<p>FYS and CAP courses are not binding, though you’ll still have your CAP professor as your advisor. They both bear normal course credit (1 credit per course) and count towards both the 30 passed courses needed to graduate and the 5 course limit each term, but almost definitely don’t count towards concentrations.</p>
<p>Take an FYS or CAP course that interests you, regardless of potential concentration. Unless you’re planning to go into Engineering or a particular language, first semester courses really won’t shut you out of concentrations, but courses you take may satisfy requirements. It’s generally seen as a time to explore, though. If you think you’re interested in neuroscience, do take at least 1 neuroscience course freshmen year - how else will you know if it’s for you? It’s probably best not to put all of your eggs in one basket, though. By taking 1 and not 2 neuro classes freshman year, all you really do is add 1 course to what you need to do in the final 3 years. Depending on how sequential these courses are, that may make it harder and it may not. One of my concentrations is Classics (requiring 12 courses formally, but 13 in reality, given the level of Greek I entered in) - although I knew I wanted to do this, I took only 1 classics course freshman year, and I now have only 1 requirement left with a year to go. I was still able to take 7 electives and am nearly done with an Sc.B. in addition. It’s definitely doable if it’s something you want to do.</p>
<p>Med school doesn’t really care about major. It’s the premed courses that matter. You could major in Chem, Bio, Neuro, Classics, English…anything, really. Your CAP decision only determines advisor for freshman year, and won’t have a lasting effect on your curriculum or concentration (though it may change how you think - who knows?).</p>