Anonymous asked: I was just looking up some requirements for my major and it mentioned general elective requirements. I read that I need 4-9 hours of Upper division course work and 16-26 hours of any level. Is there anything more specific I should know about those requirements, like do they have to be related to my major?
It depends on your major! For example, some majors require that a certain fraction of your electives be in certain categories (usually 5-8 different ones), for some it doesn’t matter where they’re from, and I’m sure there are different ones than those. Electives are great, because if you have a tough semester you can pick up one you know will be an easy A, or just take a fun class that has nothing to do with what you’re studying. Like, I took Dance Appreciation for an elective because it was fun and easy, and I’m going to take HIST 4072 (an upper division elective), the Civil War, next year because I’ve heard it’s really interesting. Upper-division electives aren’t necessarily harder, even if they’re in a required category, a 3000 or 4000 level just means it narrows the subject down. Like, HIST 2111 is pre-Civil War American history, and HIST 4072 is just the 5-year Civil War period. Neither class is harder.
I wouldn’t worry about electives so much until you’ve got your pre-requisites done or unless you really need an A in a class. Just ask your advisor what he/she recommends if you can’t find anything you want to take in that category. The bulletin should tell you if your major requires electives from certain subjects or if you can take whatever, but if you can’t figure it out, email your advisor or ask them next time you see them! Hope this helped!
Anonymous asked: Which are the UGA weed out classes? Or just classes to avoid in general?
Freshman Chem is the quintessential weed-out class, and O-Chem after it. I know a lot of people to had to drop, but a lot who did just fine. If you’re trying to go into Terry, Accounting is a bitch for most people. Use common sense: if you suck at biology, you’re not going to get an A. If you suck at French, you’re not going to get an A. It’s not like high school; take what you’re good at or your GPA will suffer.
Really, any class can be impossible, so PLEASE look up your professors on Koofers and Rate My Professors! It can be the difference between an A and a C, especially in a harder class like Pre-Cal, Calculus, etc. Like, political science was a breeze for me, but some professors made it really difficult. Like, look at every single class you have to take on Koofers to see if it’s going to be extremely difficult or not.
Anonymous asked: is it true that all the classes really get filled up before most of the orientation dates? mine is the 5th session? and what do you know about dawg camp?? xx
That’s early; you’ll be fine. You shouldn’t have trouble getting classes, although some into to major classes will be gone. But the ones everyone needs (math, english, poli sci, etc.) should still have sessions open! And if not, you can stalk Oasis (the thing you register with) all summer and during the first week of class to get into better times or classes that were full. It’s stressful, but you’ll be fine.
And I’ve heard Dawg Camp is awesome! I know people who still have monthly lunches with their DC group, and I know some people who are going to be counselors this summer and they’re so fun! I didn’t do it, but I wish I had. It’s just another opportunity to meet people and get an idea of what you want to do in the Fall and what UGA is going to be like. If you have the time and money, I’d say do it! I haven’t heard anyone say they didn’t like it.
Anonymous asked: I was looking at the UGA bulletin for my major and I'm just wondering if a freshman can take classes listed under Area VI?
Yep! As long as they don’t have any pre-requisites, you can take anything! I took an Area VI class my first semester.
juneau-candy asked: Yeah, I guess you're right, plus everyone says college is where you have to push your own boundaries. Thanks so much for the advice
No problem! The dorms are the dorms, you only have to stay in them for one year and I’ve never met anyone who regretted it. It’s a necessary life experience.
juneau-candy asked: Hey, I'm headed to UGA in the fall and everythings pretty much worked out, but after reading your blog I am seriously nervous about the housing arrangements I picked. My choices were creswell, reed, and o-house and you said creswell was loud and social? Should I change my choices and risk getting whatevers left or stick with what I have?
Honestly, every dorm has it’s pros and cons. I know people who live in Creswell and love that there are so many people and you’re bound to have friends in your building, and some who are miserable. I wouldn’t change anything, because at this point the pickings will be pretty slim. It really just depends on who is living around you. My dorm is a stereotypically quiet dorm, but we’ve been having serious problems with girls on our hall being loud late at night or when people are trying to study. If you absolutely must have quiet at all times, the best option would be to try to get housed at ECV. It’s far away and mostly upperclassmen, but very quiet. Reed and Payne are similar.
I think people need to experience the typical freshman dorm; as annoyed as I get with the people in here sometimes, I wouldn’t change it. I like living on a hall full of people. I wouldn’t change anything unless you know you absolutely need quiet. In Creswell, you might get a crazy hall, a mildly social hall, or a quiet one. It’s all about luck, but whatever happens you should be able to adapt. There are tons of places to go study that are quiet.
These are the proposed changes to the part of campus I live on, and they look really cool. I hope some of the stuff, especially the new Bolton, opens before I graduate. The new quad area would be so nice, as would the pedestrian bridge. And I’m super jealous of the new lower five.
Because I need to get back in that habit.
