<p>To any current Bucknell students,</p>
<p>Any info on the freshman seminars to take or to avoid? My daughter is not a real confident writer, so should she schedule one in the science and technology res. college? Or should she just take what interests her- like Myth, Reason and Faith and hope that the professor is reasonable in grading. Assuming that she is not a strong english writer, can you offer any suggestions?</p>
<p>I believe that students can only take the residential college seminars if they are actually living in a res college. However, I wouldn't be too worried about her writing skills. The freshmen seminars are taught by many different faculty members, most of whom don't even teach English courses, meaning they probably aren't that harsh on grading, as long as the content is there. Some of the freshmen seminars can count as a W1 credit, which is a writing credit you need in order to graduate. I decided to take one that was also a W1, as a way to kill two birds with one stone. However, one that would not count for W1 credit would be less writing-intensive. My advice would be for her to take whatever interests her; it's much easier to write well when you're writing about a subject you actually care about. Also, the writing center on campus is a valuable resource for students looking for help with writing papers.</p>
<p>the residential college decision should probably not be made on the basis of a certain offered foundation seminar. the commitments to residential colleges are not substantial, but theyre certainly big enough to necessitate that decision being made first.</p>
<p>on topic, all of the foundation seminars are essentially the same. whether taught by an english professor or a biology professor, the writing focus merely ensures that every student can write a cogent, grammatically correct research paper... something required of all academics. style is secondary.</p>
<p>is it possible you could run into a humanities professor who grades a bit more difficulty? i guess. but its probably equally possible that the physics professor will end up being more difficult because hes not as adept at differentiating between what is necessary and what is merely 'nice.' i wouldnt worry about it either way. most students who enroll at bucknell already have most of the skills they need in this regard. as such, a student who does her reading and spends some time on her essays shouldnt have a difficult time getting a good grade, regardless of professor.</p>
<p>even if certain fundamental skills are lacking in the students writing it wouldnt be a big deal. thats the point of the course along with serving as a university 'transition' class where you learn how to do real research, become familiar with the libraries resources, experience a real seminar, manage a college reading and writing load, et cetera.</p>
<p>in short, she should take whatever seems most interesting.</p>
<p>edit: the w1/non-w1 differentiation for foundation seminars must be new. all foundation seminars were first level writing courses when i enrolled. also, im not sure if freshman registration is the same as it was when i was a freshman, but if it is, below is a link to the times/profs/distribution fulfillments of the foundation seminars. </p>
<p>Thanks soozieQ and ericatbucknell, we are not so nervous about choosing now. Though the school does ask for a list of 10 choices - whew!</p>