<p>I was a 2014freshman who was recently admitted by Madison's engineering department. But I also love history and politics. I was wondering that do I have a chance to learn these things in my first year and can I select course which I like? Thankyou!!!</p>
<p>im on the same boat except I got accepted to College arts and science but I want to try out engineering courses…</p>
<p>You don’t really go into engineering until second year. You are just pre-engineering and can take electives as well as a couple required classes for pre-engineering.</p>
<p>barrons, what if I want to switch to engineering in my sophomore year? Can I take pre-engineering courses as CAS major in my freshman year?</p>
<p>All students are admitted to the university as a whole. You can change your major at any time and can take any courses you qualify for at any time. Since you need to meet certain requirements before being admitted to the School of Engineering you were placed, like the vast majority of students, in L&S. For example- you will need the L&S math and physics courses. But you will be able to also take engineering courses open to you as a freshman as well despite being in L&S. </p>
<p>The reason students do not take all of the courses they would like to is that doing so would take time away from courses required for graduation in their major. By submitting an engineering major when you applied you were placed with advisors for preengineering students at SOAR. This will help you get questions answered this summer (btw- be sure to have your parents attend SOAR, their program is worthwhile, even if they know UW and/or Madison). The main restriction to taking courses is in being able to finish your degree in 4 years- you could spend 6 years to be able to take all the nonmajor courses you want, get a second major- some students do. Time is money- in lost wages and tuition paid.</p>
<p>There may be some courses that fill up and people with certain designations get preference- eg Honors courses. Your SOAR advisor is the one to discuss this with. These are real people who know how to manage the system- they will know what to do to get you want you want/need, not just what the computer allows. It is helpful to plan your schedule as best you can in advance so you and your advisor have something to work with. Ultimately you control which courses you take- advisors advise, not control, your schedule. However- listen to them so you don’t ruin a suggested plan by substitutions that mess you up later.</p>
<p>All students have breadth requirements in addition to the courses required for their major. Some are university wide but differences come with each school/college. The number of required social sciences, science, foreign language and humanities credits varies between them- and also depending on whether you opt for a BA or BS in the college of L&S (your major does NOT matter- you can get a BA in Chemistry, for example, by meeting the requirements). Don’t worry about this now, you will have plenty of semesters to get everything you need in a timely fashion. You will understand a lot once you are on campus. Your first semester will likely involve taking courses that are prerequisites for later courses (think math and chemistry) and electives you choose that will fulfill some breadth requirements along with being for personal knowledge/fun.</p>
<p>It is not critical to know your major as an entering freshman. It is important to decide if you need math, chemistry and/or physics courses for your probable major. These fields are usually several course sequences and are often required before other science courses- delaying them can mean taking longer to finish your degree.</p>