| Category | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| HW | 3 |
| Exams | 6 |
| Labs | 5 |
This is the intro class to the major.
For many, this is the first time you've had a legit class ever... coming from high school. Good news is that 18-100 isn't super difficult, but it does cover a lot of material and isn't always taught the best, so can be difficult for people who are learning about circuits and electronics for the first time.
Note that the course covers a huge variety of topics, most of them at a very shallow level. While this is a good way to gain exposure to the variety of sub-fields in the ECE major, you shouldn't take the class too seriously in terms of deciding which sub-field you want to specialize in. It's quite possible you won't understand a particular topic in 18-100 very well, and then go on to really enjoy the 200-level class for that topic. On the flip side, there are also some topics which 18-100 covers in a significantly simplified way, and you may find that it doesn't give a full picture of what that sub-field actually entails.
- Lab: The lab component of the class is asynchronous - you are given a lab kit with a breadboard, USB oscilloscope, and all of the components to make the circuits and can complete the labs on your own time. You meet with your TA once a week in a 5-6 person "small group" where the TA goes over tips for how to succeed on the labs and homeworks. Many people choose to go to TechSpark to complete the labs, since that is where office hours are held so it is easier to get help from a TA.
- HW: Not too hard -- if you get stuck you can ask during small-groups or OH.
- Exams: Make up a bulk of your grade. Not too hard, but can be time pressured if you don't practice enough problems. The difficulty of exams varies wildly between semesters and even between exams
- Start HW & labs early
- Go to office hours if you are struggling with the labs at all
- Understand lecture
- Go to Supplemental Instruction & and sign up for Excel sessions
- Practice lots of related material before the exam
- People sometimes underestimate the difficulties of the exams (i.e. in fall 2020 the first exam was very easy while the second was quite difficult, while in spring 2021 the first exam was much harder than people expected). If you overprepare a bit, it'll help you stay ahead of the curve
- It is easy to get stuck in lab when your circuit is messy and hard to debug. To make your life and the TA's life easier, try to build neat circuits -- but don't waste too much time making it too neat