<p>Sorry but I am still a bit confused, do you have to take an Intro Sem? I am thinking that if my daughter takes her required IHUM, Chem, Math and French that there will be no room? She will be premed and I do not want her to be at a disadvantage if she does not take a Seminar. Mrs.Weasley would truely appreciate your thoughts!</p>
<p>IntroSems are not required, but they're very popular because many of them fulfill GER requirements, they're great GPA boosters (easy material and relatively light workload), and they're taught in small discussion-oriented sections, so students are able to engage in meaningful discussions with profs and other students.</p>
<p>She can take them sophomore year instead if she wants; there's a good one for premeds about what life is like in the medical professions. She wouldn't be at a great disadvantage if she never took one, but it's about the only way to get small classes as an underclassman and a good way to get to know professors, which is valuable for recommendations. Anyhow, I'm sure her academic advisor will help her sort it out during orientation.</p>
<p>I still haven't gotten my Intro Sem catalog. It was mailed last Wednesday right? Maybe it's taking too much time even for internationals living abroad. Perhaps I have to contact Stanford.</p>
<p>What are other freshman doing about their IntroSems? The mailing suggests that we wait until we can talk to our academic advisors before choosing, but I'm assuming that won't be until the 20th or later; there will only be three days afterwards to sign up. Should I write my essays in preparation for the Sems I think I want to enter or leave it all until I speak with the academic advisor? Is anyone signing up without talking to an advisor?</p>
<p>no, that would be... i don't know. but i think if you already made up your mind and wrote your essays and everything that would be underminding the whole point of an advisor, no?</p>
<p>If you have a definite first choice then I would say go ahead and start writing the essays. It looks like the apps all pretty much have questions along the lines of what have you done in this area before and why are you interested in this area. The deadline is 5pm on Friday, Sept 23 so we'd only have two days after meeting our advisor to fill out the app and we're probably going to be quite busy.</p>
<p>I'd still wait to send in the app till after you've talked with an advisor so you have an idea of what the course load would be like and maybe some tips on writing a good application.</p>
<p>An advisor is only useful insofar as you want them to be. I went in to my advising meeting knowing exactly what i wanted to take, and i appeared driven and knowledgeable... it isn't a BAD thing not to need an advisor... but if you want the help than it's great. Now, in this case you have to meet with them and they have to approve- but you definitely don't need them to tell you what to do. </p>
<p>Mrs. Weasley- if your daughter is taking all four of those classes all three quarters, she may very well be completely overloaded... most people take the track they have to follow, maybe even two tracks, through their freshman year, but leave other requirements for later years... because freshman year is a time to enjoy everything there is to offer. Now if French is something she's taking for fun, sobeit, there's a fun class- but if she's taking it for a requirement, I would suggest saving it for another year- or perhaps starting it and finishing it another year (like taking french 1 in the winter, and then french 2 sophomore year), because then she'll have time to take some courses, like introsems, which she really loves.</p>
<p>so when do we fit the pwr req?</p>