Weeder classes, such as organic chemistry, are designed to thin out students in challenging fields, but even non-intentional weeder classes, like freshman English, can serve the same purpose. These classes are the opposite of easy clap for credit courses and can discourage students from continuing in their field.
Every year thousands of freshmen choose a major field of study, and the next year thousands of sophomores abruptly change their minds. This sudden change is often triggered by an especially challenging but required course known as the weeder class. A weeder class can be an academically difficult course, such as organic chemistry, or a medium course presented by a demanding instructor, such as a freshman English composition class taught by the chair of the English department.
A weeder class is designed to thin the student herd, especially in fields where advanced courses are notoriously demanding. Pre-medical students, for example, are usually required to enroll in higher-level chemistry courses such as organic chemistry and biology. Organic chemistry is a very difficult course under the best of circumstances, so many students may drop out or switch to less demanding courses based on the difficulty of a weeding class.
There are certain courses that are not intentionally designed to be weeding classes but still serve the same purpose. An English course for freshmen or sophomores, for example, might not seem challenging at first, but the instructor can make the task very difficult by assigning lengthy research papers, adding additional reading requirements, or ranking English courses declared the most strictly than the rest of the class. The purpose of a weeder class would be to give you a taste of what to expect in higher or graduate level courses.
A weeder class is the polar opposite of the so-called Mickey Mouse, crip or clap for credit classes. While these rudimentary courses are known for their easy workloads and generous grading systems, a true weeder class often gains similar notoriety for having a brutal workload and strict grading guidelines. A good academic advisor should be able to guide a student through the minefield of Mickey Mouse and weeder classes in order to avoid an academic meltdown. If a student enrolls in too many weeding classes at once, he or she may become discouraged from continuing in a potentially rewarding field of study.
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