<p>Hey dwincho,</p>
<p>Please refer to my previous posts for information regarding diversity on Lafayette's campus. I do not wish to repeat what I have already said in previous posts.</p>
<p>J</p>
<p>Someone's getting cranky around finals time :-P</p>
<p>Well, I want to ask sth about the Laf gym (I was told that it was the best college gym :D). Do we have kinda bodybuilding trainer or gym instructor (not varsity)? Do you guys often use flippers when swimming? :D</p>
<p>Nah...finals have been over for me since last Wednesday. I am just so busy answering private messages that I have little time to repeat myself in the forums.</p>
<p>J</p>
<p>Hey hlvietlong!</p>
<p>The Kirby Sports Center is the most amazing college gym facility ever. In answer to your questions, we do have athletic trainers/gym instructors that come in to help non-athletes exercise. We also offer exercise classes with accredited instructors on a weekly basis (jazzercise, spin cycling, etc.) for students to let out some of their stress. </p>
<p>I do not believe anyone uses flippers while swimming in the six-lane swimming pool. However, there is nothing stopping you from doing so!</p>
<p>J</p>
<p>Justin,</p>
<p>What is there to do for a freshman in his or her interim? I saw that you can't be an EXCEL scholar freshman year, so research is out of the question. Getting a good internship is absurd for this period for someone so underprepared. So, should I just pack my bags and go home for my first interim? What did you do?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>hey i just got my course registration guide and i was just wondering what classes you took freshman year & if you had any suggestions - b/c im planning to major in english, and i think you said you were too - hah. thanks</p>
<p>shin</p>
<p>Hey maxy,</p>
<p>That is such a great question! As a freshman, I plan on working for the majority of the summer months to earn some college spending bucks. I know that most of my friends are doing the same. Some students choose to take a trip to some distant country with friends (Italy, Spain, etc.) for fun, while some of my Jersey friends will go down to the shore for a few weeks with friends/family.</p>
<p>I will be spending the summer working, RELAXING!, going down to the shore with my family for two weeks, and that is about it. This is really the last summer for serious students to take a break from that "education" thing. For my sophomore interim session, I will most likely be doing some Excel research with the English department, be working in the admissions office, take a summer course or two on campus, etc.</p>
<p>For the interim session in January next year, I might study abroad for a few weeks. I also hope to take an internship over the summer as well. In short, the interim can be VERY productive if you want it to be!</p>
<p>For your first summer interim, go home. Enjoy yourself. RELAX. Don't get crazy just yet...your educational goals can wait.</p>
<p>Peace,</p>
<p>J</p>
<p>Hey shin,</p>
<p>So, the time has finally come to select your first four college courses! Isn't this so exciting?</p>
<p>For my first semester, I took First-Year Seminar 069: Monuments. It was pretty cool, and the professor (Prof. Sinkevic) was very nice. Take whichever FYS sounds interesting to you, and fits in with the rest of your course choices. I also took the first course toward the English major, ENG 205: Literary Questions. If you think you are ready to get going with your prospective major, don't be afraid to take that course. I also took ART 101: Intro. to Art History with Prof. Ahl just because art history seemed interesting to me. Prof. Ahl was an awesome professor, but she will be in Italy all of next year conducting research. Finally, I took PSYC 100: Intro. to Psych with Prof. Shaw...he is totally chill! I am planning to also major in psychology, so of course, I needed to take that course. The material covered is very interesting!</p>
<p>So, take an FYS that interests you. Take either ENG 205: Literary Questions or ENG 206:Literary History (whichever is being offered next semester, doesn't matter which one because they both count the same toward the major). If you do not have either IB or AP credit, most students will take the required math course (Calculus I most likely...) to get that out of the way. I would also recommend you take a lab science (Psych, Chem, Bio, Phys, Geo) to fulfill the 2 lab science requirement of Lafayette's common course of study.</p>
<p>If you have the time during the summer, try your best to attend the June Academic Advising Session on one of three days (June 8th - June 10th) to meet with academic advisors. They can help you select courses better than I can! Just make sure to come to the session with some potential course choices in mind.</p>
<p>J</p>
<p>thanks a lot mann - yeah i am planning to take: English 205, Calc III, Music theory II, (along with the FYS) for the fall but that might change after the june advising session. you have any insight into those classes? thanks again</p>
<p>shin,</p>
<p>It was a pleasure helping you select your courses for the fall 2006 semester. I am glad to hear you are planning on taking ENG 205, if only to get that major requirement "out of the way" so that you can take more interesting upper-level english courses sooner! It seems you have some AP credits if you will be taking Calculus III, or at least feel prepared to take it...good for you! Just keep in mind that if you do have AP or IB credit for math, that fulfills the college's common course of study math requirement.</p>
<p>I only wonder if it is the best idea to take Music Theory II so soon...you really should take a lab science to work toward fulfilling the 2 lab science requirement. If you have some AP/IB credit for Biology, Chemistry, Physics, etc., then I would recommend taking Music Theory II. Also know that you must pass Music Theory I before taking II (advanced placement credit works there as well).</p>
<p>I am glad to hear you are planning on attending one of the June Academic Advising Days (June 8th - June 10th). Once there, you can meet with advisors to help you finalize your schedule before the beginning of the semester.</p>
<p>See you in the fall,</p>
<p>J</p>
<p>How useful is buying a printer? Do most people buy printers? Does Lafayette have some free printing services (what about scanning)? If a printer is advisable, will a low-end model suffice? And do most people have only one printer/room, because it must be very difficult to divide the cost of paper&ink between roommates, right?</p>
<p>maxy,</p>
<p>Great question! You really should buy a cheap, low-end color ink jet printer for yourself in your dorm room. Each roommate should buy his/her own printer and worry about his/her own printer supplies, or else issues with paper and ink costs may arise.</p>
<p>If you need to do more heavy-duty higher-quality laser printing, just go with a USB flash drive (aka "jump drive") to Skillman library and do your printing there. They also have scanners at the library. All printing/scanning services are FREE to students at any of the computer labs throughout campus.</p>
<p>The reason I highly recommend bringing an ink jet printer is because it becomes a HUGE inconvenience to always have to go to the library to print stuff out. If you just want to print an email you received, a rough draft of a paper, or something off of a webpage, would you want to have to visit la biblioteca each and every time? Of course not!</p>
<p>Make sure you get a really SMALL ink jet...space is a commodity in ANY dorm room. Other than that, I would say maybe go for an Epson or HP because I know the college store stocks ink for those manufacturers' printers.</p>
<p>Food for thought: There were a few students on my floor who decided against bringing their own printers. To make a long story short, they wish they had! I would always have floormates asking me to use my printer. Don't be one of those ill-prepared college students, maxy!</p>
<p>Of course, make sure to stock up on packs of plain white paper and black ink.</p>
<p>J</p>
<p>do uk when we have to turn in our fys picks? or do we bring them with us when we come june 8th-10th?</p>
<p>How much does the campus social scene revolve around alcohol? Are there many social events going on for people who aren't looking to get wasted?</p>
<p>alissa,</p>
<p>It's nice to see that you have taken such an interest in selecting courses for your first semester at Lafayette. I believe that, if you are planning on attending one of the June Academic Advising Days, you simply need to bring your ranked FYS choices with you that day. If you could not make it, that is when you would have had to worry about sending it to Lafayette through the mail.</p>
<p>Just rank the five? that interest you the most, and bring it with you in June.</p>
<p>J</p>
<p>certifiedsoulman,</p>
<p>I believe I have touched upon this question before in previous posts, but I think it is time to reiterate some of my main points.</p>
<p>You DO NOT need to drink to have an active social life at Lafayette. There are always so many college-sponsored activities and events open to students that one does not have to resort to "getting wasted" to have a good time. I, personally, do not go out on the weekends looking to drink. Occasionally, I will go to a party where alcoholic beverages are available. I have NEVER felt pressured into drinking...I will walk around with a can of soda while others might choose to carry around a beer. No one really cares, and that's the truth.</p>
<p>Even if you NEVER went to any such parties, you would find so many ways to spend your Friday and Saturday nights. Even though I will not list all of the events that go on, rest assured that you will find many nights during the week where you will have to decide which event to attend out of many choices. On the Lafayette homepage, there is a link to "Calendar of Events" which you can access 24/7 to find out what there is to do on any given day. Right now, it is blank, but once classes are in session for the fall semester, expect the calendar to fill up quickly.</p>
<p>You might have a hard time believing me when I say this, but those who go out looking to drink and "get wasted" are the minority at Lafayette. The majority of students are like me: we go out looking to socialize, meet new people, and unwind. If alcohol is available, we are in full control as to whether we wish to participate. I have had the occasional beer/shot, but that does not make me someone whose social life "revolves around alcohol". Some students refuse to drink ANYTHING, and that is fine as well. They might come into contact with alcohol or someone who has decided to "drink the night away", but they couldn't care less.</p>
<p>Come to Lafayette with the attitude and excitement you have already shown on these boards ("Hell yes, go leopards!" --> your words, not mine!), and look forward to becoming a member of the Lafayette community.</p>
<p>Just be yourself in college, and go your own way. People will appreciate you all the more for it!</p>
<p>J</p>
<p>Justin,</p>
<p>Sorry if this question is answered somewhere on the Lafayette website, but are the FYS courses offered only the first semester, or both semesters? Do you have any recommendations regarding first-year seminars? What have you taken? There are just so many to choose from. Thanks.</p>
<p>maxy,</p>
<p>Do not be sorry! The Lafayette website is poorly designed, to say the least. Even after a year at the college, I still have trouble finding my way around our own website.</p>
<p>The FYS is only offered in the fall semester, and you MUST take it your first semester at Lafayette. I took FYS:069 Monuments with Prof. Sinkevic, which I noticed is not being offered for you guys...oh well!</p>
<p>Let me go through the list and see if anything hits me...</p>
<p>FYS 024 is taught by Prof. Childs..I had him for the lab portion of Intro. Psych. He is a very nice man, and is pretty chill. Those who had him for the lecture portion of Psych 110 loved him, too. Are you interested in psychology?</p>
<p>FYS 025 sounds interesting, and Annette Diorio is teaching it. She is not really a professor (she is actually the Director of Residence Life!), but she is such a caring person. During freshman orientation, she led a discussion with my group about our summer reading assignment, and she was really fun. I imagine she would be great teaching a course on the "American College Student".</p>
<p>I had a floormate who took FYS 062, which might not sound that interesting from the short description. Tim Silvestri is totally chill (he is actually a school psychologist who works in the Bailey Health Center), and for some classes, they went to a local coffee shop to have class discussions. This same floormate handed in a paper about 7 weeks late for the class, and still got an A as his final grade.</p>
<p>FYS 071 is taught by Prof. Washington...my roommate had Prof. Washington for a 100-level English course on a similar topic, and he LOVED going to his classes. He is a very controversial man, and is NOT afraid to voice his true opinions. My roomie said they had some very interesting class discussions with Prof. Washington.</p>
<p>FYS 127 is really great for someone interested in economics. Prof. Gamber is by far the most popular econ professor at Lafayette. A floormate who was a die-hard econ fan loved the course.</p>
<p>FYS 134 is taught by Rev. Colatch. A floormate took this course, and said it was pretty easy. She just wasn't too excited about having to learn about death all the time! Otherwise, the readings and paper assignments seemed pretty interesting to me.</p>
<p>My roomie took FYS 136 with Prof. Fabricand-Person. He loves Japanese culture, so this course was a great fit for him. It is pretty much an art history course, where the Prof. projects slides and tells students about the history behind each piece. My roomie loved the Prof. and said "she was a doll" (his words!).</p>
<p>FYS 140 is great for die-hard philosophy fans. Prof. Panichas is the most popular professor in the philosophy department...some students have actually created a facebook group called the "Panichas Fan Club".</p>
<p>Other than that, many of the FYS choices for you guys are different from the ones we were offered just a year ago.</p>
<p>For more information on the professors, be sure to visit ratemyprofessor.com (the college version of ratemyteacher.com). Maybe you can narrow down your choices that way.</p>
<p>All the best,</p>
<p>J</p>
<p>Hey Justin,
Thanks so much for sharing the web site address <a href="http://www.ratemyprofessor.com">www.ratemyprofessor.com</a>!
It's a damn wonderful resource for college kids like me, who tremble at the prospect of failing a course.
Comparing physics and engineering professors ratings I now begin to understand what they mean saying that Lafayette's engineering is top-notch. Good for me...
Thanks again for being that helpful!</p>