The students who make great mental leaps, and really become more sophisticated thinkers, are those who have more than enough time to think about, work on, grapple with, and revel in their coursework.

Can you be more specific? When developing deeper thinking skills, what sort of processes should I engage in?

Loosely related to the deep-thinker problem, is it possible for you to write an entry on taking English classes?

If someone here has experience doing well in English classes please send me an e-mail…I think this is an interesting topic to tackle, but I need some help!

I’ve found that the 1 credit = 3 hours rule is, well, not very helpful to say the least.

I completely agree. The only place I’ve seen it fit consistently is with technical courses with one problem set due per week. These typically take 6 – 8 hours of work, the class is usually 3 credit hours, so it makes sense.

Loosely related to the deep-thinker problem, is it possible for you to write an entry on taking English classes? I’m taking my very first English class ever (Modern British Lit) and the reading is (so far) neither very interesting nor very accessible (think D.H. Lawrence followed by Virginia Woolf). I don’t have any experience with literary criticism, heck, I don’t even know how to read a book that I need to write a paper on (which I guess is also how you get the most out of a non-required book). What I’ve been doing is read the book first as if I was reading for fun, so no note-taking, and then a second time with notetaking, but it hasn’t worked out too well. So if you have some advice to give about how to read novels for class, how to spot interesting passages and score good observations, how to organize English papers, etc., you’ll have my gratitude for as long as I continue to read novels:)

Why do you have to take four major courses all at once?

It’s necessary to complete my degree on time. I can’t take any of the physics courses this year because I am just finish calculus next semester (pre-req) and I need minimum 15 credits each semester to keep my scholarships. I asked my advisor and no other courses that are available to me will count towards graduation requirements, not even electives because I’ve satisfied them all. Quite a situation.

Cal, I’d love to see your thoughts on scheduling for tech majors (since registration is coming up) such as myself: my sophomore schedule has 3 physics classes and a math class in it- nothing else.

Why do you have to take four major courses all at once?

Cal, I’d love to see your thoughts on scheduling for tech majors (since registration is coming up) such as myself: my sophomore schedule has 3 physics classes and a math class in it- nothing else. My gen eds are all done due to APs and I’ve seen a lot of students like myself who would appreciate tips on dealing with a math- and science-heavy schedule.Your tip on spreading out courses so the schedule is balanced unfortunately doesn’t work in some cases.

If you’re ever running short of ideas for articles (or not), a roundup of tech articles or a student story relating to this would be awesome. Thanks Cal

A “music or art appreciation” class is encourage, not only is simple to pass but is helpful as well.

I’m a big fan of every college student taking intro Art History. The class is tedious — lots of memorizing — but it gives you a quick tour of human civilization and some insight into how it channeled its emotions into physical form.

Also, it will ensure that you sound smart at cocktail parties later in life.

Good point, ARTS even in its most fundamental states are essential to begin to see things from other perspectives. Therefore leading to a better understanding.

A “music or art appreciation” class is encourage, not only is simple to pass but is helpful as well.

While taking a variety of courses is good and I encourage it, being self-read has had a tremendous value. Look for connections.

Silvy: In the technical realm, “soft skills” are even more important. Having worked 10 years in IT, I am still amazed at some of my technical counterparts that are unable to communicate or think beyond their own area of expertise. Especially understanding how business models relate to technologies (not many engineers are CEOs) Understanding “why” and “how” are powerful tolls, and often cross disciplines.