Course Selection Myths

Students often end up with courses they hate because of profound misunderstandings about how things work at Texas A&M. Here are the most common myths about Texas A&M courses.

NOT TRUE. Students have to take two semesters of US history - but they can be ANY courses in US history. Even Texas history can count for one of them. History is one of the best teaching departments in the University and the non-105/106 options are fascinating. Texas history is a lot of fun - given the kind of raw material the profs have to work with. The upper level US history courses are especially interesting - and it is unlikely that you won't be able to find a subject matter or a prof that you will like.

NOT TRUE. Philosophy 240 is a very rigorous mathematical development of logic. Calculus is far easier than Philosophy 240 - and that tells you a lot. Logic is for students who are GOOD at math, the same way that physics is for students who are good at math.

If math courses are a problem for you, see a sociology advisor. We have some low stress strategies for coping with math courses that offer a good shot at getting a decent grade.

The least painful way to get through the math requirement is - strangely - in the math department.

ONLY TRUE SOMETIMES. Certain departments, such as those in science and engineering, really do organize their teaching sequentially. If you haven't had Engineering 101, you will be in no shape to take Engineering 315 or 415.

Many liberal arts departments are different - and sociology is definitely different. We do have some courses that have to be taken sequentially - notably Sociology 220 before 420 and Sociology 230 before 430. However, many of our other courses are largely free standing - and are fully appropriate for anyone interested in the subject material.

Especially good offerings can be found in the Sociology 489 series. These are new courses on exciting subject areas that have the generic 489 number merely because they are new. They don't count for distributional credits, but they DO count for major credit. These classes typically are taught by professors rather than graduate students. They are small and have a lot of discussion with the professor. These are often some of the finest offerings we have in our catalogue - and most do not have prerequisites.

Check out the 489s when you are shopping for classes - even if you are a freshman or sophomore. You don't have to sit in a giant lecture hall if you don't want to.

NOT TRUE. In most cases, core curriculum requirements are narrowly those that are appear on the standard lists - and substitutions are not permitted. This is virtually always the case with the math and science classes. The English lit courses are a little different. The English department will generally allow you to take 300-400 literature courses for the requirement - so long as you have taken a 200 level literature course off of the standard list first. Please be sure to see an advisor for an acceptable course.  For the most part, you may take any upper level ENGL literature course with the exception of Children's and Adolescent Literature (360/361).  It is best to check with us ahead of time to avoid any confusion.

This works out to be a very good deal because the upper level English literature courses are often fascinating. Small class sizes, great reading lists, good professors and a huge choice of topics make these upper level English courses a tremendous experience.

One bureaucratic note: you must file some paperwork if you wish to use an upper level English course to fulfill your English requirement. This is a rapid and simple procedure and is done after you have taken the course.