<p>Just wondering…is it possible to get into two or more FYSs in a single semester? I see with the lottery it’s already difficult to even get into one, but if you appeal to the professor, is there a way to get included into a seminar?</p>
<p>Are you sure that you want that?
I mean, of course first year seminars are great and everything, but remember a few things:
- first year seminars are usually a LOT of work. You absolutely NEED to stay caught up because it is VERY obvious when you are even slightly behind. Example: most courses demand a huge amount of reading and discussion. Didn't finish all the reading? Well its obvious to the professor in the discussion.
- you want diversity in the type of courses you take. Sure small courses are nice where you can get to know the professor, but you also want the experience of large intro courses. The sooner you start getting used to them and how you can work with them (to still get to know professor, get extra help, etc), the better
- and of course, you're taking the opportunity away from someone else to be in even one seminar, let alone two</p>
<p>That being said, it's not that difficult to just go talk to a professor if you want to be in more then one first year seminar. Just keep in mind the stuff I said above.</p>
<p>wow. thanks. I never thought about all of those things you said. i'll definetly reconsider taking two seminars now, but can you blame me for wanting to take advantage of a great program? Then again, I'd hate to be a greedy student and push myself into a class that others were closed out of. I'll keep your advice in mind!!!</p>
<p>Some seminars do not fill up during the preregistration processes -- you can go to the registrar in person to find out which ones these are, or shop some and try to get in off of waiting lists, or pay attention to the emails you get from advising during the first week or two saying which ones have space. It is possible and I think I know one or two people who did it.</p>
<p>That said, LucyS's points are all valid. I would also add that having upperclassmen as classmates is an extremely valuable experience. It's an easy way to make friends outside of your year, and also to get tips on keeping up with the work, finding experienced study-buddies, etc. I'm glad I didn't limit myself too much to taking only intro courses or seminars with other freshman during my first year -- my second semester, there were several grad students in my history class, which was great!</p>
<p>If there are two you really want to take, I say shop them both and several other classes and see what happens.</p>
<p>chemical ecology had like, 6 people</p>
<p>has anyone ever been told straight up that they couldn't take a class by a professor, or know anyone that was told no. There is one class that I really want to take, I made it my first choice CAP course (didnt get it) and am making it my first choice FYS (crossing my fingers). If I dont get in again I am definitely willing to go and talk to the professor, I just want to make sure I am not fighting for a lost cause. thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Yup. First semester last year, I wanted to take SP60 (Spanish -- Advanced Composition). Since each section was limited to 18, I didn't get the section I wanted. After going through the priorities (preregistered seniors all the way down to unpreregistered freshmen), there were about 12 of us who wanted the 1 remaining slot, and when the instructor held a lottery, my name wasn't pulled, so I had to move to the next section. It wasn't a big deal -- I still got to take the class, and it was only an hour later than the hour I wanted, with a different instructor.</p>
<p>Also, last semester for PS/PP105 (Ethics and Public Policy), the professor told us on the first day of class that anyone who wasn't preregistered should just give up and leave, because there wouldn't be enough space in the class. I was not preregistered, but I decided to stick around anyway because I really wanted to take the class. Turned out the guy was completely wrong -- he scared enough people away on the first day that anybody who stuck around ended up getting into the class. Then again, this was this prof's first semester as a guest lecturer from Princeton, so he didn't know anything about our system... more experienced profs tend to give you a better estimate of whether or not you'll stand a chance.</p>
<p>I took two second semester. PY19-2 (Olfaction and Human behavior) and CG10 (Into to Music and Cognition). The workloads were managable, and I learned a lot of cool stuff that I would normally never even think about. If you are genuinely interested, though, tell the professor (e-mail is easiest, but if you can catch them in person, even better). That's how I got into CG10. Too many people showed up on Day 1, then nobody on Day 2, so she shot me an e-mail inviting me to the class and letting me know what I had to catch up on.</p>
<p>You took CG10? Oh man... I dropped that class like a hot potato when I realized that the prof had no idea how to teach an intro class... did it end up being better than the first couple days?</p>
<p>Haha.... I missed the first couple of days because I thought I'd be taking something else. She wasn't fantastic, but it did get better. It became a group of about 8 students, so discussions were a lot easier. We all helped shape the direction of the class.</p>
<p>. . . . . Also, as a bonus, we got free ipods for the semester.</p>
<p>So it's still possible to get into a FYS even if you weren't put in it in the lottery, say by going to the registrar, seeing a professor, or something like that?</p>
<p>Yup! Show up to the first day of class and ask the prof if the class is full. If it's not, s/he will probably sign your form and let you in right away. If it's full, s/he will probably take your name on a waiting list or tell you to come to the next class to see if anybody's dropped it. You'll also get an email during shopping period from Adivising telling you which FYS still have space.</p>