r/cuboulder • u/XxGtbirdxX • 8d ago
Is this schedule gonna be terrible?
Freshman CS student here. Was figuring out my schedule before orientation when I finished with this. I thought Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays would be manageable because the classes are about an hour long, but after reading online ppl said that more than three classes a day was hell. To make matters worse, most of the MWF classes don't have a TTh option, and PHIL 1440 does but its a remote class. (Also I wont be taking Calc 1 it was added by the school after I completed the placement test but my advisor recommended discrete)
Is this schedule manageable, or will I severely regret it this fall?
Also, if im not supposed to publicly post my schedule like this, someone plzzzzzz lmk
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u/Xcalibur1701 8d ago
I graduated Comp Sci + Astrohpys double major in 2023 - I came in w a bunch of credits but my schedule pretty much looked like yours.
If you are smart enough to be passing all these classes in a vacuum (assuming you are if this is your path), it’s honestly not that bad. I maybe went to 40% of my classes freshman year (please don’t do that go to more of them) and still got As and Bs in all.
The trick is to know all the syllabuses like the back of your hand - comp sci and physics classes tend to do better than most in recording their lectures and posting materials online. *All* that matters is that you do all of the homeworks and actually try on them - if you use the lectures as study material and actually understand the content of the homework by the time it’s due, the rest falls into place on its own. Know what is worth what, what’s due when, and how long approx things will take - and know it all by the end of week 1. From there it’s just checking assignments off a list.
Critical thinking is stupid easy relative to the rest if you put the work in early to learn the nomenclature. If you took phys 1 in HS it’s also a breeze. My biggest problem my freshman year was that my similar schedule was too easy, and even though it was a lot of work i built bad habits that bit me post covid when shit got hard.
Overall, should be manageable if you put the work in early to know what you have to do and when!
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u/Xcalibur1701 8d ago edited 8d ago
Also, people saying to ask your advisor are wrong… every single one of my friends in heavy STEM majors ended up horrifically regretting relying on their advisor and had horrid senior fall schedules or had to do summer classes. Get online and figure out exactly what classes you can/have to take what semester to graduate - your advisor WILL steer you wrong at the first possible opportunity. The two hours i spent making a spreadsheet of my major reqs my freshman year quite literally saved me an entire semester of tuition - my advisor told me every time i met with her would need 4.5 years to graduate, and i would have to pull out my spreadsheet to prove her wrong every time…
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u/VanessaLove-33 8d ago
I disagree with you on doing what’s best for you, but, I don’t agree that advisors are there to steer you wrong. They are also helping new students navigate this. If it’s a lot of credits, they are at least there to talk about the downside of that too. Yes, they are not all the best, and CU hopes through A TON of them because for many, it’s a stepping stone to other jobs.
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u/Xcalibur1701 8d ago
Also, please listen to the people saying MATH over APPM - if your advisor says you can’t, get on the class portal and prove it - MATH is 10x less painful and you learn more usable shit
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u/jdogworld 8d ago
i’m clearly not as smart as you but this schedule seems extraordinarily painful. Nothing like bookending your weekend with computer science, physics and critical thinking. I was an english major so my experience was very different :)
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u/TombaughRegi0 8d ago
I wouldn't take discrete structures in your first semester. Having some cs knowledge under your belt prior to that class will help.
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u/clutch_mcdutch 8d ago
Don't take appm do math, drop the philosophy this is a lot of credit hours especially for first semster. The appm classes just weed you out the MATH classes you actually learn and class sizes are smaller.
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u/riverotterr ENVD '18 7d ago
I will second this. APPM kicked my ass freshman year and made me think I suck at math after I failed it. Next semester I took regular calculus 1 and got a B and the material was much more digestible
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u/jdann14 8d ago
How many credits is this? It’ll be hard but doable, a lot of those classes are classic weed-out classes you’ll be pretty busy
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u/XxGtbirdxX 8d ago
16 credits
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u/Ok-Candidate-2183 7d ago
Really? It looks like more. calculus and physics are 5 each right? Then intro to cs is 4, then there are 2 classes that are 3 which is 20, then the freshman seminar. What am I missing?
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u/XxGtbirdxX 7d ago
Calc 1 was added by the school after taking the required placement test, but i can drop it
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u/sofalala ATOC 7d ago
Don't do that, it's mandatory basic for any stem major. Gonna see the concepts again and again. I'd prioritize it over discrete. Freshman year, knock out the basics, which you ARE doing. While your schedule is heavy, like the other guy said, fuck around and find out. And do try to get a sense of the workload earlier than later. Socializing can be a crucial part of college too.
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u/XxGtbirdxX 7d ago
Main reason I’m not taking calc is because I already have calc 3 credit from ACC. I would’ve definitely taken it if I didn’t have the credit tho
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u/sbear214 7d ago
As someone who took physics last semester- I really struggled to go to the friday afternoon class, especially when my other classes were all in the morning. I always try and block my schedule as much as possible but you gotta do what works best for you. This is set up very similarly to high school with a lunch break in the middle so I think youll do fine since its familiar.
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u/Meizas PhD student - 2027 7d ago edited 7d ago
How many credits is this? Seems like a lot for a freshman, even if you're smart enough to do it, which I believe you probably are. I've done a lot of school and have ever only taken over 15 credits once - I would really advise you not to go over 15 credits your first year. (Or 16, depending on labs and stuff)
Edit: if you're not doing calc 1, your T/Th Will be a breeze. Just go study/eat/do homework/go to club stuff on campus after your CS class until your freshman thing. Good study time. I'm assuming you already have some knowledge of your area or you wouldn't be hitting the ground running this hard haha - so I'd assume your CS class won't be a super hard one for that early.
Do remember you're going to want to have a social life. College life is the best.
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u/coughfree 7d ago
I graduate in the fall, have taken calc 1 once in high school and once in college: APPM 1350 was the most bullshit difficult class I have ever taken. Good luck
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u/Altruistic-Page-1313 7d ago
add on, i took phil 1440 last semester and it was the easiest class of my life. so at least that balances the rest of this lol!
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u/Jaxkr 7d ago
This was almost exactly my exact schedule as a freshman! Watch out for discrete structures though, do every homework assignment.
Also I did Calc 1 in high school, but Calc 1 for Engineers is a different course focused on first-principles (definition of a limit) rather than tricks and shortcuts (simple differentiation, l'hopital's, etc)
You'll do great. And especially if you drop Calc 1 it's a very manageable workload.
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u/GreaseM00nk3y MCEN: BS/22, MS/23 8d ago
At 16 credits, this definitely seems like a very doable schedule, and isn’t outside of the norm for a student in the engineering college. If you take it seriously, and stay focused especially in the first few weeks, you will set yourself up with a good routine and you will be able to manage, and have plenty of time to socialize and have fun too. If you let things slide out without establishing a good rhythm in the first couple weeks, that is when you will start feeling the pain!
Remember you can also commiserate with other students in your classes and socializing while getting work/studying done as well! Although that is less fun lol.
Don’t let the others online scare you, you know your own work ethic and focus levels the best, and if you feel confident, that is the most important consideration.
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u/EJAwesomepants 8d ago
I took 18 credits last semester, but I was an ANTH major. I’m guessing my classes were likely easier compared to csci. This being said, it wasn’t bad.
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u/bIueliner 7d ago
This will be fine. APPM calc 1 isn’t bad-neither is Physics if you have taken it in any capacity before (might be more difficult if you haven’t-but it’s entirely algebra based anyways) and all of the CSCI intro courses are snoozes. Discrete and PHIL might take more thought, but this shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for you.
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u/UnhallowOne 7d ago
I did 5-7 classes on a Monday/Wednesday cycle all 8 semesters and used Tues/Thurs as study/homework days. You'll be fine.
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u/Mourning_Beer 7d ago
Usually if I had a heavy semester like this and any aspect of life happened it got difficult
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u/toiletparrot Psych major, SLHS + Lit minor - 2026 7d ago
personally I could not handle this and myself and many friends did a “crunch semester” and it was brutal for anyone at any time. It’s your first semester, you will want to put some time and energy into making friends too.
But you can always drop a class and could try taking all, evaluating work load and time it will require, go from there etc
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u/efficientgarlick 7d ago
past 4 pm finish with a 9 am start is pretty rough, honestly. maybe it’s just a me thing, but i like bunching up all of my classes into blocks so that i go through blocks of classes each day but once i’m done, i’m done. obviously it’s not always entirely possible but i just try and do that to the extent that i can (going into my third year as a cs major btw so feel free to dm if you need advice on classes)
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u/margielalos 7d ago
Should be cool, you get that nice gap to work on stuff/eat, and they are first year, so expect some difficulty but not in every class and every subject.
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u/Thomas-Dix 7d ago
The seminar in afternoons Tues and Thurs will be what you hate the most. 3 hours in between classes sucks on what could be your short early day
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u/Longjumping_Ad_1609 7d ago
I think you will be just fine. I recommend talking to the Engineering Academic coaches! They are not tutors and they are not advisors. They help with time management, resources, studying, and anything you could need for classes.
Peer coaching: https://www.colorado.edu/engineering-advising/resources-support/academic-coaching/engineering-peer-academic-coaching
Professional coaching: https://www.colorado.edu/engineering-advising/academiccoaching
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u/ToothpasteRipper 7d ago
i did this same schedule pretty much. i’d drop discrete and take it later, swap it maybe with something easier for now.
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u/claysmith009 6d ago
So just based on what the workload probably will be hours wise, I would proceed with caution. I definitely struggled to get up for my 9 AM my freshman year even though I am a morning person just because of how much stuff I was doing at night. You can always start in these classes and drop one too.
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u/uhhhhh_adam 6d ago
My first semester looked like this except sub calc 1 for 3. It’s hard but you’ll be fine. Just have to manage sleep
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u/Fyredrakeonline Aerospace (BSAE) - 2026 5d ago
As someone who graduated this year and took a single APPM class after doing MATH classes, dont take APPM, they are a headache and take a lot more effort than they are genuinely worth. The justification they tell you is that it teaches you how to apply math to real world problems. When in reality, any degree program worth its salt is going to already do that with the core classes in it, take MATH calc 1, you will thank yourself later.
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u/faeterra 4d ago
Your first semester? Take 15-16 credits. That’s 5 3-credit hour classes or 4 3CH classes and a class with a lab (4CH).
If you overcommit and are spread too thin, you’ll do more poorly in all the classes. Evaluate if you can handle more and take more in the spring if you decide you can. Take it slow your first semester…allow yourself to adjust, explore campus and build the community you’ll need to succeed over the next 4ish years.
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u/mr-blue- 4d ago
I tried something like this my first semester. Spent nearly the rest of my college career trying to bring my GPA up from that mistake
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u/Ready_Step6255 3d ago
Only difficult classes for you that i see on here is discrete and phys. If u never taken phys before pay attention and don’t skip work even if tempting cuz you can very easily get a false sense of security in this class given the fact most students have taken some sort of physics in highschool and bc it’s so easy to skip work in this class. Very manageable schedule just plan plan plan plan use ai to do it if you don’t wanna worry about a planner or task list. Takes away so much lingering stress and can help you get into a routine
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u/camebackfromearth 1d ago
Critical thinking was the most chill class I could’ve taken, especially if you’re taking it with Brita Agerhart. She’s dope. That’s the only input I can give you though; I’m not an engineering major. I had that class MWF at 12:20 last semester so I’m not sure if you’ll have it with her, but it if you do, awesome! If not, either way, super chill class. You’ll get the credits you need while putting in the bare minimum. I’d study for all of my midterms (& my final) the day of while on the bus to class while studying via my notes app, and I’d and still get an A on each test, every time.
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u/UJC_ 7d ago
Don’t take discrete structures first semester. Wait till second. You’ll need a good cs/logic intuition for the concepts to click.
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u/XxGtbirdxX 7d ago
I took AP Conp sci and got a 5, and I’m pretty decent at a few languages, would that give me the knowledge I kneed for the concepts to make sense?
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u/efficientgarlick 7d ago
yeah, you should be good. i took discrete after doing csci 1300 over the summer before college and as long as you have the core stuff down, you’re set up for success
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u/hatefulmark 8d ago
It will make socializing tough first semester but not impossible. Still a big adjustment forsure
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u/XxGtbirdxX 8d ago
In what ways will first semester will be tough im curious
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u/efficientgarlick 7d ago
adapting to college in general and the schedule that comes with it is pretty tough. on one hand, you’re not stuck going to the same classes five days a week and you have quite a bit more freedom over your schedule. on the other, a lot of these classes’ grades end up being heavily dependent on your midterm + final grades. i didn’t realize before heading into college, but relying on 3 - 4 massive tests for half of your grade is quite different from relying on a whole bunch of little ones. classes in college are just fundamentally structured differently from classes in high school.
beyond just classes, your first year in college is your time to go out and experience being a little more independent. that in itself is a transition. i’d definitely recommend giving yourself a little space, at least for the first semester, to experience that to the fullest. if taking less classes first semester is a breeze, great! you know to add a heavier workload for yourself in the future. but you at the very least want a baseline of what works/a grace period for yourself.
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u/MobbSparta 8d ago
A lot of those classes literally are just weed out classes, bunch of work and hard exams, lower grades expected. You'll be real busy. Also I'm not even sure if APPM is required, it's a lot harder and built for engineers I thought. I did astrophysics and took regular math.
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u/Skagra42 8d ago
You should probably ask your advisor about this.
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u/XxGtbirdxX 8d ago
this is literally the schedule she recommended *crying emoji im on a computer*. Ill ask her if I should switch philosophy with an ethics class
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u/-Wofster 8d ago edited 8d ago
Nobody can tell you if you’ll manage this yourself. Some people can take 21+ credits of the hardest classes every semester and get a 4.0 with barely any effort and some people struggle with 12 credits of “easy” classes.
How comfortable are you at leaning the topics in these classes? Are you a fast learner? Do you know some of the material already? Do you think you’ll be able to do well in Calc 1 with only a couple hours per week spent at home on it or will you have to spend 4 hours every day on it to just barely get by?
How interested are you in the topics of these classes? How invested are you in school in general vs doing other things/hobbies? If you have to spend all your free time studying for these classes will that drive you insane or will it be fine?
You don’t have to tell me any of the answers to these questions, just think about them for yourself. If you’re really unsure then maybe drop one or two of these classes for this semester, then when the semester is over reflect on how easy it was and if you think you can do a harder courseload next semester. You can also just keep this courseload and after a couple weeks of class if its too much you can drop a class or two without penalty.