<p>I have been reading about several programs for Freshmen. </p>
<p>Orientation
48 HOURS
Freshmen First Week
Cornerstone</p>
<p>can u tell me about this, and about Cornerstone? Can you only take one cornerstone class?</p>
<p>Also, how is orientation and 48 hours and first week? Does it really integrate you into the community at BC>?</p>
<p>Dear jorr08 : Great questions - hopefully, some help follows.</p>
<p>The "orientation program" will see you sign up for one of seven BC class sign-up and orientation sessions during the June-August timeframe. The program is three days, one of the most comprehensive college orientation programs available and highly recommended. Be sure that your parents/guardians also participate if at all possible. Surviving first year separation anxiety is made much easier after the orientation program. Remember, this is where you will sign-up for classes for the Fall 2008. Attending the later sessions might make getting your "favorite" classes a bit more difficult. See Orientation</a> - Boston College for orientation dates and details.</p>
<p>48 Hours is a weekend retreat program held for freshman during one of your first two semesters. Completely optional (about $100), this curriculum immerses you into problems and issues facing freshmen while addressing these discussions in an off-campus environment. See 48HOURS</a> - Boston College for more details.</p>
<p>Freshman First Week gets the incoming class involved in some campus activities. The lobster bake received good reviews this year - the boat tour (due to cold weather and some less than responsible attendees) did not receive good grades.</p>
<p>Cornerstone is a five course curriculum designed to provide a foundation for freshman studies. See Cornerstone</a> - Boston College for more details.</p>
<p>wow scottj great answer!...</p>
<p>Really, if I dont go to an early orientation i might not get the right classes?
I live in Hawaii, so I kind of have to go to the later ones....</p>
<p>Also, does all of these programs help to make good friends?</p>
<p>Dear jorr08 : Orientation session 7 is specifically designed for students like you who are traveling long distances to join the BC community but might not want to make the trip in June or July before school starts. Your session would be at the end of August and you will immediately start classes thereafter (September 2, 2008). As for class selection, you might be more limited, but see if you can speak with admissions or your department of interest ahead of time as that might help.</p>
<p>Remember that all freshmen have to attend one of the sessions and with 2200 incoming students in seven sections, you will find 300+ anxious freshmen just like you looking to make friends during the orientation session.</p>
<p>These programs will all help with socialization as will the club recruitment day in September, meals with your dormmates, study groups with classmates, and a million other events like football Saturdays in the Fall.</p>
<p>jorr08 -- Don't worry about not being able to get into the classes you want if you attend Orientation Session 7 (the last one, held just before school starts). BC apportions the seats in freshman year classes according to the enrollment at each orientation session so that students attending later sessions are not at a disadvantage. For example, if 15% of the freshman class is going to Orientation Session 1, then only 15% of the seats in a particular class will be open for registration at that time -- leaving 85% of the seats available to those attending later sessions.</p>
<p>unfortunately, BC only does that for certain classes such as perspectives and freshman writing seminar. you will he held at a disadvantage if you decide to go to the last orientation group, but you'll get first dibs on picking classes for the spring semester. these programs are intended for people to make friends; however, don't expect too much. i personally haven't made too many friends with these programs. typically, a student's friends will be living on the same floor or building, but not necessarily true.</p>
<p>it is very important to me that i get the perspectives and freshman writing seminar</p>
<p>I am planning a biochemistry major and an International Political Economy minor, but I am scared that scheduling would fall through and I would be unable to complete my aspiration.</p>
<p>I hear horror stories all the time of these kids at Universities getting screwed and having to go to a college for a 5th year due to registration, is BC at all this bad? is the add/drop period good at all?</p>
<p>What do u think the best course of action would be for me?</p>
<p>i think youll be fine going to the 7th orientation. add/drop period is the most wonderful thing in the world and many spots can open up, just keep checking everyday. most 1st semester freshman are too scared or whatever to change their schedule after orientation but dont be.. this semester i got to change into 3 classes i wanted after having the 2nd latest registration time in the entire university. i highly doubt youll be forced to take a 5th year just because of your freshman orientation time.</p>
<p>48HOURS is the single best thing ive done since starting here last fall. it opened my eyes to so many new people and feelings on campus. before i felt stuck with some friends in my hall who i really didnt even like that much. it gave me time to reflect and realize that so many other freshman were feeling the EXACT same way as i was and were stiill looking to make more friends. i met SO many new people and formed some really tight friendships. im living wiht one of my group members next year.</p>
<p>i personally did enjoy the freshman first week. it gave me a chance to hang out with my hallmates and some of the new friends i had made in a special way the first couple of days. regardless of the fact that were not really friends anymore, the boat crusie was a lot of fun (even though a little crowded) and the hypnotist was funny. lobster bake was delish!</p>
<p>it sounds like BC really goes out of its way to treat its freshmen quite well.</p>
<p>do u think I would have any trouble getting into Intro Bio, or General Chem classes? Or would only perspectives be harder to get into? Miragemage pointed out they only hold classes for some classes like those two cornerstone ones. But for classes that would be necessary like General Chem and Intro Bio, would positions run out quickly?</p>
<p>i think those classes do run out of space, but you can always register for them for the spring semester. you should try to get the other core classes out of the way if you cant get the classes you want. like i said, BC does reserve seats in cornerstone classes like perspectives and freshman writing seminar; however, i believe those are the only classes that are reserved for the later orientation sessions. and as beanie said earlier, spots are bound to open up during the add/drop period so you can try to get into the classes you want later.</p>
<p>im taking a biochem major so I need to have Intro Bio and General Chem my first year, so it is imperative that I get those classes.</p>
<p>I think i need to sign up for session 2 to go alone.. agreed?</p>
<p>Dear jorr08 : Professors can and do open up closed sections for majors like BioChem - your advisor will help you during course registration also. While it shows real drive to get these things sorted early (it is still March!), you are driving yourself crazy for no good reason. Your schedule will work out, you will get the classes that you need - the times might not be what you want - but you will not get penalized by an extra year of school.</p>
<p>I would call the Office of the First Year Experience and ask all of your questions. The staff is very caring and understanding - and specifically interested in helping freshmen through these initially tough decisions. Make the phone call and you will sleep much better in the short term!</p>
<p>well i called them and they basically told me the same thing u guys told me...</p>
<p>My parents said they wouldnt mind sending me to the Session 2, and make sure I get the classes I want, do u think this is a good idea, considering my drive to make sure of everything lol</p>
<p>Intro Bio and Chem do not fill up; BC keeps spots opened for all of the main intro and core classes for freshman during orientation. You will not get screwed for classes no matter if you go in orientation 1 or orientation 7, especially not for the classes required for pre-med. Don't worry, you'll get into the classes and the labs you need for your intro classes. They have 100-200 each in them (depending on the year) and there are multiple times they are offered. BC doesn't only keep spots opened in Perspectives and Cornerstone courses, because they know that students from far away often are not able to go to orientations other than the 7th orientation. </p>
<p>If you don't get a non-core class or a specific time slot for classes that you want, drop/add will help you fix that if you take advantage of it. Don't bother going out of your way to come up early; its more likely you'll get screwed out of classes in the first few orientations because BC is expecting most freshmen to come up later, leaving most of the spots in those classes open for later orientations.</p>
<p>that deff makes sense</p>
<p>so nobody things there would be any advantage to an earlier session?</p>
<p>nope, from what you said its really more convienient for you to go to session 7. i think its also not what session your at but what registration time you have DURING the last day of orientation. i luckily got to go in the first group at 8am, so i got most of the classes that i wanted. i think session 7 has a nice perk to it that youre there, its college. i went to session 4 in july and was like what?! why do i have to wait another month and a half to go?!</p>
<p>its also nice because you cna settle into your dorm early, and get to know the others from your building that are there for session 7 a little better before everyone else moves in.</p>
<p>plus, most intro classes are HUGE. my priciples of econ has 300 people, and i think most intro bio and chem have about 200. also, if you fail to get into one of those classes, you can email the professor and explain to them your needs/desires to be in the class. a good amount of the time theyll override and let you in if its possible.</p>
<p>that makes a lot of sense.... </p>
<p>so is there high possibilities of not getting classes i need?</p>
<p>need</p>
<p>Intro Bio
General Chem
Calc
Perspectives
Frosh Writing Seminar</p>
<p>the only way you wouldn't get those classes are to not register for them. there are multiple times and professors for each of those classes, so don't worry.</p>
<p>js is very right.. i dont think its getting into the classes is the biggest problem because there are so many professors and sections. word of advice, look up the professors on PEPs (which is like rate my professor) on ugbc.org to find the best professors and go for them first rather than the best times.</p>
<p>youre not looking to take any obscure or classes that are "really hard to get into" from what ive heard. so you should be good. btw, ive heard defusco is the BEST writing seminar/lit professor you could have. nice, easy, and interesting. i had griffin for FWS, she was pretty good and always really friendly and helpful</p>
<p>that sounds great</p>
<p>and with add drop should i be able to get alll classes i like?</p>
<p>also, do u guys suggest 48 hours?</p>
<p>and whats the deal on football and bball tickets?</p>