Hardest Class at U-M?

Submitted by gomaize11 on

As I sit at my desk cramming and dreading the hours to my quantum mechanics mid-term, this question crossed my mind. Obviously this class is small potatoes compared to others at the university, so to make me feel better what are some hard courses you've survived at the U (or other colleges)?

wishitwas97

February 8th, 2010 at 6:08 PM ^

is not that difficult. The only reason why it's so hard is people, who aren't an engineering, physics or math major, suck at math and have to take it as part of their academic requirements.

Calc 3 is difficult but the exams are pretty easy which is more important IMO. If you know how to do the practice exams, you generally will do well in the exams.

wishitwas97

February 8th, 2010 at 6:08 PM ^

is not that difficult. The only reason why it's so hard is people, who aren't an engineering, physics or math major, suck at math and have to take it as part of their academic requirements.

Calc 3 is difficult but the exams are pretty easy which is more important IMO. If you know how to do the practice exams, you generally will do well in the exams.

jwschultz

February 9th, 2010 at 12:56 AM ^

I nominate Math 285 for most unpredictably fucking insanely hard class possible. I don't know if it was just really hard to wrap my head around the applications of the concepts, or the fact that my prof was just too brilliant to understand what we could possibly be struggling with, but this one kicked my ass without apology.

I was a little worried about taking enough Honors classes to get the sophomore honors award, after 285 - but 286, Diff Eq, was much easier (honestly, it seemed easier than the non-Honors Math 216 class my friends were taking) and I soon realized that Honors classes were mostly a joke.

BiSB

February 8th, 2010 at 5:20 PM ^

...is that Calc 2 (Math 116, I think?) is the hardest class at the University, and the 2nd exam is the hardest exam at the University.

Obviously it isn't the hardest subject matter, but FWIW, that was the rumor when I was a young engineering student.

EDIT: Sorry, Kurt... Good luck. Integrate that bitch.

OldManUfer

March 26th, 2010 at 12:30 PM ^

I took the Math 295-396 series right around the same time (in fact, sounds like we may have been in the same class). I definitely got math 120&121 AP credit, I think you got hosed.

As for hardest class, I'd have to go with Math 512, algebraic structures.

petered0518

February 8th, 2010 at 7:45 PM ^

While the material isn't nearly as challenging in Calc 2 as other math courses, the reason it is reportedly the toughest class at U of M is because they specifically design the exams to be over the top hard and then adjust the grades accordingly.

So if you are talking simply from a comprehension point of view, no, Calc 2 is not the hardest. If you are talking about getting a good grade or doing well on the exams...I think Calc 2 can make a case for that.

allezbleu

February 8th, 2010 at 6:40 PM ^

i hear this alot too - that calc 2 or orgo are the hardest classes at UM.

They are the hardest courses to the people that take them because so many, including those not so intellectually gifted, take them because they are part of so many core curricula. They are the most failed courses on campus for the same reason.

do people seriously think calc 2 or orgo is harder than something like EECS 470? or 400-level math or some super hard literature course?

Togaroga

February 8th, 2010 at 5:52 PM ^

I did not take psych at UM, but was that sarcasm? It seems like intro psych should be a fairly easy and fun course.

It is entirely possible that this is an inside joke that I just didn't get, and if so...I sincerely apologize.

mejunglechop

February 8th, 2010 at 7:08 PM ^

That was a joke, but it's not too funny for me. I took it with Brian Malley and the average GPA for his class was something like a 2.85. *pickaprof.com used to keep track of these things for free, but now you have to pay for it.

West Texas Blue

February 8th, 2010 at 5:20 PM ^

EECS 280. Had a crappy teacher and I just couldn't put it together. Almost dropped out of engineering school because of that one class. The worst part is for all countless hours I spent on that stupid class, I've never used any of it again (focused on MEMS in college but now I'm a controls and automation engineer). If one of my friends didn't write my last 2 programs, I would have failed the class. Damn I hated that class.

Big Brown Jug

February 8th, 2010 at 5:48 PM ^

I had 2 roommates taking EECS 280 at the same time my sophomore year, and I swear they didn't move from their computers all semester. Watching them do that almost single-handedly drove me into IOE, which was cake by comparison.

I personally scraped bottom with a C- in calc-3. Rebounded with a C in calc 4 though...

umichFan

February 8th, 2010 at 8:01 PM ^

Personally, I think 281 depends on the semester. If you took it Fall 2007, you really had to put in a lot of work because the prof took projects that were designed to be done in a group and made everyone do it individually.

Having said that, I took it the following semester and although it was easier, I still put a good amount of time into it lol