Freshman Requirements

<p>I really want to start looking at the course guide to plan my classes but I don't know what the required classes are. Can anyone help me?</p>

<p>Unless you plan on applying to a specific program with certain pre-reqs pretty much anything will work. Most people take a composition or lit class, a math class, a social science or history, and a lab science or language. Basically a little of everything.</p>

<p>If you look up the major that you’re thinking about declaring online at [Majors:</a> : University of Wisconsin?Madison](<a href=“http://www.wisc.edu/academics/majors.php]Majors:”>http://www.wisc.edu/academics/majors.php) , it should tell you what classes you need to take to fulfill the major. Otherwise, it’s up to you which classes you want to take. You can plan which classes you want to take by looking in the ‘academics’ tab in the student center.</p>

<p>The nice thing about UW is the flexibility in meeting the breadth requirements- so many choices in all of the areas. You need to have a proposed major or majors in order to determine specific required courses. It would be important to start math and chemistry sequences early on, for example. Be prepared with several options in case the classes you want conflict timewise or are full by the time you register at SOAR. Think outside the box. Literature is not limited to English Lit, for example- there is Lit in Translation and other options. Not all science is the basic chem/physics/biology from HS (L&S Honors lists many options) if you have no specific needs. You will find notations as to which courses are open to freshmen. Some courses are only open to freshmen and sophomores- one of the Philosophy courses for example.</p>

<p>Yes, it’s complicated. But college is the time to indulge in all sorts of learning, not just what you need for a major.</p>