<p>hi, im going to be a part of cas class of 2013! i've seen a lot on Stern and LSP and Tisch, but not on CAS. I know it's a huge college with lots of different things going on, but that's part of the appeal, right? I'm planning on majoring in Econ/Math, because I'm good at it, but I also want to study history!- US, Russian, Antartica, you name it! I also love Physics; I'm the guy that searches spacetime and theory of Everything on wikipedia! yes, that guy. I know that there's a CAS orientation soon, which i cant wait for, but is there anything else related to CAS spirit/vibe/ethos? CAS student are _________. And how bad r the MAP courses? They scare me. plz be as descriptive as u want it to be, and express ur love for CAS here!</p>
<p>Is the core curriculum at CAS called MAP? If not, what are the core requirements of CAS?</p>
<p>The MAP courses are not at all scary; in fact, I enjoyed quite a few of the (especially The Human Body, Russia Since 1917, and the NYC Architecture Field Study). They cover a broad range of possible topic specializations, so just pick the one you’re interested in, do the work, and you’ll be fine. </p>
<p>History was one of my majors (politics was the other), and I adored it. I think the department is exceptional, and the breadth of offerings and cross-listings meant I could actually explore other subject areas beyond my specialization (modern Eastern European history, with a focus on Soviet communism). The workshops and seminars are fascinating, but even the introductory courses are intellectually stimulating. There are a decent number of requirements, though, so if you want to do history, check out what you’ll have to get done.</p>
<p>As for “CAS students are…,” I don’t think there’s any one answer. Since we’re technically the “College” and have no actual defined focus (unlike Tisch, Stern, or Steinhardt) but have distinct departments (unlike Gallatin), it kind of depends on what department you’re in. Overall, though, I would say people were pretty laid-back and more into academic discourse than just getting a job. You’ll always have gunners, but I never sensed a high degree of competitiveness. Freshmen might try to one-up each other, but once you get into your second year, stuff like SAT scores and high school GPAs won’t matter anymore, and there won’t be anyone who has taken the exact same courses as you, so comparisons will kind of fall by the wayside (and if they don’t, you might want to rethink that friendship).</p>