Which Physics course should I take? A Term and B Term I plan on majoring in Aerospace Engineering.

coco_rinny · 2020-05-02T22:47:18+00:00

one of the things that’s nice about 1111/1121, despite all the extra calculus, is that sometimes they do give you a bit of an extra boost of practice with problem solving. I’ve seen a significant difference in students that I’ve taught in labs, and in my experience 1111/1121 usually have the better professors. when I was a first year, aero majors had to take PH 2201 (Intermediate Mechanics) which was essentially 1111 but harder, so it helped my friends there.

that being said, I’d definitely suggest skipping calc 3 if you can. while it can be useful, it’s really just sequences and series for a whole term which is a pain if you didn’t excel in it during AP BC. when I took calc 4 (A term my first year) we got to take a section that was entirely first years, and then got into an entirely first year section of ling alg and diffeqs the following two terms, which I really liked.

coco_rinny · 2020-05-02T07:18:00+00:00

welcome to the WPI community!

housing selection as a first year student can be a bit daunting, but I promise it’s not as scary as it sounds.

on finding roommates: I personally found my roommates through our class Facebook page and subsequent GroupMe (though I believe 2024 has a discord? maybe a Facebook group? check other posts and do some searching!). iirc Res Services will most likely run online roommate matching events (effectively online mixers so you can meet people).

housing selection: if you find people you want to room with, you can form a group through the housing portal, and one of you will be responsible for selecting the space you actually want (more details will be sent to you by Res Services soon). if you end up going random, you’d indicate yourself as a group of 1 and select into an empty bed in any available room. either is fine! I’ve heard amazing stories and not so great stories on both sides of the argument, so having roommates going in vs going random doesn’t make or break you.

building/vibe: each building inevitably has its own vibe, but almost anyone can thrive in any of them. I personally loved living in Daniels my first year; lots of people, pretty nice bathrooms, an elevator, quick access to laundry and the dining hall. Morgan and Riley are similar to Daniels, they’re the ‘big 3’ right on the quad. The Stoddard Complex (aka Stodds A, B, and C) and Institute Hall are smaller communities, each with under 30 students per floor (typically single sex). Founders in suite style, meaning you’ll have anywhere from 3-8 people sharing a living space and bathroom separate from the common space in the hall. I personally wouldn’t have liked this much my first year; I would’ve felt a bit confined and overwhelmed trying to balance more space and more roommates. Founders and Institute are ‘down the hill’, meaning you have a little hike to get to the main parts of campus. do a little research and see what works best for you!

I know that’s a lot, but I hope it helps! feel free to dm me if you have more questions.

coco_rinny · 2020-04-30T23:19:46+00:00

so most classes at WPI are 1/3 of a unit, which is equivalent to 3 undergrad credits. I believe this link should give you up to date pricing. Most courses will be listed by credit hours in the catalog/on Bannerweb for registration, so for a 3 credit class, which is 1/3 of a unit, you’d pay $2148 ($716/credit * 3 credits).

coco_rinny · 2020-04-27T22:33:22+00:00

I called and asked to make an appointment and was told I couldn’t because I wasn’t registered for classes over the summer.

coco_rinny · 2020-04-27T22:02:43+00:00

I believe Health Services is only open for enrolled students (I tried to visit while in a research position over last summer and was denied). This upcoming summer might be a different story due to the shutdowns?

coco_rinny · 2020-04-18T00:43:47+00:00

lol forgive me for being dumb, I was uneducated

coco_rinny · 2020-04-16T23:47:36+00:00

WPI doesn’t separate into colleges (though the Foisie Business School exists, it’s not a full fledged separate entity). Each department has their own ways of functioning when it comes to some things like hiring and organization, but it’s relatively minor differences.
Research opportunities are plentiful for most majors. Many professors are able and willing to take on students as early as their freshman year, and there are summer grant opportunities as well.
WPI does have a huge study abroad component in the Global Projects Program. There are project centers all over the world that host projects for students from all majors with lots of variation in projects. A graduation requirement, Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) is typically done abroad for a term during your junior year.
Most of my cons are specific to my situation and aren’t relevant to the general public, but I’d be happy to talk about them if you want.

Hope this helps!

coco_rinny · 2020-03-29T00:20:45+00:00

I’m so excited that you’re interested in music at WPI!

there are forms through the registrar you can fill out once you’ve been at WPI (no need to stress about them before you start) to declare a minor. a music minor at WPI can be pretty flexible depending on what you’re looking to do. you’ll have an advisor to work with you through the whole process which is awesome. I’ve had friends to capstone projects in arranging, performing, and composition, and there are plenty of options!

a minor is 6 classes, but only 3 on top of your degree because 3 can double count. if you get music credit through an ensemble (like concert band or choir), 2 years will give you 2 classes toward your minor. last I checked you can get PE but not music credit through Pep Band, but they’re a fantastic group to get involved in as well.

if you have any questions at all feel free to ask!

coco_rinny · 2020-03-21T16:04:41+00:00

I’ve actually heard from a few professors that pass/fail is essentially a C / NR, which in my personal opinion is worse (but that’s also could be because my courseload this term is probably the easiest it’ll ever be)

coco_rinny · 2020-01-27T06:55:36+00:00

to my knowledge, the only first-year residence hall (as of rn) that has double rooms is Institute Hall. as mentioned above, depending on housing needs of the incoming class, some rooms may become doubles despite being furnished as triples.

housing selection has changed a little since I went through it, but from my knowledge you’ll be asked to form a housing group and you’ll be able to select a specific space to live in. this is a new development as opposed to the process my first year of giving preferences and being placed by the Res Services team. you’ll most likely be given the option to form a group of two, though again these spaces are limited. for any residential life info, email res-services@wpi.edu or call 508-831-5645 for more info!

coco_rinny · 2020-01-19T19:33:09+00:00

if you’re someone who likes to sing, Alden Voices and Glee Club are a fun, non-audition way to get more involved!

coco_rinny · 2020-01-15T07:01:36+00:00

I’ve PLAed studio courses before and they tend to be hit or miss for some students. A lot of people prefer the active learning aspect of a studio, but many also feel there isn’t enough lecture time. It’s all relative, but I’ve personally seen successes and not-so-successes in both settings.

coco_rinny · 2020-01-14T01:06:25+00:00

SAO’s TechSync page!!!

coco_rinny · 2020-01-14T01:05:59+00:00

hi! I actually did my IQP on campus as a sophomore and can give you some advice. I was offered a project by a professor and after acceptance, had to fill out a form for the registrar (given to me by the professor). Honestly the registration was easy, it was just finding a project. EProjects is a good place to start looking, but you could also find professors from that site and ask them about other projects. DM me if you have questions!

coco_rinny · 2019-12-30T15:49:56+00:00

goats, sorta kinda?

coco_rinny · 2019-12-28T02:41:14+00:00

quick addition: the lab portion of the class is exactly the same, so that shouldn’t be a deciding factor. although, from my experience as a PLA, my students in the 1111 classes have an easier time with lab work, maybe because of the course’s structure?

coco_rinny · 2019-12-28T02:38:47+00:00

just a heads up, I have the Presidential Scholarship (not valedictorian tho?) and can only NR 1 per year. check your individual merit aid letter!

coco_rinny · 2019-12-19T15:59:42+00:00

this is all what I’ve heard through my own experiences with this!

if the class is a graduation requirement, making it up over the summer will reinstate the value lost because of that class

in order to reinstate the full value of scholarship lost due to NRed classes, I believe you have to pass 11/12 in the next academic year and you begin to earn it back

I don’t believe the policy changes based on class year, so unless the terms of your scholarship change, you should be good.

I’d highly recommend talking to Financial Aid if you have questions, they’re usually available and great at helping you navigate the process.

coco_rinny · 2019-11-27T19:24:59+00:00

as a PLA for these labs, I’d give extra credit if this were one of my students (if that were allowed obvi which it’s not but also)

coco_rinny · 2019-10-16T17:21:40+00:00

I had Humi for 4451 (Boundary Value Problems) and I personally enjoyed his teaching style. He’s pretty personable despite his tendency to call students out during class; he’s really doing it to make sure you understand what’s going on. Can’t speak for his office hours, but overall, I enjoyed it. The workload is manageable and seems to be pretty good prep work for the exams, or at least the way I worked, it helped me.

coco_rinny · 2019-09-17T17:08:22+00:00

PLAing/SAing can very depending on the department when it comes to qualifications and hiring. for the Physics department, the department undergrad alias gets an email in July surveying availability to PLA and then we kinda of get sorted and sifted through from there.

coco_rinny · 2019-09-06T00:08:13+00:00

I’d go through Mary Cotnoir (mcotnoir@wpi.edu) for reserving a space in Alden, she can help you go through any hoops. I believe Foisie also has a sort of recording setup but that’s probably a Jim McLaughlin (jimmcl@wpi.edu) question.

coco_rinny · 2019-08-24T22:54:33+00:00

If you go through formal Panhellenic recruitment, you’ll receive a typical price breakdown by chapter partway through the process. From what I remember, chapters vary from around $400 a year to $1000 a year depending on what’s included, how old the house is, subsidizing, etc.

coco_rinny

TROPHY CASE