Undergraduate Catalog (and website) a little outdated

<p>I'm going to be a Vandy freshman this coming fall, and I have a fairly minor concern:</p>

<p>Certain parts of Vanderbilt's undergraduate catalog and website seem to be outdated, when it comes to listing courses. For example, take a look at the list of courses that fulfill various AXLE requirements (either in the catalog or online --- here</a>). Quite a few of the course numbers listed refer to courses that no longer exist (or at least no longer appear in the actual departmental course listings).</p>

<p>Since I'd like to have at least a vague idea of how I'll handle AXLE, and several of the instances of outdated listings seem to intersect with my specific interests (for example, in fulfilling the U.S. requirement, I'd probably want to take an American literature course, but half of the English courses listed in the U.S. section no longer exist).</p>

<p>Do any of you guys know how this'll be worked out? Will I be able to get a completely up-to-date run-down of courses during my Summer Academic Orientation thing, or what?</p>

<p>Also, a related question: How often do courses change over the years? I've put a little effort into having a plan for my four years (the plan is flexible and allows room for spontaneity, of course) --- does this make sense, or do courses change so much in the space of four years that this is useless?</p>

<p>Edit: Oh, and is it just me, or do the AXLE courses seem to have been chosen completely randomly? For example, look at philosophy: about half of philosophy courses count toward humanities, and about half don't. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why the particular ones were chosen. Same goes for a lot of other departments. (The worst is with "perspectives" --- there are only so many courses that actually deal with women or homosexuals or midgets, so for the most part I think they just drew courses from a hat.) In some cases this kinda sucks, because there'll be a course that sounds really interesting and very relevant that doesn't count toward AXLE, and then there'll be some insanely boring-sounding class that seems less related to the general field that does count toward AXLE. Oh well.</p>

<p>AXLE can be really confusing. I'm a rising senior at Vanderbilt and if I have any advice regarding AXLE and planning classes... don't do it too far in advance. Like you, I spent a lot of time trying to sit down and figure out exactly how all 4 years would go. By the end of my freshman year, I had changed my major (and school) so that all ended up being wasted time. I would say the best thing to do would be to just try and plan out your freshman year... get some AXLE requirements out of the way so you're not like a lot of my friends that will be seniors in the fall that will need to sit through a chemistry class for freshmen that they've been avoiding.</p>

<p>Also, on SAOP, it is a useful time to ask academic-related questions. My bet is that they will have catalogs for you... the catalog that is available online isn't outdated, every so often the courses that are "not currently offered" come back into the swing of things so they never take them out of the catalog.</p>

<p>I hope this helps, if you have specific questions, definitely let me know.</p>

<p>I talked to one of the professors who said the computer system isn't working correctly right now. Both the print and online course catalogs aren't up yet. I'm sure by the time we'll be picking our classes it will be up.</p>

<p>I second VandyManiac. I planned out courses for four years for two separate majors, and it turns out now that I don't want to pursue either major. In general, you really can't plan too far into the future. Just figure out your freshman year. Make sure to find some courses that sound cool and count towards AXLE every semester, but keep in mind that there are probably going to be some AXLE requirements (not many) that just plain suck. </p>

<p>Re: the out-of-date catalog. Chances are that Vandy is not going to update its catalog.</p>

<p>If you have specific questions about AXLE requirements, feel free to post them here. Your first-year advisor is not going to be any help at all.</p>

<p>I'll also support VandyManiac's advice. As a parent of 2 Vandy students, I can't name too many negatives about the school/experience; however, one of the big weaknesses (perhaps the biggest) is the advising system and how AXLE has evolved for the younger one (older one was under CPLE). If they still do the same thing as 2 years ago, they'll send you an AXLE booklet which is well done prior to registration. However, the material that was in print when D entered and the evaluation of her courses has not stayed the same (I teach at an institution that requires that what is in a catalog for an entering freshman remains true for the entire time you are here unless you change majors). Her first semester language course was listed as AXLE in the initial booklet, but she is now told it doesn't count. As it turns out, her study abroad experience will put her over in that category, so it's not a huge deal.<br>
Because I had a student at Vandy during the time AXLE was being developed, I was able to follow the development through online issues of The Vanderbilt Register, The Hustler, etc. I know that considerable time and thought was put into the process of course assignment to each area. I wouldn't criticize that part of the deal at all, but have found that not all faculty are knowledgeable about advising (even those assigned to the task during SAOP) and that leads to confusion. Despite these comments, I would still say you will get an outstanding education at Vanderbilt that will broaden your horizons and enrich you for many years to come.</p>

<p>Thanks, guys, for the advice on not planning too far ahead.</p>

<p>VandyManiac1228 said: "the catalog that is available online isn't outdated, every so often the courses that are "not currently offered" come back into the swing of things so they never take them out of the catalog."</p>

<p>Actually, I'm not talking about the courses that say "not currently offered." I'm talking about lists (including the AXLE list, and a couple other lists) of course numbers, and with some of these numbers, you flip over to the department's section in the catalog, and that number simply isn't there. Do you know why this might be the case? (Oh, and I didn't realize courses labeled "not currently offered" often come back; thanks for that info.)</p>

<p>2VU0609 said: "Because I had a student at Vandy during the time AXLE was being developed, I was able to follow the development through online issues of The Vanderbilt Register, The Hustler, etc. I know that considerable time and thought was put into the process of course assignment to each area. I wouldn't criticize that part of the deal at all"</p>

<p>OK, sorry about that; you're right, there could very well be good reasons for the course selections.</p>

<p>A'ight:
No need to apologize. I can completely understand how it would appear random to you. I have spent 18 years in higher education and I have found the classifications "interesting" on occasion. I paid attention to the process while it was evolving and read everything that was published that I could since I knew D would apply ED, so I have just trusted their was "method to the madness" as they say. Sometimes that method isn't always apparent to students or parents though!
As for courses you are interested in using to meet AXLE, you should know that many courses at Vanderbilt are fall only or spring only. While you can access the fall courses via the website, I strongly suggest getting a paper copy of the schedule (they should send you one in your registration materials) and using it to plan for the year (4 years is too much to plan, but a year certainly isn't). Have several tenatative schedules planned - freshmen are low on the totem pole and you will want to be prepared when Oasis opens for schedule changes if you are bumped from requested classes.</p>

<p>While I stand by my comments about the somewhat weak advising presence at Vanderbilt, I will add that if you get a black book for your entering class, an AXLE booklet, a schedule, and have the gumption to ask questions when you have them, you will still be able to successfully navigate the process. After all, you were smart enough to be admitted to Vanderbilt!</p>