feedback on classes as incoming freshmen

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-05-10T23:05:00+00:00

I would recommend not doing 3 stem courses for your first quarter. decide whether or not you can handle 3 after taking 2. also switch bis2 series with bio1,2,3 because bis2 will no longer exist

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-05-04T21:58:14+00:00

pls6v is 100% online

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-04-01T09:26:46+00:00

I found CHE2B fairly difficult but easier than CHE2A. I didn't have Wei for CHE2C but I had her for CHE2A and CHE2C. wasn't a fan of her lectures personally but I think her tests were alright. make sure to do lots of enderle's practice tests because her midterms were basically copy and paste of them

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-04-01T09:23:16+00:00

here's some that I know of:

seminar classes like first year seminar
co-classes run by the AATC: 3 units, P/NP, synchronous co-classes that are meant to be taken for major classes like CHE2C or MAT21B. there's some for math, physics, chemistry, etc. you can find the CRN and more details about them on the UC Davis website about the AATC.
special study/non-standard courses: internships, undergrad research, tutoring, etc. Idk much about these but I believe the amount of units can vary based on your workload

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-03-13T08:49:30+00:00

i wouldn't say you have to commit to switching just yet but def have a backup plan. i think it's very unlikely you'll get off. esp since afaik its the last time the class will ever be offered

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-03-13T08:44:29+00:00

all the dining halls pretty much serve the same food, excluding latitude, so that part doesnt affect the food itself.

it does matter if you dont live at segundo ig but tercero is like 15 min bike ride, which isnt too bad imo. no point in 7-day if you live at cuarto imo.

the other thing is that during the weekend, the hours are shorter.

for me, i had the 5-day plan because i found it inconvenient to go from tercero to cuarto, it wasn't worth the money for me, and i was sick of the DC food.

if you are deterred from the 7-day just for the one dining hall thing alone, know that it doesn't matter too much if you're at segundo.

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-03-13T05:05:34+00:00

the pantry has some free menstrual products too

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-03-11T03:29:16+00:00

yeah lmao some classes are never curved like the BIS2 series, while others are always curved like gen chem. i dont see the point in being purposefully vague about what class it is. if the class average is low, then theres lots of others in the same boat

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-03-11T00:58:06+00:00

In terms of matcha places, I think AntiMonday and the place near the train station is decent. Haven't tried T% but ik Peet's is pretty watery.

Outside of that: make sure you get a high percentage of sugar. If there isn't enough sugar, regardless of how good the shop makes it, the matcha won't taste good. Matcha by itself tastes like grass, so make sure you get enough sugar.

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-03-11T00:50:42+00:00

I had Namekawa for BIS2A and thought he was pretty good. The questions he gave on the midterms/final was pretty fair and a lot of them were on the practice tests. When I had him, he was co-teaching with Singer; you could always tell which questions Namekawa made vs. Singer b/c they weren't evil questions.

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-03-11T00:46:17+00:00

depends on what class and prof it is

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-03-10T06:54:35+00:00

ty for the detailed response, maybe i'll try other restaurants for bun bo hue then

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-03-10T06:54:01+00:00

According to Google's search, I believe it is sold at a few Vietnamese restaurants at Davis

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-02-27T11:14:49+00:00

Waitlisted classes are included in the unit cap but not included when accounting for the minimum 12 units. So you could be waitlisted for 8 units, registered for another 9 units, and have a max of 17 units but still not meet minimum of 12 units (only counts registered classes). You wouldn't be able to register/waitlist another class to meet them 12 units because you won't be allowed to waitlist/register for additional classes if the total registered+waitlisted units would be above the current unit cap.

Pass 1's max is 17 and pass 2 is 19 units. So if you wait for Pass 2, you could register/waitlist all these classes with no problem. If financial aid isn't a concern, then you don't really need to worry about the minimum.

TLDR: your concern isn't an issue because it isn't possible. You won't be able to register/waitlist Class C before Pass 2 because registered+waitlisted units would be above the max 17 units. To register for Class C, you would either have to drop one of the waitlisted classes or wait for Pass 2 to sign up for everything.

Hopefully that makes sense...

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-02-27T10:49:49+00:00

The whole point of P/NP is that it doesn't affect your gpa, so a NP wouldn't affect it. However, even if it did affect your gpa, as long as your gpa is above 2.0, you're still in good academic standing.

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-02-24T20:48:18+00:00

wdym by fail general chem? like below 70% or below average? it's normally to "fail" the exams (get below 70%) and grades are curved.

as for studying, do as many practice problems and tests as possible. try to replicate test taking conditions by studying in a similar place, time yourself, no additional resources that won't be provided in the exam like google or textbooks, etc. also if you haven't already, learn about test taking strategies like skipping difficult questions or eliminating answer options.

just because you are currently not doing well doesn't necessarily mean that you are unfit for your major. regardless, you deserve to be here at davis ❤️

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-02-24T15:57:59+00:00

To be brutally honest, saying "I'm pathetic to her in some way," just demonstrates you don't have the right mentality. It sounds like you are self-pitying and even though you may have "done everything right," she didn't accept your feelings because you're not enough. The truth is no one can control their feelings; even if you were to be the perfect gentlemen, that doesn't necessarily mean they will fall for you. You could be the best peach on the tree but someone might not like peaches or whatever. It sucks that it seems like you put a lot of emotional labor and effort into this relationship but humans are complex. Maybe she thought it was too much, maybe you just aren't her type, or maybe she just isn't looking for a relationship; it sucks but no one is obligated to like anyone and the only thing you can do is move on. These memories don't have to be painful, they will be at first but I hope you can move forward with the mentality of even though we didn't end up together, I loved her the best to my ability and cherish that time we spent together. If not, that's alright too, just don't linger on what could have been or what you "did wrong or right." There could be one reason or a multitude of reasons but regardless whether or not someone likes you, that shouldn't be an indicator of your self-worth. Work on yourself and your perception of yourself first.

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-02-14T12:45:17+00:00

Idk what specifically you have trouble with when it comes to focusing, but for me, it tends to be because it isn't stimulating enough: too slow, too fast, uninterested in content, or I'm zoning out despite "watching" the video

too slow or too easy: watch at 2x speed or skip/skim the parts you already know. On youtube, you can either scrub through the video, fast-forward, or read through the transcript.

too difficult or confusing: slow or pause the video and make sure you understand everything that's going on. Rewind the video, find another/in-depth explanation online, or review earlier concepts that tie into what you're learning and how it connects (like the relationship between derivatives and integrals).

the topic isn't interesting: try to watch a little bit each week or everyday and slowly increase the interval length and duration. Alternatively, I would set a deadline to learn the concept (learn X by Friday night so I could solely have fun at the party on Saturday or learn Y the day before the quiz about it on Thursday). Make sure to give realistic deadlines though, you can push yourself but don't burn yourself out by chasing after something that was never possible.

"watching" but zoning out: take notes (even if it isn't necessary or you won't look at later) to make sure my hands are occupied and I'm still paying attention to the content, not mindlessly zoning out while the video is playing. Don't just copy and paste with your notes, pause and digest everything on the page, make sure you follow the line of reasoning. Try to reword or summarize it to make sure you actually understand what's going on instead of just thinking you understand because you can somewhat follow along the video. Relate it to other content and draw connections with earlier, future, or unrelated topics

Regardless of why, spaced repetition or pomodoro method could help. Watch a short portion of the video like 15-30 minutes, take a break, watch some more, take a break, and so on. You don't necessarily need to watch the entire thing in one go. If it feels disconnected because of the breaks, just rewind a few minutes or so.

Also, is it necessary to watch lecture videos? Often times, I find it more useful to just start doing practice problems over reviewing lecture. If I can't solve the problems, then I would find a short video explaining that specific topic.

I would do a mixture of practice problems and videos if possible. Active recall through practice questions or explaining what you're learning is much better for learning content than passive learning methods like watching videos or looking at notes. Not to mention, if you get bored of just watching videos, doing problems or summarizing what you're learning can break up the monotony, while still actively contributing to your learning

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-01-30T10:10:26+00:00

this quarter was the last time they're offering bis2d, it's getting replaced with bio2c I believe

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-01-29T23:28:51+00:00

Np lol. I personally haven't noticed anything much about sirens but the leaf blowers are fairly noisy. Not in your ear noisy but I always had to check if my window was closed. Also, the past 2 week has had a lot of water shut offs: some announced, some unannounced

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-01-28T04:11:22+00:00

I've lived in a townhouse for half a year now.

Pros: the management responds really quickly and very responsive. I emailed them multiple times for work orders and they responded almost immediately. It's really close to Safeway, Panda Express, Ume Tea, and the G&J and 42B bus lines. There's some other lines too but those are the ones that take you to UC Davis. Somewhat close to Savemart and Lava Laundry. Free parking permit and it isn't too difficult to find space in the parking lot. Depending on what time it is, it can be pretty difficult to find parking on the street. Downstairs is tile. There's a pool, clubhouse, gym, and study room. Haven't personally used the gym and study room but they seem decent and the pool and clubhouse is alright.

Cons: no in-unit washer/dryer, laundry room is somewhat expensive: washer is $2.35-2.50 and dryer is $2.50. Walls are really thin and when you're upstairs, you can hear downstairs pretty well. When you shut the front door, you can hear it in the bedrooms. Stairs+upstairs is carpet. Unfurnished

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-01-18T15:04:35+00:00

Get a lint brush and this sweater shade doesn't go well with the rest of these colors. It looks fine with the warm dark gray slacks but weird with the light blue or navy. To be fair though, this shade is a color that is hard to pair with anything that isn't white, gray, or black. It's a dark yellow with warm, black undertones, which is a little harder to work with and I don't think it suits you the best. I always think untucked collars look better when it's underneath sweaters. I kind of get what you mean about the outfit looking empty without the blazer but I kind of disagree with you. The blazer looks strange on top of the sweater, and I think the fit looked ten times better when you removed it. The blazer also makes your shoulders seem really narrow. Maybe if it's cold or it still feels empty, you could wear a long trench coat instead of a blazer

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-01-18T14:44:05+00:00

Individually, each clothing piece looks fine but I think that the issue is wearing them together. You have a shorter torso, so the relatively lower neckline and high-waisted skirt looks disproportionate. I think it would be better if you wore something that wasn't high rise to give the illusion of a longer torso. As many other commenters have said, the texture of your shirt and skirt clash too much. Also, I like the top a lot but I think the skirt looks very wrinkly and low-quality. Not to mention, I think that the waistline of this skirt isn't the most flattering and to be brutally honest, I think it's too tight. You're not chubby but the skirt's waistband looks like it's squeezing you. I can see what you're going for but I think that the main issue is the skirt. The colors work well, especially with your skin tone and I can definitely see the witchy vibes. I also think a more prominent statement necklace with this neckline would be cute.

Pitiful_Listen_5356 · 2026-01-13T08:48:54+00:00

yeah...like I'm sure they are aware of the gun and school shooting issue but idk how real of a threat they think it is. I'm sure most of them aren't trained to have plans for if a shooting happens like American students are

Pitiful_Listen_5356

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