<p>i just wanted to offer some advice to all of you incoming freshman, and that is TAKE FRESHMAN SEMINARS. this goes out especially to those of you who are unsure of what you wanna do. freshman seminars are very little work, and you get to explore various topics and fields, and maybe they’ll help you decide which direction you want to push your career in.</p>
<p>Those are the freshman seminars for Fall 2007-- you have a few grading options depending on the class: 1 unit P/NP, 1 unit graded, 2 units P/NP, 2 units graded.</p>
<p>I completely agree. My freshman seminar was the best class I have taken so far at UCD and it is an excellent way to begin close relationships with faculty.</p>
<p>freshman seminars are 1-2 unit courses of 15 or less people. They are mainly composed of discussion and at the end you will probably have a minor project and or presentation. They are a good way to get to know faculty members in a close academic environment. And of course they are composed of only freshman (with very few exceptions).</p>
<p>I don't know if I would recommend freshmen seminars specifically (some are just..eh..), but I do recommend that students take seminars. It helps build relationships with the faculty and can expose you to new things that may change your career plans. Try and take pass/no pass <=== less work</p>
<p>I'd recommend taking AMS98 for career advice. I haven't taken it myself, but my friend said they get speakers from different departments that give talks on what they do, although I don't remember exactly what he said. It's also p/np, and should be a good way to explore options.</p>
<p>I totally agree with fooshy. Freshman seminars are excellent, begin your college life with an easy courseload; many of the people that get 4.0's first quarter with all core classes are screwed by the end of the end of the year. You're going to want to meet a lot of new people at the beginning of the year and hang out instead of studying all day long. Take like 1 freshman seminar, a core class, a culture class, and maybe animal science with Dr. Famula.</p>
<p>There's also EAP 090X, basically a 1 unit seminar about why you should study abroad. Just write 1 paragraph summaries, you listen to people who have studied abroad and some foreigners that are studying abroad. Pretty interesting class.</p>
<p>If you are in the Davis Honors Challenge, take a Honors Section in combination with one the classes you're signed up for (you have to check on dhc.ucdavis.edu to see if it's offered). It's 1-unit graded, you go more in-depth and it's about 15 people. You get to know the professor much better.</p>
<p>Some classes I've taken that I've really enjoyed (for anybody who cares):</p>
<p>English 3 with K. Walker
History 10B with A. Harris
Biology 1B with S. Keen
Political Science 1 with S. Hill
ECS 15 with S. Davis (only if you're REALLY familiar with computers and wanna learn the basics of programming.)</p>
<p>fooshy- S. Hill is my FRS professor. Hes amazing.</p>
<p>My recommended classes:
Human Development 12 with N. Polen (Human Sexuality)
Viticulture and Enology 3 with H.Heymann (Intro to Winemaking- get 12% extra credit tacked onto your final grade if you show up to every class)
Political Science 3 with M. Nincic (International Relations)
Political Science 2 with J. Andrews (Comparative Politics)
Sociology 1 with L. Kiburi (Intro to Sociology)</p>
<p>Yeah Stuart Hill sounds like a presidential candidate when he talks in lecture, it's quite amusing. =) He's really approachable and just good overall at explaining the class material, so if you're interested in politics, take his class.</p>
<p>BTW mr18359, your FRS wouldn't happen to be about Border Policy would it? Because I believe that's what he specializes in...</p>
<p>my FRS is on political persuasion and presidential leadership. we study presidential speeches and campaigns and examine how politicians try to use the public to force congress to enact policies.</p>
<p>I agree that he is extremely approachable and very helpful when you need advice.</p>
<p>...and write down the CRNs of the seminars you're interested in. Then when you register for classes, just enter the CRN, and if it's not full, you'll be enrolled in the class.</p>
<p>Basically, your summer advisor will help you through all of this, so don't worry. If you want to get a head start, look through the Fall 2007 course list and find some classes you like.</p>
<p>One thing I have to say about summer advising is that they are extremely unhelpful when it comes to choosing classes. They say to choose a schedule and if you dont get ONE of those classes then you should make up 10 back up schedules. This is why the OCL (Open Course List) is such a valuable resource and is one that they do not provide for you. It lists all the open spots in each class and if a class is not listed on it, it is full. Here is the link...</p>
<p>anyone can take a freshman seminar but the freshman get priority. im not exactly sure when you can sign up as a junior, it may be pass 2 or open reg but it would be safest to email the prof.</p>