<p>1) if we have one of the later orientation days, like in Aug, does that mean we will get crappy classes?
2) under Prerequisites to Concentration, are these the classes that we should take preferably freshman year so we will have them by sophomore year?
3) UM's policy is that we don't take more than 18 credits in one term correct?
4) for those of us that are gonna be at UM from September till May, are we called Fall academic term and Winter academic terms?
5) btw I am doing concentration in biology with Honors. How do we know which classes are designated as honors?</p>
<p>1) Not completely. For the larger, common freshmen courses they open up spots in the class in waves so that people in later orientation sessions aren't at a great disadvantage. It will probably be less likely that there will be spots in the more interesting topics courses. If it's really an issue, you can just kind of congregate core courses first semester, and things that might be filled up now during second semester.</p>
<p>2) Not always, it depends on the major. In some majors, you pretty much have to take the prereqs before you can move on to upper level classwork (and even then, you wouldn't need to complete them until end of sophomore year). I guess an example of this would be in economics, needing to take econ 101/econ 102 (micro and macro) before you can move on to the upper level classes. In some majors, you don't necessarily need to take all of them before you can move on to upper level coursework. An example would be political science, where you might decide you want to pursue upper-level classes in american politics before you get around to taking the "pre-req" class for comparative politics. Finally, there are a few majors where you can take the prereqs whenever you want. An example of this would be biology, where the "prereqs to the concentration" involve math and physics, which really aren't prerequisite to most upper level biology classes. One of my friends that did biology didn't finish the physics requirement until second semester senior year.</p>
<p>3) It's possible to take more than 18 credits, you just have to get approval from your adviser and pay a certain amount extra for every credit hour you go over. In some cases, it's possible to take a class for reduced credit to keep yourself from going over the limit (basically you arrange with the department to schedule the class as an "independent study" for fewer credits).</p>
<p>4) Yes. As far as most people are concerned, Michigan runs under a semester system with first semester being Fall term being from September-December, and second semester being Winter term from January to April. We classify ourselves as being under a trimester or quarter system because of the spring/summer terms, but those aren't real semesters that all students take with full course offerings.</p>
<p>5) It'll probably say "Honors" in the course title somewhere. In some cases, you'll be in the same lecture as everybody else, but there will be a special discussion section reserved for Honors students. For example, in Biology 171 Introductory Biology: Ecology and Evolution, the course guide says "HONORS STUDENTS ENROLL IN SECTION 009 OR 034 AND LECTURE SECTION 002 OR 004."</p>