<p>I'm tentatively planning to double major in French and International Relations, and am attempting to figure out which classes to take during the first semester of my first year. I was hoping to take POL 116 (World Politics) because it's a prerequisite for most other classes for an IR major, but was full and heavily waitlisted even before firsties got the opportunity to register, so I substituted POL 106 (Comparative Politics) instead... Was this wise?</p>
<p>On the French front, I already took my placement test (478) and need to choose: would it be wise for me to sign up for one of the Intermediate Courses in Culture and Literature (e.g. Introduction to the Civilization of France; it should be noted that I feel fairly deficient in my knowledge of Francophone culture) or should I just go with the Advanced-Intermediate classes in grammar/writing/speaking even though they seem to request placement scores between 350-450 and don't meet a distribution requirement? Also - thoughts on professors... I went on Rate My Professor, and heard some not-so-lovely things about Professor Vaget (not sure how much credibility I give to that site, but perhaps you all can help me get a more accurate picture). Would it be worth it to request permission from Professor Gelfand to join the closed Literature class, or should I just stick with Vaget if I'm going to go with a culture class?</p>
<p>(By the way, if I'm majoring in French/IR, do I need to take a second foreign language to fulfill my language requirement? If I'm interested in picking up a second foreign language - i.e. Arabic - should I begin my freshman year or wait? Is it wise at all to pursue it in the first place?)</p>
<p>I signed up for a Bio FY seminar with lab to take care of one of those distribution requirements... That brings me to three classes... </p>
<p>Any suggestions on the fourth? Also, could I take a fifth class that doesn't require much time outside of class (i.e. something like Fencing, to fulfill a phy ed requirement), or should I just stick to four classes during my first semester?</p>
<p>I still haven't been assigned a faculty adviser, otherwise I'd send these questions his or her way... Thanks in advance for your advice and assistance!</p>
<p>Just remember that your schedule is tentative until you arrive on campus. I changed my schedule the very first day of my first year. You should waitlist yourself for POL 116 and show up on the first day. Professors are very nice about letting first years in to their introductory classes.</p>
<p>The PE classes aren’t too bad, and I would start as soon as possible if I were you, as many people are left scrambling for credits their senior year.</p>
<p>If you received a 478, they’re not going to let you register for a 203 level class. Trust me… I tried. I received a similar score, and the only options I got where 215, 219, and 223 (maybe?) I tried to ask them to let me take the 203 course, but they basically refused. If you don’t feel 100% confident in your abilities take 215. That’s the equivalent of AP French Literature (which they will be getting rid of this year). According to the professor, many students still make oral and written mistakes, but it’s a fastpaced class and there’s a lot of participation involved. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>^When I was a first year, I scored a 547 and I was allowed into 203. I eventually ended taking one of the higher classes b/c 203 was too easy, but it’s not entirely unallowable. Just explain your situation to the head of the department.</p>
<p>Welcome to the IR department, if you end up going that way!</p>
<p>Okay, here we go:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>World Politics (POL 116) is taught by Vinnie Ferraro, the Chair of the IR department, and easily one of the most popular and fantastic professors on campus. Since it is an intro-level class, first- and second-years are given priority, so I think you’d stand a decent chance of getting in eventually. It’s also a gigantic lecture class, and Vinnie often goes over the 40-person cap by about 20 people. My suggestion: get yourself on the waitlist as soon as possible, go to at least the first 2 class meetings. My first college-level class was POL 116 with Vinnie, and it still remains my favorite class that I’ve ever taken, so I STRONGLY suggest staying with it as long as you can! If it ends up that you can’t get in eventually, Comp. Politics is also a great course, great intro-level course for an aspiring IR major!</p></li>
<li><p>If you recieved such a high score on the placement exam for French, I think you’d be better off going for a literature- or culture-based course, preferably taught in English, until you feel that you aren’t “deficient” anymore. With that level of French proficiency, I doubt you’ll lose much over one semester. However, I also haven’t gone through the process of placing into a higher-level language class as a first-year, so I would suggest that you e-mail the head of the French department and ask him/her. As for the language requirement for IR, I’m about 99% sure you don’t need a second language besides French if you are majoring in it. If you find out that you do, and decide to go specifically into Arabic, you MUST go through the program at MHC from the beginning; Dr. Jiyad, the only Arabic professor on campus, is a STICKLER for having people start with him and only him! Don’t start it at another college/university!</p></li>
<li><p>As for your fourth class, I would suggest going for something completely new and different, in a subject that you know very little about but have some interest in. It sounds like you’re into politics and languages, so why not try a religion, philosophy, or anthropology course? Maybe Intro to Islam, since you mentioned having an interest in Arabic?</p></li>
<li><p>Having a PE class as your fifth class is totally doable, and I actually suggest it, that’s what I did! And I REALLY wouldn’t suggest taking a fifth academic class your first semester; as much as it sounds like a cliche, it’s a big adjustment to get yourself motivated and disciplined enough to study on your own when you first get to college. Give yourself a little time before you jump into the five-class courseload!</p></li>
<li><p>Just as a word of caution, while double-majoring in IR and another subject is doable, I will warn you that it’s HARD. There’s a reason that you’re not required to pursue a second major or minor with an interdisciplinary major! I’m having enough trouble doing just an IR major on it’s own! Lots of hard work will get you far, but leave a little time for some fun during college!</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hope I helped! Feel free to PM me with any other questions about the IR department or life at MHC!</p>