<p>Today marks the opening of the First-year seminar and CAP lottery. Does this mean this is the only chance of getting into a first year seminar?</p>
<p>Of course not! The first lottery doesn’t close until June 21. Whether you enter now or June 21 at midnight, you have an equal chance of getting the FYS you want because it’s based on a lottery and not a first-come-first-serve basis.</p>
<p>And if you don’t get the class you want in the first lottery, there is a second one that opens a few days after the results of the first come out that extends into mid-July.</p>
<p>Sorta goes along with this - I’m interested in a bunch of CAP courses that are outside of my intended concentration, but those courses determine your advisor. Does anyone know if it’s important to have an academic advisor who teaches within your concentration, or does it not make much of a difference?</p>
<p>It won’t matter for the first year. What you want to study may change - it does for many students. You’ll be permitted to change advisors after the first year if you want, and having an advisor outside of your area of interest does not preclude talking with deans or other teachers in your area of interest. I personally wouldn’t want to have my advisor be a professor of one of my courses, but for other students, it’s easier.</p>
<p>So you should check your email because it has information about choosing CAP courses outside your concentration. It pretty much says it is no big deal unless you intend to major in Physics, Math, or Biology. </p>
<p>On another note, the lottery allows you to choose courses for the fall and spring semester. Does anyone know if we have to pick our spring FYS now or whether we will get another chance. I fear not getting into a fall FYS because of a bad prioritization.</p>
<p>I don’t think there’s another lottery for the spring. However, any FYS that is not filled through the lottery would be fair game for regular registration (I believe…)</p>
<p>Are there FYS courses that count toward the English requirement for premed?</p>
<p>I think any English class would be fine honestly. I wanted to take “Hawthorne and James” next semester, but can’t because it’s FYS. If that interests you, check that course out!</p>
<p>As far as CAP courses and your advisor-- when my daughter was a first-year (three years ago) she never took a CAP course. She got an advisor that was/is terrific. If that system is still the same, then you will get an advisor regardless. Also, you don’t have to take FYS or CAP courses at all. It’s just a really good way to get one of your first group of classes and have it be manageable, interesting, and not be too big.</p>
<p>I’m a little confused about when we sign up for other classes besides FYS and CAP courses. Do we have a set schedule and then switch it around during shopping period, or just build our schedule from scratch during shopping period?</p>
<p>Freshmen will register for their classes after the first meeting with their advisors sometime during orientation. You will need to obtain a PIN from your advisor to register. If I remember correctly, the system opens on the day before classes begin at 5pm. So since classes start on 1st September, Banner should allow you to start registering at 5pm on 31st August. You are free to add or drop classes throughout shopping period. You don’t even have to be registered for a class to attend. You can register for up to 5 classes on Banner, but presumably you want to shop more classes than that. Just remember to have settled all registrations by the end of shopping period. </p>
<p>A quick timeline from the Registrar’s Office:
Sep 1: Classes begin
Sep 14 (5pm): Last day to add a class without a fee (You can still add a class past this date, but you have to do it in person at the Registrar’s Office and pay a fee).
Sep 28 (5pm): Last day to add a course, change from credit to audit and change grade option (Grade options are ABC by default on Banner, so this is the last day you can decide to change to S/NC).</p>
<p>Of course you can drop a course anytime up till the day before final exams start.</p>
<p>You can “shop” as many classes as you’d like, and more often than not, people register for a few classes that they don’t end up taking.</p>
<p>Can anyone give me any advice and / or hindsight on the following FYS I’m considering?</p>
<p>RUSS 0320A (S01) – Dostoevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov” - The Art of the Novel
ENGL 0450A (S01) – Hawthorne and James
HIST 0970X (S01) – Gandhi’s Way</p>
<p>Furthermore, I noticed that Fiction I and Basic Chinese are FYS - both of which are courses I intended to attend in the Fall in tandem with my FYS. Is it possible to take those two courses and an FYS?</p>
<p>Where do you see that these two courses are FYS? Basic Chinese is open to all (although it may fill up). There’s a section of Fiction I for freshmen only, but that doesn’t make it an FYS (it too, is likely to fill up). You can take both and an FYS, but you’ll want backups for them, as courses capped at 17 tend to fill quickly.</p>
<p>Many FYS courses are offered once every few years, so it’s unlikely many/any of us can comment on the courses, except maybe the professor.</p>
<p>Maybe you’re confused by the CAP courses. Not all CAP courses are FYS. Intro languages are an example. Getting that course through the lottery would essentially just mean that your Basic Chinese instructor is your advisor. Either way, those courses are open to all. It’s just that not all students will have the course as a CAP course, i.e., have the courses instructor as an advisor.</p>
<p>So to clarify, there is this religion course I really want to take but it is designated on the lottery as a CAP course. I’m not planning on majoring in religion so I dont really want this to determine my advisor. Is it possible to sign up for this class in the fall as a regular class?</p>
<p>Yes. </p>
<p>The main purpose of CAP courses is to allow freshmen the oppurtunity to have an advisor who is actually teaching one of their classes. Outside of that, these classes are open to the rest of Brown’s population as regular classes.</p>
<p>Contrast this to FYS, which are of limited enrolment and are open only to freshmen.</p>
<p>Thanks for the answer!</p>
<p>Thanks Uroogla and Graagh - that reassures me.
The reason I thought I wouldn’t be able to take Fiction I and Chinese was because they were listed on the page of FYS courses.
Also, does anyone know if there is a limit to the number of FYS you can attend?</p>
<p>Technically no. Correct me if I’m wrong but they will only you assign one FYS through the lottery (I’m not sure if it’s one each for Fall and Spring or one for the entire year). You can subsequently sign up for FYS that are not at full capacity during normal registration.</p>