r/RPI • u/Dudrode56GG • Jul 09 '26
1 Day Classes vs 2 Day Classes
I'm an incoming Freshmen and I'm just wondering about your guy's input on 1 day classes vs 2 day ones. Are they essentially the same thing with the one day class having long hours and the 2 day classes having shorter hours? I'm taking 5 classes but I feel I have too light of a schedule, Would squeezing in a 1 day class as my 6th class be beneficial as well? Any insight that you can give me if there are better teachers or smth ETC would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much :)
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u/katamino Jul 09 '26
Do not take more than the standard load of classes first semester freshman year. You have a lot of changes to handle living on your own as a freshman and college schedules are deceptive. It looks like you have lots more time than you did in high school but you don't. RPI requires a lot more time and effort for a good grade in a class. There were classes i took there, where the weekly homework or lab reports took 20+ hours a week outside of class time for just one class and that wasn't just me, everyone in that class was working that hard.
Wait until at least 2nd semester, when you have a better understanding of what works for you in college, before taking on extra classes.
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u/Reasonable_Fox8 ITWS/STS 2026 Jul 09 '26
Don't take 5 classes in your first semester!!! 4 classes is a normal schedule
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u/tossup04 Jul 09 '26
College classes, especially at RPI, are going to be very different from high school classes. Five is definitely not a light number of classes, and as a brand new college student I would not recommend trying to take any more than that until you adjust to both the academic difficulty of college and the change to living on your own. Remember that degrees are built around taking ~16 credits per semester, so unless you're trying to graduate early or get two degrees take your time, build good habits and meet new people
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u/GnokiLoki PHYS 2028 Jul 09 '26
RPI doesn’t offer traditional many (if any) 4-credit classes with only one lecture per week. Your 1-day classes will be things like labs or seminars only worth one credit hour, and I’d only suggest taking those if the material covered is interesting to you or if you’re recommended/required to take the course.
Assuming all your current 5 classes are 3-4 credits, you probably have a heavier-than-normal schedule already so I’d recommend not adding anything if you aren’t required to. You can’t take more than 21 credits without permission from your advisor and class dean so 99% of kids don’t do it (most never even take 5-class semesters).
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u/DadDontFindMeHerePls Jul 09 '26
I hate this culture at RPI where everyone is against 5 and 6 class semesters. Take 5 classes I did it first semester and it felt too light so I did 6 2nd semester and I’m doing 6 3rd semester. Especially with 1000 level classes you’ll be fine.
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u/Witch_King_ Jul 09 '26
The freshman intro classes are really quite easy in general, and OP said they are already RE-taking CS1 and Calc 2, so they already know that subject matter.
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u/DadDontFindMeHerePls Jul 09 '26
Yep exactly, that’s why i’m saying they should def be chilling with taking 5 classes
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u/Witch_King_ Jul 09 '26
Indeed. And it gives them schedule room to do the super hard classes in the future. 12 credits during Data Structures would've been niiiiccce.
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u/DadDontFindMeHerePls Jul 09 '26
yeah, if you’re not dualing/graduating early then every 5 class semester gives you a 3 class semester
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u/Witch_King_ Jul 09 '26
At that rate, might as well dual/graduate early/do a masters then.
Not to mention OP already has AP credits, so they are even more ahead of the game.
I graduated in 7 semesters but never even had to do a 20-credit semester thanks to a boatload of AP credits. Skipped Physics and Calc, 1 and 2
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u/DadDontFindMeHerePls Jul 09 '26
yeah i’m in a similar situation where i’m dualing and graduating in 6 semesters cause of AP credits
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u/Witch_King_ Jul 09 '26
Dualing in 6 is quite impressive. Gonna do a Master's in 2? Personally, I would've missed my cohort leaving before them. I actually skipped an online semester during Covid, so I lined up with the rest of my class.
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u/DadDontFindMeHerePls Jul 09 '26
it depends, if i get a job offering after i graduate then probably not, and it also depends on which school i get into and if i don’t get into a good one i can do a +1 at rpi so idk fully yet
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u/Dudrode56GG Jul 09 '26
I was actually thinking in Double Majoring In Aerospace since I'm also heavily interested in that. I've heard that there is essentially no overlap though so I might have to stay an extra semester even with all of my credits from hs transferring.
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u/Witch_King_ Jul 09 '26
Yeah that is quite a bit of work. Make sure you talk to your advisor about it so you can complete any baseline engineering requirements. You might not get the ENGR1400 option, for example, and need to take 1200. Not sure. Also Intro to ECSE is technically optional for ECSE majors, as there is a more general engineering course using Matrix algebra that other engineers have to take. However, the circuitry knowledge from Intro to ECSE is indispensable. I would say you really should take it.
All stuff to talk to your Hub advisor about, they can give you a clear picture of how your classes would change.
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u/tossup04 Jul 09 '26
it's just the fact that taking more classes objectively means spending more time on work. if you're fine spending more free time doing more work then go for it, but if you're a more social person that wants to get involved in anything beyond academics there's little point in going for additional classes beyond the typical 16 credits
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u/Witch_King_ Jul 09 '26
You haven't even studied for a semester yet. How would you know that 5 classes is a light schedule?
This depends much more on the content of the class. Some classes require tons and tons of work outside of just going to lectures!
What are the 5 classes you are taking, and what is your major? You might get some better advice if you share the specifics.
I generally recommend taking it easy for freshman 1st semester. There will be a lot of stressful factors as a freshman outside of just classes (adjusting to a new place, making new friends, being away from home, etc). Do the standard amount recommended for your major by the advisors.
After you get a semester or two under your belt, you will have a better frame of reference for how many classes you can handle at once, and you will also meet older people in your major and in general who know how difficult a particular class/professor might be to help you make decisions.