9
edits
Changes
→Greek 101-102
[[Category:Guides]][[Category:Academics]]
Because some people just like a challenge.
Just to reiterate, Willipedia posts are *not* anonymous: contributors probably shouldn't say anything here that they wouldn't want to put their name on.
===Arth 101-102===
I disagree with the other posts. I would say this is one of the '''easiest''' classes that I've taken at Williams, and one of the most interesting. Good bang for your buck--is a pretty awsome class and doesn't require that much work.
I agree with the poster directly above me. The reading isn't that long and is much more interesting than your typical textbook chunks. The quizzes are a pain, but manageable--maybe 1 hr of studying per quiz. The papers aren't that bad either--sure, no one's ever written one before, but the conference profs realize that and it's fairly easy to get at least a B+. The final and midterm are brutal, though.
:Estimated weekly workload: 5-10 hours
I am a biology major, but I've talked to plenty of people who aren't and this class isn't as horrible as the above description makes it sound. The reading is mostly skimmable. The material, while voluminous and challenging, IS manageable if you take good lecture notes, use office hours, and study with some friends. The problem sets never struck me as strange--a lot of classical genetics is based on problems, so learning how to solve them makes sense. Plus, you get Quantitative credit for them, so maybe it's worth it. Finally, the fly lab doesn't have to be 50+ pages. Mine came in at just under 26 and no one I've talked to had above 30 pages. Really, the class isn't devilish or out to get you. It's challenging, but it was definitely one of my favorite classes here and I think the work is worth it.
I'd also heard from a Bio major that Genetics, when he took it, was the hardest Bio sequence class in the major. From what I heard compared to the class I took, Genetics has changed quite a bit. I found it a wildly interesting class, with problem sets that were far more reasonable than those in any I've taken. Work was generally given only when necesary, as opposed to those classes whose profs think its their god-given right to take up your free time. Both the problem sets and tests were moderately challenging, but also fulfilling and downright original. The Fly lab, whether 25 or 50 pages, will suck. Going to the help session before it was due, everybody, including Dr. D, looked like death. Overall, besides that needlessly painful lab assignment, this class explains an incredible amount about biology and the world we see around us. It was my favorite class this semester and perhaps of my time at Williams. As far as work load--I spent a couple of hours on each problem set and spent the night studying before each test. Readings are fully optional, and I did not use them. Lecture attendence is necesary, but classes fly by to an extent I've never yet seen at Williams. On M/W/F this was the one class I always went to.
===Chem 155: Concepts of Modern Chemistry===
At one point, I talked to Bingemann in office hours. Direct quote: "I would say organic chemistry is easier than 155." Nuff said.
This class is not hard at all if you take good notes. No where orgo's level!
===Organic Chemistry===
The class is MUCH more difficult and MUCH more time consuming when taken with Professor Thomas E. Smith (who incidentally has the initials TES...which would mean something to you if you took this course).
===History 135T===
This class is possibly one of the hardest tutorials to get into. Why would so many people want to subject themselves to the insane workload it entails? Because Prof. Wood is the coolest person in the world. Thats why.
Approximately 200-300 pages of reading each week, and a 7 page paper every fortnight. Worst is the fear imparted in your brain when Prof. Wood gives you NO INDICATION OR GRADE whatsoever of your performance, leading you to expect anything from a C+ to an A- in your final grade. If you're cool with that, you will learn to argue very well. You have to be self motivated though, as if your analysis in tutorial is crappy, he won't be too upset. But even if you think you have the most amazing idea, or essay, or critique in the world, he will throw a metaphorical bucket of cold water on your face with a well-aimed question.
Loads of fun.
===Greek 101-102===
101 is kind of a nightmare, but it pretty much settles down for 102.
^I would say that if anything 102 is the harder course as in 101 you get through half of the main book, and in 102 you are expected to finish the book and THEN do Xenophon and Euripides - who, by the way, is immensely hard to translate!
===Math 324===
:Estimated weekly workload: 10-15 hours
===Computer Networks 336T===
Few will enter, fewer will survive. This course makes the microcoded CS237 look simple in comparison. The homeworks are okay--or at least you feel--until you get your marks back with circles and crosses on everything, and you will wonder "why was this, why was that wrong?" Of course, Professor Tom Murtagh always explains stuff when you go to him, but you won't get a clear explanation until you are marked wrong. Exams are hard. On a scale from 1-10, the midterm is 7, and the final is 10. There are things not ever discussed before, or those that hide in obscure places of the textbook. In short, exams are like 24-hour take-homes squeezed into 2 and a half hours. On the positive side, you get to learn a lot about Tom's methodology not only as a computer scientist, but as a scholar. He penetrates into the impenetrable depth of every reading he assigns and, being a skeptic himself, finds fault in there, just as he finds faults on your homeworks and exams. In other words, he treats you like a mature scientist, giving you the same weight as he will give to professionals. If you are confident with your physics and computer science, take it.
:Estimated weekly workload: The author spends at least 12 hours each week, but he has seen someone spent less time and done better.
PS: Tom can shoot a fly with a rubber band.
===Computer Science 237===
Did I mention Microcode? If you haven't heard that dreaded word, be aware of this class. People who sign up for this class should know fully well what they are getting into. You might end up with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and wake up late at night, sweating, and yelling out in assembly code.
It really is the testing ground of the major. Defines the sophomore computer science experience. (If you want to prove your prowess, take it freshman fall.)
Microcode really isn't that bad, as long as you work within the schedule Duane gives you and don't try to cram it all into the last few days.
===Computer Science 337T===
Thought microcode was easy? Got through it freshman fall? Then 337 is for you! The '37' ending indicates that it is the same "type" of work as found in 237. Not a joke of a class. Possibly one of the hardest electives in the CS major. Still, in what other class do you get to design a complete RISC processor schematic, ready to be painted in silicon, as your final project ?
===Russian, in general===
Savyelyev and Katya are the going of their first of dates. (Savyelyev and Katya are character in Russia video of instruction.) How must they be act? What they say? They eat of the restaurant or in coffee shop? You must write the essay with the three hundred words, or else you be of the expelled. It must very hard class. How you think?
===Related articles===
[[Easy Classes]]