<p>Are we supposed to go to O-Week with an idea of what classes we might be interested in taking by looking through last year's General Announcements? Or will there be advisors to suggest what classes we should take based on the interests/plans we tell them?</p>
<p>I think you should have a pretty good idea of what courses you are planning to take. You can also check online at Rice's course schedule to check what times the classes are offered. i think that there will also be some people to help you during o-week, but I think it will be to your benefit to be ahead of the game and make sure the classes you want are available at a time that fits your schedule.</p>
<p>I only have a vague idea of what I want to take. It's probably not worth coming up with your own little schedule and then finding out half of it won't work out. Just have a general idea...</p>
<p>If you want to do some advanced research for your own peace of mind, that's great. But strictly speaking, you don't <em>need</em> to know what classes you want/need to take before you get there. Think about it, if you did, Rice would've sent information about it all.</p>
<p>You were accepted to one of Rice's "schools." The George R. Brown School of Engineering is one example. During O-Week, you'll go to an orientation "for Engineers," or "for Archis," etc. and they'll give you some literature about the different programs and what the recommended course schedule is for various degrees. As another example, CS students should expect to take Comp 210 (or any new equivalent, if any) their first semester and then move on to the next course (212) in the spring. There'll be time for question-and-answer, too.</p>
<p>Your only real concern is the 4-6 classes you'll take immediately in the Fall. By the time you need to pick your Spring classes, you'll likely have a good idea of what to do next. If you've decided to go into CS, History, Chemical Engineering, or any other specific degree plan, you'll get guidance immediately. For those of you who aren't sure what you want to major in, you'll need to pick somewhere to start.</p>
<p>Distribution is great for this -- you'll be required to take at least 12 hours each from two of the three Distribution categories of classes; the two categories will be the ones that do NOT include your degree plan, whatever it may turn out to be. This has two primary advantages:</p>
<p>1) When you graduate, you're guaranteed to have more exposure to subjects outside your immediate focus than someone elsewhere who "only" studied Electrical Engineering, for example.</p>
<p>2) If you don't know what you want to major in, you've got some flexibility. There are three distribution areas, and you have three semesters until you're required to declare a major. Coincidence? No. Worst case, start taking distribution courses from the three categories and you'll soon find one that interests you most -- that might help you choose a degree plan.</p>
<p>Enjoy the Rice Experience(tm) and HAVE FUN, you're in good hands. :-)</p>
<p>and of course, to add to wrprice's stuff</p>
<p>Rice's Oweek is not fully an academic experience. yall will have a lot of fun doing different sorts of stuff. we can't really talk abt that cuz we're not the advisors who are planning that stuff.</p>
<p>my year and the years before, we had stuff like scavenger hunt and all that sortsa fun stuff.</p>
<p>but to get more relevant, Engineering / Architecture / Music / liberal arts, etc. each hold a separate i believe 3-5 hour session on one of the days to give you some handouts on their programs and stuff that you watch out for. faculty will be ready to answer questions, etc. on a separate day, there's a 2-4 hour long academic fair during which you actually shop around for classes while professors from each department answer more questions for you.</p>
<p>other than that, the only other more academic stuff i can think of is the writing exam. basically, pass and you don't have to take an academic writing class.</p>