<p>I am a future freshman looking at the distribution of classes. If one takes 4 courses per semester, then that is 32 total. So I reason, perhaps:</p>
<p>14 for my particular concentration
8 General Education
2 Foreign Language
1 Expository Writing
1 Freshman Seminar
4-6 Secondary Field</p>
<p>But that's 30-32 total without electives. Am I missing something? I must be, since some concentrations require more credits...</p>
<p>1) Many students are exempted from the foreign language requirement by scoring a 5 on a foreign language AP, 700+ on a foreign language SAT Subject Test, or a 7 on the appropriate International Baccalaureate Higher Level exam. I also believe International Students who are fluent in their own language and English are also exempted from the foreign language requirement. So, you’re personally losing two electives right there. </p>
<p>2) A freshman seminar is considered an elective. (BTW: Hundreds of freshman apply for Freshman Seminars, and admission to each is often by lottery or essay, so you may not get any of your choices. You should have an elective or gen ed course ready to fill that slot.)</p>
<p>3) Many students do not opt for a secondary field or citation, so those credit hours are filled with electives or go towards credit for your concentration.</p>
<p>4) As you’re not required to take specific gen ed courses like you would have to do at Columbia University, you could consider those courses to be (required) electives.</p>
<p>johnsmith7101,</p>
<p>If you take a secondary field of study, there really won’t be a lot of room in your schedule for other electives. However, there will be a little more flexibility than you’re spelling out. In addition to what gibby points out, some of your general education requirements will intersect with your concentration or your second field.</p>
<p>Be aware, though, that not all concentrations require only 14 classes. I believe the engineering SB requires 20 (that’s from memory - I may be off on the precise number).</p>
<p>Yes, notjoe is correct. For some concentrations, you will learn that you only need to take 10-12 classes and for other classes you may need to take more.</p>
<p>Also you can double count Gen Eds for concentration or secondary field credit, so that usually frees up some room for more electives. You can also have one course that counts for both concentration and secondary credit.</p>
<p>Another incoming freshman here. From social networking sites, it seems that a lot of Harvard 2017 have begun to plan their freshman year schedules. Just curious if any current students would be willing to share their freshmen year schedules?</p>
<p>Personally, I know I’m interested in concentrating in Econ but am lost as to how to balance the language requirement, Gen Ed requirement, Expos, etc. even just for freshman year. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Going into my senior year, 2 of my gen eds are giving me concentration credit, and 2 I would have taken as electives anyway. I believe I have “filled” Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding 4-5 times already! Culture and Belief a little less than that. Doesn’t help me any, but I just like those courses when the other ones I’m taking that semester are already a challenge. I think that, in general, you can also reasonably expect to double-count 3-4 gen eds.</p>
<p>Glassgirl, are you planning on continuing a foreign language or taking a new one? But a sample, and pretty normal, schedule might be:</p>
<p>Fall:
Ec 10
Language
Expos
Math</p>
<p>Spring:
Ec 10
Language
Freshman Seminar
Elective</p>
<p>That knocks out USW (Ec 10) and EMR (Math), while giving you 2 half-credits in economics, maybe 3 if the math counts, and 2 electives to spend on gen eds, a freshman seminar, figuring out your concentration, or a combination of the above.</p>
<p>I like that schedule a lot. You can knock out 4 Gen Eds while racking up some concentration credits. The only thing I would change is having a Freshman seminar both terms, but I doubt that is realistic…</p>