

 

[Vanadium 50]

What does your advisor say?

 

[ScienceGuy42]

What does your advisor say?

I haven’t contacted them yet. I should get approved anyway but wanted a student’s perspective

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Do you have enough time to prepare 2-3 hours outside of class for each out the class meets during the week?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Who do you think will give you netter advice? Someone at another college, likely in another country, at another time? Or someone at your own university whose job it is to give you this kind of advice?

 

[Choppy]

It looks like a fairly standard course load for a second year physics student to me.

Personally I liked having one course that wasn't STEM related each semester. I think I studied better when I was able to switch gears once in a while. But some people do better with total immersion and feel anything not related to their major is a waste of time.

I second speaking to an academic advisor if you're having doubts though. That person's experience and familiarity with those courses should outweigh my perspective.

 

[DaveE]

I agree, you need advice from someone that knows your school and what the classes are really like.

I can assure you that in the late 1970's at Caltech, this work load would have been hopeless for me. My advice is that it is better to really understand the courses that are important to you than how soon you take them. You don't want to be struggling through trying to get by and either missing out on a good education or having to relearn it later without the support of a course.

 

[Teralgo]

Late reply but I'm a B.Math/B.Sci(Physics) at UON and did all those courses in 2019. Analysis and EM were difficult subjects when I did them simply due to how much harder it was compared to first year courses and even other second year courses. Calculus was fairly easy if you put in time to learn the problem, same for linear algebra. Math modelling is a very easy course as it's needed for people outside the math degree.

I would recommend leaving Math modelling until a later semester when you have an elective, assuming you have one. Analysis and EM are really important to almost all 3rd year courses in maths and physics respectively, so I would highly discourage compromising your ability to learn all you can from those courses. Lastly, calculus is important to doing well in EM and every physics course after it, so make sure to do it early.

 

[Teralgo]

The Real analysis course was a 2nd year course but with the new course optimization it appears to be being combined with Linear Algebra. So you'll learn half of each course over 2 semesters rather than 1 for each. Only prerequisite for analysis I would suggest is 1st year math, it's a proof heavy course but all the concepts it goes into (limits, differentiability, etc) you would be familiar with. So you could take it simultaneously yes.

 

[mathwonk]

If I relate this to either the college I went to or the one I taught at, this would be extremely difficult, indeed not at all reasonable. In fact just two of those, advanced linear algebra and real analysis could easily occupy you full time, if done justice to.

I just went online to Newcastle math dept website and was offered the chance to chat with a student. Have you done that?