<p>I'm a little lost with this applying for classes process soo</p>
<ol>
<li><p>How many classes do you take as a freshman? </p></li>
<li><p>On the FYI sign up site, you rank 7 classes, how many do they pick for you?</p></li>
<li><p>How many non-fyi's do they assign to you?</p></li>
<li><p>Are we allowed to bring a laptop to class? If so, is it popular to bring one?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>thanks in advance</p>
<p>and why are there fall and spring options when choosing classes?</p>
<p>Okay, so here’s how this works:</p>
<p>Step 1: You sign up for classes over the summer, by ranking 7 FYIs, and 7 freshmen-appropriate non-FYIs. This is JUST to give you a base for your schedule when you arrive at school. I believe you get assigned 1 FYI (though you can take more than that if you can get in later), and 1-2 non-FYIs (I forget; someone who did this more recently would know the exact number). </p>
<p>These classes can be for either the fall or the spring. The point is just to give incoming freshmen a shot at getting into some of their top choices before adjustment period, since everyone else already has their primary schedule set (including adjustment). It is also trying to make sure that you have at least a few year-appropriate classes on your schedule (ie. classes that will give you good basic intros to college level material).</p>
<p>Step 2: Adjustment period. You have your two classes assigned. You get to school. You then have the adjustment period, where you go online for a day or two and fill the rest of your fall semester with classes that have open spaces (many classes have spaces reserved for Freshmen, so its not like every good class will already be full from upperclassmen, though some might be full because many fellow freshmen ranked them high in Step One). You also put yourself on the waitlist for other classes you may want.</p>
<p>Step 3: Drop/Add: You have two weeks where you can go to a bunch of classes, try to get off waitlists (very possible in many cases), and finalize your schedule. I highly encourage you to use this period; don’t just settle for your adjustment period schedule unless you really love it. </p>
<p>Hopefully that all makes sense. Now, for your other questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It is normal to take 4 credits (4 classes) both semester. Maybe an extra .25 or .5 here and there for a lab, dance class or gym class. I really wouldn’t suggest taking more than four classes, ESPECIALLY not first semester – give yourself time to adjust to college life. Most Wes students only ever take 4 classes a semester, that’s the standard load.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes. I never had a class where it wasn’t allowed, though I suppose their might be one or two profs who don’t like it. Popularity depends on the type of class. They are fairly common in larger lecture classes, less so in smaller seminars, and, predictably, somewhere in-between for the 30-40 person lecture/discussion hybrids. I loved using my laptop for notes, but I have awful handwriting.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I think we get too choose two other classes (in addition to the FYI and non-FYI/introductory course) like a week before orientation or something, so that when we get there, we can meet with our advisors and have some sort of tentative schedule. </p>
<p>So how do people usually dress for class? What would constitute an outfit that was too casual?</p>
<p>If you do take a laptop to class, are there plenty of places to plug it in, in case the battery dies?</p>
<p>dress for class varies. most people look presentable in one way or another. I’ve seen people wear pajamas to class, and I’ve seen people in class in shirt and tie (probably due to a function of some sort they are attending after class) - but the point is, it varies. the majority wear “normal” clothes, however you want to define that (usually jeans, shorts, sweaters, tshirts, dresses, sweatshirts, etc.). there isnt a dress code, so you can get away with pretty much anything, but I wouldnt make a habit of wearing pajamas to class too often - you tend to not pay attention as much when you’re in clothes you normally wear in bed.</p>
<p>For outlets to plug in laptops, it varies depending on the classroom. all classroom have outlets, but you’re going to want to sit near a wall, in most cases, to have access to one. keep in mind, however, that most classes are 50 or 80 minutes long, and unless you have an ancient laptop, your computer should make it through without needing to be plugged in (web browsing uses up battery faster - don’t browse the web in class! pay attention!)</p>
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<p>This is entirely possible. I don’t think it was true when I was a frosh, but that was four years ago, and this makes a lot of sense (I also might just have forgotten?). </p>
<p>But anyway, smartalic has it right in terms of what people wear. Mostly jeans and a t-shirt type things, but you can go more or less casual depending on your preference. </p>
<p>Sometimes you have to fight over outlets in smaller classrooms, so it’s definitely good to charge your computer before hand. The only time I ran into trouble with my computer running out of batteries was a) in long film classes, because the cinema has no outlets and class can be 3+ hours, and b) when I had several classes in a row. But it is rarely a real problem.</p>
<p>I think WesKid is missing a step, which is that you do another round of pre-registration (this is what your advisor approves). it works the same way that it will work every semester afterward, except that you will have two (or one, if you get assigned to a spring FYI) of your classes already chosen. </p>
<p>you may be able to start choosing/ranking classes before orientation starts, but since it can’t be submitted until you meet with your advisor, it doesn’t matter whether you do it before orientation. </p>
<p>some professors ask you not to bring a laptop to some classes (eg. small seminars) unless you have a disability.</p>
<p>just so you know, the orientation interns are paid to answer exactly these kinds of questions. you can email orientation@wes.</p>
<p>If a class goes from 2:40PM to 4PM and another class goes from 4PM to 5:30PM, will that become an issue or is there a specific protocol to be able to fit the two classes with one another?</p>
<p>what class are you looking at that goes from 4-5:30? I don’t think I ever came across one in that time slot… most of the time, there are 10 minute gaps between class time slots. 9-10:20, 10:30-11:50, 1:10-2:30, 2:40-4, and you have 9-9:50, 10-10:50, 11-11:50, 1:10-2, 2:40-3:30, etc. etc… these are the common time slots, as well as 9-12, 1-4, and 7-10. </p>
<p>If you do indeed have this issue, if the buildings are fairly close together, and you let both professors know the situation, it shouldn’t be an issue. You might be able to leave a minute or two early from the first one, and have some leniency for the second one.</p>
<p>smartalic34, is the 7-10 time slot you mentioned AM or PM?</p>
<p>PM! Hah, the earliest class you’ll encounter is 8:30am (there might be an obscure one earlier, but I doubt there are more than 1-2), and even 8:30 is rare. 9am classes are fairly common, though.</p>