Hi! I need help on selecting courses for my first semester
I may want to apply to med school, im not sure but it is a possibility
Im undecided on my major, and im not sure if i should start by working towards fulfilling pre med requirements or discovering new areas of study.
I would also love to hear insight on the best time and way to fulfill the distributional requirements, particularly writing and foreign language.
Some background:
I have 5s on ap chem and ap calc BC( and AB)
A strong foundation in physics and bio
No experience in economics and computer science
Rather weak in the humanities
Any input/ advice would be appreciated.
I dont want to rush into being pre-med, and at the same time i dont want to regret starting late.
Im also interested in BME and chemical engineering.
There are many fields im inexperienced in due to a science-centered highschool curriculum.
Thanks in advance
Maybe try taking one pre-med requirement (or a pre-req for a requirement) in your first semester, one general ed requirement, and then two courses that you’re simply interested in.
First, take a deep breath. Then, maybe another 
You will get input from your advisor and classmates. Yale has a shopping period, where you can “try on” some classes. Blue book (that’s a verb, who knew?) a bit, and pick some courses you might be interested in. DS started too intensely, and now wishes he had socialized a bit more, but mistakes can be overcome, and by sophomore year it was all fine.
You have a long time to fulfill distributional requirements. I’m sure that Science and Quantitative will be a snap for you. DS (a rising junior) has put off finishing FL, but I think he finally will, although that’s his “monster under the bed.” Your advisor will help. You will do fine. Look at the Yale retention percentages. Welcome to the Happiest Campus.
As @IxnayBob suggested: Take a deep Breath.
The easiest way to plan your course selection freshman year is to start with your foreign language requirement. If you are taking an intro class, those classes meet 5 times a week (Monday to Friday) at the SAME time. Often times, a student’s FL course selection plays havoc with their other courses, so I would recommend going through the Blue Book and nailing down your FL requirement first. Then add in your next distributional requirement. Once that is done, start looking for electives for any open slots you have.
And remember, keep breathing!
If you are possibly attempting the pre-med track, you might want to take Gen Chem. It is my understanding that it is a full year course, required for pre-med and if you decide its not your thing you can still fulfill a requirement without having to take the second half of the year. A friend of my daughter’s did this and decided it wasn’t for her after the first semester. Even if there is a slight possibility that you want to go the medical school route, you will want to start hitting those milestones early so that you are not scrambling later on.
All that advice, plus this: Don’t overschedule your first semester. Just adapting to school is practically a course in itself.
Figure out now what kind of sleeper you are and plan your classes around that schedule.
Do not sign up for 8 am classes if you prefer to study very late into the night.
You think you will just suck it up because you don’t have any other way to make your schedule work. Don’t Do It !!!
Sleep is so important, and so very overlooked by incoming freshmen. Youth gives you the energy short term to miss sleep, but is the devil if you make it your lifestyle.
Freshman year is all about figuring out when to do your laundry, when to block out study time in the library, and how to make friends in addition to your academics.
You have not had to make friends since first grade (unless your family moved a lot) and it takes energy and effort to reach out. So make that a priority in the first three weeks of school. Study group partners don’t just happen. You chat after class and over time discover the folks you want to study with.
Pre-med will happen or not happen, and yet life will continue. You are not a failure if you discover the pre-med track is not for you. That just means you are closer to determining what you do want to study!
YES. SLEEP. The worst mistake I made in college was not having sufficient respect for the importance of sleep. And the friends I had who had the best and most successful undergraduate experiences were those who valued their sleep. Without exception.
@porcupine98 @powercropper @Memmsmom @gibby @yonceonhismouth @IxnayBob
thank you all so much for your advice! ive become considerably less anxious reading your input.
building on what has been said, im thinking of taking: french(FL), general chemistry, a freshman seminar and an additional course id finalize after shopping period
Also, if any of you have experience with student employment at Yale, how many hours do you advice me to work first semester? do you have any recommendations about when to work? and about the best types of jobs?
My daughter holds two Yale student jobs during the school year. They are VERY flexible with her schedule and know that at the end of the day you are still a student. That said, she works about 10 hours at one and 3 at the other. Any more than that and she would not have the other social clubs she is active with. She prefers the mid day shifts for the one with more hours because she is a late night student. She would rather stay up all night than try and cram studies into the middle of the day. It really depends on the kid though. And YES YES YES take a seminar if you can. Some of them fill up fast though. That was one of her favorite experiences her first year.
FWIW: Students who receive federal money as part of the work-study program have first dibs on jobs – that’s because Yale is receiving money directly from the Federal Government to employ those students on campus. Next come upperclass students (sophomores, juniors and seniors), some of whom may already be on a waitlist for a job. That generally means that as a freshman if you’re not part of the federal work study program, jobs are very difficult to find.
My son, who was not part of the work-study program, could not find a job his freshman or sophomore year. His junior and senior year, he worked for Yale’s Information Technology Services about 15-20 hours a week at a computer help desk that was not terribly busy. That basically meant he was paid to sit at a desk to do his homework and get paid $13.00 an hour – not a bad job if you can find one like that.
My advice: If you’re part of the work-study program, you should be fine working about 10 hours a week. You can increase your hours when you know how much work each of your classes demands. If you’re not on a work study program, do not expect to be able to find an on-campus job. You’ll have to look for jobs off-campus, and those are equally difficult to find.