The Engineering 98 FAQ!

1. What is Engineering 98?

   Engineering 98 is a one unit, P/NP De-Cal class that was designed by upper division engineering students to help you get the most out of being here at Berkeley. Each section meets once a week for one hour, and has 2-3 upperclassmen engineering students teaching 20 lower division students, providing a relatively intimate discussion setting. We're here to guide you through your first semester at Cal, and tell you how we thrived here at Berkeley. Hopefully you'll catch onto a couple of our tips and tricks, and other random stuff that they don't really teach you Chem 1A. We just want to help you guys make the most out of your time here, and think that the best way to do that is through a structured discussion.

   
   
2. What topics are covered in Engineering 98?

   Pretty much everything. A working draft of our curriculum can be found on the site. And if you've got a question that doesn't look like it's on the curriculum, feel free to ask any one of the instructors. Answering your questions is what we're here to do, and we wouldn't be teaching the class if we felt any other way.

   
   
3. Who runs Engineering 98?

   Everything in Engineering 98 is entirely student-run. The advertising, the administration, the curriculum, the website that you're reading right now, have all been designed and created by a well-intentioned student here at Berkeley. There are no Professors, no Advisors, no Political Agenda, just a bunch of kids slightly older than you telling it like it is. We'll tell you what's helped us in the past, and where we've slipped up. For each section, we try and mix different types of instructors together, so that each class can catch the full spectrum of Berkeley life. A short bio of each of our instructors can be found on our Instructor page.

   
   
4. How do I enroll in Engineering 98?

   Enrollment in E98 is through Telebears, just like you would enroll in Math 1B or Chem 1A. Look us up at schedule.berkeley.edu. It's a real class that gives you real credit.

   
   
5. Wait, does that mean that there's homework?

   Yes, we have homework. But before you start to panic, you should know that a lot of this 'homework' is stuff that you will do anyway in your career here at Berkeley. Seriously, do you really think that you can go 4 years (or 5 years, we'll tell you about that in class) without writing a resume, or going to office hours? We just want you to plan out your class schedule in a timely manner, rather than 2 hours before your phase I tele-bears appointment and you just realized you need an advisor code. As for those homework assignments that you won't necessarily need to do to graduate from this place, well, you'll just have to trust us that they're useful.

   
   
6. I've looked at the syllabus, and there's only 13 weeks listed. Is there a 13th week?

   Nope. After 13 weeks, you're done. In our first year doing this class, we went all 15 weeks, but then we realized that we ran out of stuff to talk about. If we find more stuff, we'll add it in on a week by week basis, but we've found that there's no point to just keeping you there if we don't have a specific thing that we want to teach you guys. We're engineers, after all. Efficiency is something we strive for, and we don't want to waste your time. Use the extra weeks at the end of the semester to go party or something.

   Also note that, unlike other De-Cals, we start on the first week of classes. So, the same week you head of to Physics 7A for the first time, you'll be showing up to your Engineering 98 section.

   
   
7. Who can enroll in Engineering 98?

   Our target audience is, obviously, freshmen engineers, but any freshmen or sophomore undergraduate can enroll. Those that are Letters and Science students, but thinking about transferring into engineering, will probably find the class just as useful as actual engineers. (You should know that, for time's sake, we won't talk about the actual transfer process in class, but we have instructors that have made the switch who will be happy to talk to you privately) Those of you that aren't engineers and aren't planning on becoming one, know that it won't be a perfect fit for you, but there are many things that we cover that are applicable to any major, not just engineering. Sorry juniors and seniors, but because there isn't much point for you guys to take the class, upper division enrollment is not allowed.

   
   
8. I missed the first class. Can I still join?

   If you've missed the first class, and still want to come, that's not a problem at all. Attendance is part of your grade, but it's totally possible to miss one class and still pass E98. (Any more than one class, however, and you'll be in trouble) Whether or not that absence occurs during the first week of the semester, or the seventh, makes no difference to us. We suggest however, that you do the homework for week 1 and turn it in when you first show up, to prevent you from losing week 1 homework credit as well. And if you have time, talk to us after class, and we'll bring you up to speed.

   
   
9. The section that I want to attend is full. What is Engineering 98's waitlist policy?

   E98 has an automatic waitlist. Although we theoretically have control over who gets in and who doesn't, the actual manual managing of our roster is a horrific administrative nightmare, and we'd rather not deal with it. If you're high up on the waitlist (>10), you may want to consider switching to a different section if you want course credit. If you can't make any other sections and don't need the unit, you may want to just audit the class. As we'll tell you later, there's nothing wrong with you just sitting in a class for fun, and as long as you participate appropriately, we're not going to kick you out or anything.

   
   
10. How do I apply to be an instructor?

    We recruit for E98 instructors late in the spring semester. Applications generally come out around March 15th, and are due ~2 weeks after that. After applications, there is a short 15-20 minute interview, whereupon we decide whether or not you're E98 instructor material. Don't worry too much about the interview, it's really informal, and is designed just as much to answer your questions about E98 as it is to help us select you as an instructor. We just want to make sure you know what you're getting into before you commit.

    
    
11. What do you look for in instructors?

    Although the average GPA of instructors is higher than average, what we're really looking for in an instructor is their passion and ability to help out their fellow engineer. Most importantly, instructors should be motivated to teach lower division students, and be able to help them in a wide range of topics, from academic skills to professional development to finding good places to eat. The bookwormy, taciturn, 4.0 GPA student is one of the worst instructors, because they don't have the breadth or communication skills to be able to teach the rest of the class. We select for well-rounded instructors that are interested in a variety of activities, and are able to effectively communicate their experiences, wisdom and pithy sayings to you students. Teaching experience is a plus, but hardly required.

    
    
12. How did Engineering 98 get started?

    We're glad you asked. Visit the About section to learn more about it.