I’ve heard that Directed Studies is a lot of work. How can you get a bit ahead over the summer? I’ve heard that you can start to do the readings, but in what way? I understand that the grading is mainly through turning out a 4-6 page paper per week, so rather than approaching the reading for memorization and details, should you try to do the readings thematically or with a certain slant in mind?
Also how do the profs grade these papers? Do they expect incredible effort with finely-tuned papers? Do they grade hard? easy? Please share.
I have no direct experience with the program so I’m just sharing an uninformed opinion here, so take my advice with the proverbial grain of salt.
I’ve read that Directed Studies is a bit like drinking from a firehose, since you speed through so much material. If I were going to take it in the fall, I would look through the syllabus and see which books sounded the most interesting to me. I would pick up just a few of them and read them leisurely over the summer. When you’re reading things quickly and fitting them in next to other obligations, it’s less enjoyable.
Read the ones you think you would like for enjoyment now so that they actually are fun and not an obligation.
By all means, do some light reading, but really take this time to relax, get fit and spend time with friends and family. Yale semesters are busy, and most undergrads spend time doing internships each summer. There were summers during which I couldn’t even make it home at all. You won’t have this much free time again for a very long time!