Courses

Cynthia: They weren’t as difficult as I thought they would be. Most of my courses are pretty fair. By that I mean, you get out what you put in. Overall, I think it’s important to take classes that truly interest you. It’s harder for me to feel motivated in a class where the content doesn’t interest me. When you pick your GE’s, pick a course that interests you, not only because you heard it was easy. As for major courses, I haven’t had too bad of a time with my math or psych classes. I should also mention that math comes quite naturally to me and that I haven’t suffered in a “real” (upper division) math course yet. But for those, who either don’t enjoy it on the same level or tend to struggle with it, I recommend that you just do a fair amount of practice. I learned in high school that the way to truly understand—and not memorize—the concepts is to do as many problems as you can. I continued to do the same here in college, and it’s worked out pretty well for me. Try to avoid looking at the solutions. If you study those you might trick yourself into thinking you understand the concept; it’s what my math professor warned us about at the start of every quarter. I should also say: you’re not allowed a calculator in your math courses, so try not to rely on one while doing your homework. Moving onto psych classes, they’re not that bad either. As long as you show up to lecture, read the textbook, and study the material, you’re set. The discussions are almost always optional, but I still advise that you go. 

Khanh: As a chem major, for those who want to be a chem major, I just want to say good luck. Your first year courses in chemistry are unlike the general chemistry class bio/public health/or other stem majors have to take. They will be meant to weed you out if you don’t focus/fall off track. To those who are in this path, first- good luck; second- reach out to other chem majors because we are all on the same path, don’t be shy; third- its ok to change major, not all keep the major they declare in their first year. Once you take chemistry with chem lab, math, and writing in the same quarter, the other courses should feel slightly easier to you. Just remember to read your SYLLABUS before starting class (at least a week in advance for the chem lab because there will be an assignment due in week 1). Courses will be not too bad if you don’t procrastinate. If you do, try not to stress. 

Britanny: As a Bio Sci major, you will feel that your classes are very competitive (especially the ones where only a certain percentage can get A’s), but it is a good way to help you gauge your organization and ability to divide up your study time because there is a lot of material. I did not take any AP sciences, but I think this worked in my favor because many people who took AP Bio or AP Chem didn’t work as hard when they felt that they had already learned the material in the past. Know that as a Bio Sci major, you will always have another sequence coupled with your Bio Sci classes. For example, your first year will be the General Chemistry sequence (Chem 1 ABC) and general Bio Sci (Bio Sci 93/94). The following year will be Organic Chemistry and Bio Sci classes, and the third year will be Physics and upper division Bio Sci courses. Just know that interest in the material does help, but you are not defined by your performance in these classes.

Jessica: As a CSE major, I definitely felt like classes were competitive and challenging (especially the CS courses), but manageable in the first year. Try not to procrastinate on programming projects/assignments because they can be very time consuming and there are usually new projects every week or two. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help from TAs and lab tutors if you get stuck on your code; they are a really great resource in addition to the professor and are pretty much always available. CSE is a difficult major and can be even harder if you are new at programming, since you’ll be in classes with students who already have years and years of experience. If you are newer at programming (like I was), know that it's ok to feel a little behind at times. It's important to remember that understanding how to program and getting a good grasp of the concepts is the most important thing, so don’t take the easy route and look up solutions just to get the grade you want in the class! It will only hurt you in future courses and when it comes time to get a job.

Vy: Bio classes at UCI can be pretty hard due to their extensive contents. However, I believe that they are all manageable if you work hard and stay on task. Like Cynthia said, you get out what you put in, so try to make the best out of what you have, even if you have a bad professor, a heavy workload, etc. A little tip: Make fun of things you hate so that you can enjoy them better. And if possible, get tutoring help from peer tutors (free), LARC (not free), and friend groups (free). 

Michelle: My first year at UCI was as a biomedical engineering (BME) student, and for many engineering students, the first year coursework is fairly the same. In general as an engineering student, you have to take math courses, physics courses, and introductory courses to your major. However, as a BME student in particular, you also have to take chemistry classes. If you have taken AP courses in high school, much of the material is identical to the material you studied in those classes, the main difference is that these professors are also researchers, so the information you learn about is more in depth and current. Alongside each course is a discussion section in which you are taught by the TA in a more intimate session than lecture halls with the professor and have the chance to ask more particular questions. I personally took the ENGR 7A and 7B classes as well, which are optional engineering classes in which you are introduced to many hands-on engineering skills, such as soldering and laser cutting to build a drone. Those classes also count as one upper division engineering class in the future, and that was one of my favorite classes because I was introduced to so many different skills, such as Solidworks, laser-cutting, working with a bandsaw and jigsaw, and so much more. It made me realize my passion for creating in general, which was one of the catalysts for me to switch majors.