<p>Thanks S&P, the community singing school sounds like something I have to check out. :). My FYS prof would be Justin Camry.</p>
<p>Oh, one more question - is study abroad a good idea? I really want to do the JYA in Paris program, I don’t know if that kind of opportunity would ever come around again. But. What about ECs and research and friends? Junior year is a pretty important year to be away - would I feel like I was starting everything again from scratch after returning to Smith? I know I’m sort of getting ahead of myself, but, well, I’m planning to start French at Smith so there are a lot of classes I’d have to take to be able to go to Paris that I would * probably * take anyway just because they look like what I’d want but * might * not.</p>
<p>QuasiProfound: although I have no statistics to back this up, my D got the impression that fewer students are doing JYA because of the recession; however, a significant portion still do it. That means that it’s possible that many of your friends will be abroad at the same time.</p>
<p>Some students take just a semester, not the whole year. My D decided against it for herself, mostly because she had already traveled extensively and because, as a late-to-decide science major, she didn’t want to crunch her major into an even shorter timeframe. But few of her friends did JYA – and they were majors in classics, philosophy, English, and psychology. Some of those embarked on summer abroad opportunities instead. </p>
<p>If it’s something you’ve always wanted to do, you should plan to do either JYA or one semester since your undergraduate years are perfect for such an experience. But you won’t be at a disadvantage if you decide against it – unless, of course, you plan to pursue a career where such experience would be invaluable.</p>
<p>@SmithieandProud-Arabic I is not the way you describe it anymore. It meets for 50 minutes five days a week and is a 10 credit two semester class. Just wanted to clarify!</p>
<p>Ah, so they’ve changed it. Before it was an 8 credit two-semester class that met three days per week. Five is probably better actually, those 1.5 hour plus classes were brutal. </p>
<p>As for study abroad, Quasiprofound, I think it would be a shame to miss it, and it’s good to start planning ahead. You don’t have to go, but you should start taking language classes now so that when it comes time, if you decide to go, you still have the option. Remember that about half of the junior class goes abroad (though it would not surprise me if the recession is leading to a decline in numbers) so many of your friends will be scattering that year, if not to foreign countries then to study away programs in the US. And you sometimes have the opportunity to do research while you are abroad, which can be fascinating. As for EC’s, the leadership of most orgs at Smith are sophomore and senior dominant for that exact reason – people are gone. You don’t have to decide right now, but it is a great opportunity, a privilege of attending Smith and college in general. My semester in Washington was one of the most transformative experiences i had in college. My semester in London was sheer misery (long story) , but also a great learning experience, and brought me together with the girls who are two of my closest Smith friends. I wouldn’t trade either the good or the bad parts of that year for anything.</p>
<p>Thanks MWFN and S&P, I’m convinced :D</p>
<p>I am a transfer student so I may have problems of prerequisites of some classes. But I still read through the course catalog and draft a schedule. My intended major is economics.
- ECO265 Economics of corproate finance
- ECO314 Seminar: Industrial Organization and Antitrust Policy
- ENG118 Politics of language
- MTH243 Introduction to Analysis
- ESS945 Pilates
I need to make up credit shortage but I think five four-credit courses might be too much for my first semester.
Any suggestions or ideas?</p>
<p>^ Are you going to be a junior or senior when you enter? If not, getting nito a seminar might be difficult. You have to get special permission and if the course is full most profs will give precedence to juniors and seniors who are waiting to take the seminar.</p>
<p>@S&P
Yes，I am a rising junior. So I think I should take some 300 courses right?</p>