<p>How hard is the course? Would you recommend it? Can someone of you Yalies here connect me to somebody you know who is taking the course? I really want to apply, but I just have to make sure that I am not doing the wrong thing...</p>
<p>I did DS last year. It's a very good program if the subject matter interests you - you get to have multiple small classes with professors, lectures from experts on the topics involved, a lot of practice writing, etc. The amount of work varies depending on how much you want to do - that is, a lot of reading is assigned (really a lot). You can do well in the program without doing all the reading, but you'll get more out of it if you read everything. Essentially, you get out of it what you are willing to put in.</p>
<p>sval, can you get the reading list prior to the start of the semester and get a jump on things this summer?</p>
<p>Actually, not only do you get the reading list, but you are expected to start it. There is reading for the first week that you are supposed to have done by the time classes start.</p>
<p>I love it. I just finished the last final today, which was pretty brutal, but all in all I think the amount of work that DS requires is overrated. The biggest problem for me is being able to crank out good papers every week. The reading is a lot, but it is at least interesting reading (not boring textbook material like in a lot of other classes). The professors are great, and there is a great sense of camaraderie with everyone else in the program.</p>
<p>For the summer we had to read the Iliad, Herodotus' Histories, and several Platonic dialogues. Over winter break we have a fat packet of medieval lyric poetry, Petrarch's Rhyme Sparse, Don Quixote, Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, and The Prince. Yeah, so that part is going to hurt, but it pays off in the long run.</p>
<p>Thanks for the list and positive review. If you still like the class during finals week, it must be good.</p>
<p>i am so lookin forward to applying for DS!</p>
<p>Haha, me too! How harsh is the grading for DS classes?</p>
<p>Grading totally depends on the professors you get. I know people that have gotten the occasional C on a paper, but that seems rare or simply a tactic to scare you on your first attempt. Overall I don't think the distribution is any different than other classes, but you always have to compete with the random few people that read half the books in the vernacular, study for 10 hours each night, and take a page of notes on each sentence that comes from the professor's mouth. Unless you know you are really good, it probably wouldn't be wise to count on a 4.0 1st semester, but the grading isn't all THAT tough.</p>
<p>The grading is (for the most part) tougher than the average Yale class. I say this from experience. I turned in papers this semester that I thought weren't particularly good that got As. Wouldn't have happened in most of my DS sections last year.</p>
<p>If you're really interested in the literature/subject matter, definitely do it! I have a lot of friends in it who absolutely love(d) it. However, I know of a handful of people who wanted to do it just b/c they perceived it as selective and prestigious. They generally hated it...DS has a pretty hefty workload, compared to the academic programs most other freshmen choose to pursue. If you're fascinated by the coursework, it'll be a wonderful (albeit tough) experience...but if Plato doesn't do it for you, I wouldn't go for it!</p>
<p>Two questions. First they indicated on the website that some students will be automatically admitted to DS because they showed interest in their application. Is this true and has anyone been admitted yet?</p>
<p>Second, what is the acceptance rate for DS?</p>
<p>It is true that they automatically admit some people based on their application. I don't know if people would have gotten the notification yet, though I would guess not. I've heard that the acceptance rate for those that apply is about 50%. There is also a waitlist, and people will get overwhelmed and drop out during shopping period, so overall your chances are quite good.</p>
<p>They don't notify the automatic admits until after the RD round. But drummerdude is right that anyone who really wants to get in can.</p>
<p>what are you guys talking about??????????</p>
<p>I am going to assume that you are confused by the "Directed Suicide" heading. "Directed Suicide" is a satirical nickname for the Directed Studies program at Yale (<a href="http://www.yale.edu/directedstudies)%5B/url%5D">www.yale.edu/directedstudies)</a>. That moniker comes from the commonly held perception that DS students have a lot more work than the average Yale freshman and thus can't have lives outside of classes, but this is very much up for debate. Directed Studies, or "DS" as it is usually referred to, is an intensive program in the humanities for freshman. If you get into the program, you take 3 courses in DS each of your two semesters freshman year (2 semesters each of Literature, Historical and Political Thought, and Philosophy).</p>
<p>ahh..you lean something new everday</p>
<p>I didn't express any interest in DS but i was preadmitted... i have no idea why but i suspect it had something to do with my background in latin and indicated interest in classics (a lot of the fall reading is from classical texts). I ended up not taking it, but i did read a few DS texts for my Roman history class.</p>
<p>wow...i so hope I get preadmitted..</p>
<p>Rwikiborkt, I think I am in a similar situation to yours. Though I indicated on my application I wanted to major in econ and political science, I provided lots of information on my background in classics, including 5s on both AP Latin Vergil and Latin Lit, 7 on the IB Latin, and several national latin convention 1st places. Do you think this would merit such a preadmittance?</p>